A Tapas venue in the West End, here we go again. After the visit to The Lansdowne last week, Dr. Stan reminded me that I had yet to review Rickshaw & Co (9 Partick Bridge St, Partick, Glasgow G11 6PN) which has been open about a year. A Curry-Tapas venue on consecutive Saturdays, not exactly what the Hector seeks, but as has been written – for the sake of completeness. At the start of this week, Marg and Hector were indulged at the wonderful DumPukht Lahori, the Southside, where authentic – Desi Curry – is served.
Located behind the Three Judges, which itself was formerly The Tower Bar / Bennett’s, the Rickshaw premises appear to be a new build. The Springwell Tavern may well have occupied this site back in the day, others can fill in the last fifty years.
With the tiny Curry Pot around the corner, and – the must get back to – Little Curry House at the bottom of Byres Rd., Partick does not do too badly for Curry. Usha’s Indian Vegetarian on Partick X has, not unsurprisingly, gone.
Arriving at 13.15, the Hector was the first customer of the day, by 14.00 we were nine. The staff outlined the Vegetarian Tiffin (£11.50) and Non-Vegetarian Tiffin (£13.50) to these customers. With – Chicken – as the Meat, Hector had no interest there. 
The charming waitress offered – water for the table. Instead, the order for 330ml of Sparkling Water (£1,95) was placed. A pukka glass, we are in the West End.
Finger food – was mentioned on the menu, Hector prefers to have his dinner.
Listed under – Chef’s choice – was Lamb Lahawab (£8.50), a Curry yet to feature in these pages, maybe one day.
Lamb Handi (£6.95) could be more representative of the Masala served at Rickshaw, a free rein for Chef. To accompany there had to be an Interesting Vegetable.
Desi Bombay Aloo (£5.95) ticked the box, the humble Potato is often an excellent inclusion in any Curry.
Classic Naan (£2.50) was nearly the choice of Bread. On spotting Methi Paratha (£2.95), it had to be.
Dismissed was Aachari Lamb Chops, possibly the most expensive Lamb Chops in Glasgow? Hopefully, affordable and abundant Lamb Chops Achari will feature in these pages at the end of this month, unless Dr. Bernard vetoes.
I take it I won’t see masses of Capsicum in the Handi? – I asked the waitress.
She confirmed no Ballast, then asked:
Do you have an allergy?
No, I just cannot stand Capsicum in Curry!
Nobody ever asks me why, regular readers know.
The food arrived after an appropriate wait. As with last week, a small dinner plate.
The Methi Paratha was served in a Tiffin tray, in five pieces. Wholemeal, slightly toasted, there were but flecks of the glorious Herb mixed into the dough.
The parameters which define a quality Paratha have been written oft: thickness, layering, flakiness, the spiral, buttery, none of these were present. This was not a Paratha as is recognised in Curry-Heute.
Desi Bombay Aloo
Potato wedges, this was different, sat in the seemingly not Soupy Masala. Finely chopped Onions had been added to the presumably blended Masala. Flecks of Coriander had been stirred in. On transferring to the dinner plate, the Masala did run, so Soupy then. The quantity of Potato justified the price, a decent portion for – Tapas. Finger food, not.
Lamb Handi
The Masala appeared to have a better consistency, again finely chopped onions were mixed in. I counted seven, respectably sized, pieces of Meat as I squeezed this Curry on to the empty part of the plate. Avoiding cross contamination was the name of the game. The Handi Masala initially appeared to be darker, on the plate, hard to spot any difference.
The all important first dip of Paratha into the Bombay Masala revealed no blast of Flavour. Mildly Spiced, was sensed. The receptors awaited, something, anything. The level of Seasoning was approaching the non-existent, ergo what chance the Curry? The Potato had not absorbed Flavour, well what was there to absorb? How long had they been in each others company? The whole point of Potato in Curry appears to have been missed.
The Handi Masala fared no better. Again, the lack of Seasoning was the culprit.
The waitress came over to ask the customary question.
The lack of Seasoning was duly reported.
I’ll let the Chef know – was the response.
A Black Cardamom was unearthed in the Handi Masala, a whole Spice, there had to be something happening here. I started to question if the taste-buds were actually working. The Lamb itself I could taste, one hopes for more, but had the Masala permeated, it had so little to offer.
There was something upsetting, whatever was registering on the palate was not what the Hector seeks, yet was becoming familiar. Deutschland, came to mind, Euro-Curry, I have had this too often, Curry as in what Chefs think people like.
The mass of food on the plate remained considerable. Time to abandon the Bread. Then the penny dropped.
The Wholemeal flour in the Paratha was overwhelming everything else. By abandoning this shockingly poor Paratha, which was already turning crispy, the taste-buds were invigorated. I could taste Lamb Curry! An improvement, but the lack of Seasoning meant there was no way back.
Having called it a day, I returned to the Sparkling Water. The palate rinsed, so an array of Spices emerged. The Paratha had masked these, still no Methi blast. The experience was nothing like as intense as last week’s – Afterglow – at The Lansdowne.
I have to accept that the Mainstream Curry Houses serve food pitched for the masses, thankfully not everyone knows of Glasgow’s Southside Curry Cafes, oops. I found it hard to believe that what was served today was from a Glasgow Curry House. In Europe, one tends to review from the perspective of the Curry being second division. I do not expect to make this adjustment in my home city.
The Bill
£17.80
The Aftermath
It was the same waitress who had dealt with me throughout the visit. She once again apologised for the lack of Seasoning. Having introduced myself and Curry-Heute, I then went on to define what makes a Paratha. Sorry.
Not a good day for the Hector. I feel a Desi Korma calling, where can I source one?
2023 Menu
