Taste of Lahore (Rua do Benformoso 76, 1100-086 Lisboa) was spotted on Wednesday after a not so special Curry at Tasty Hut. Why I was not previously aware of this Benformoso Curry House shall remain a mystery. The Mutton Korma meal (€6.00) looked promising, could it be a Desi Korma? Also, here Mutton, Caril de Cabra, translates as – Goat!
Today, the ladies were off up-town for a pukka lunch and a girls’ day out. They would spend a bit more than €6.00 a head. I fetched Clive and led him to Martim Moniz and on to Rua do Benformoso which was remarkably quiet at 12.30. Perhaps everyone else was already at prayer. Steve, who once again wasn’t coming, joined us moments later.
The young waiter was keen to take our Order, I had him wait until we were three. Meanwhile, I established that the Mutton Korma had no – Coconut – and was therefore not the bland, creamy abomination that prevails. The term – Desi Korma – was recognised with enthusiasm.
The three of us were therefore having the Mutton Korma which comes with two Naan, Raita and Salad. Athena prices, making a mockery of venues anywhere charging £2-3 a Naan.
They are flour and water.
A 1.5l bottle of chilled Still Water completed the Order.
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From my seat I could not see the kitchen, I did manage a couple of photos which captured the cafe nature of the Curry House. Cheap and cheerful. How’s the Curry?
Mutton Korma
The three bowls were assembled, the distinctive aroma of a Desi Korma revealed all was well, this was what the Hector wanted. Four large pieces of Goat on-the-bone sat in a Shorva. Initially we had no cutlery, this was going to be fun.
The baskets of Naan arrived, the Bread halved. I assumed four halves per basket, when Steve’s allocation quickly disappeared there was a count. We had nine halves between us, more than enough Bread. The Bread was lightly fired with some burnt blisters forming.
The Mint Raita, Cucumber and abundant Onions were then brought along with cutlery. All was set, we certainly had our €6.00 worth.
Dipping the Naan in the Shorva revealed Big Spice and Big Seasoning. Dipping Bread, what’s this all about? This was a Desi Korma, full on. Clive had the Sucky Bones, I found a rib bone. Goat, we had assumed Lamb, this was as soft as Meat can be. My limited exposure to Goat has been associated with tougher Meat, not today.
The earthy, authentic Desi Korma Flavours were a delight, I could identify a faint sense of Cloves.
Not a hint of coconut in here – remarked Clive.
The Onions ended up in the Shorva, diversity. The Cucumber and Raita were addressed periodically, not a huge fan of Mint. The quantity of the Shorva meant we ate nearly all the Naan, most unusual. Today we were eating Asian-style: Bread with Curry. Clearly we could all have done with more Meat, but maybe this was sensible for lunch if dinner was to follow later. I wonder how flexible Taste of Lahore can be? For the Hector, three such bowls of Mutton Karahi and one Naan would be ideal. Better still, no Naan, bring me Rice!
I don’t see Rice on the menu.
Our young waiter was keen to establish if we were enjoying the food. Oh yes. Another, more senior, staff member also enquired. Steve replied with the otherwise ubiquitous phrase that never appears in these pages. Fortunately, he had more to offer:
The meat was tender, a good portion. The sauce was perfectly spiced. Very good value for money.
Clive added:
Portions were small, but OK for lunchtime. Four bits of meat, three sucky bones. Soupy, but flavoursome, plenty of Naan to soak it up.
The Bamberg Phenomenon maintains.
The Bill
€19.50 (£16.66) Taste of Lahore are making money on this, so how much are we overpaying elsewhere?
The Aftermath
Freed from my corner, the Calling Card was issued and appreciated. More photos, big smiles. Hopefully this will put Taste of Lahore on the Curry map.
2024 Menu
Later, we passed the highly protected Russian Embassy en route to pay our respects at the memorial to Alexei Navalny who was buried this afternoon in Moskva.
