Manchester – Kabana – The Salad Conundrum

Manchester, Hector is back, call me – Mr. Manchester. Steve and Hector were booked with Mr. O’Leary from Edinburgh to Weeze, he didn’t cancel the flight, he cancelled the entire route. He must now be modelling Ryanair on Wizz. Köln is the eventual destination, behold a service from Manchester which gets everything, meanwhile Glasgow gets nothing, and avoiding Edinburgh Airport is an added bonus.

With a flight at early o’clock tomorrow, an overnight in Manchester was required, Rizwan at Kabana (22 Back Turner St., Northern Quarter, Manchester M4 1LQ England) must think I never actually go home.

We entered Kabana at 13.45 at the tail end of the lunchtime rush. Seats were aplenty, still it was a squeeze. Lamb Karahi (£4.80) on-the-bone with Rice (£1.50) has become the staple diet at Kabana. Steve’s preference once again was a Paratha (£1.50) to accompany, then he announced – Side Salad.

Salad? wtf?

Rizwan invited us to take our seats as the Paratha was prepared, he would bring the food to us.

I see you have your own (branded) t-shirt – Rizwan remarked in passing. He is old enough to remember Hector’s House.

Steve’s Salad, bowl of Lamb Karahi and Paratha came first, the Toppings already added. The Salad was half a plate of shredded Lettuce/Cabbage and a half plate of Onion smothered in Raita, with a hint of Chilli Sauce. This, Steve set about with vigour.

What’s going on here? – Hector was left to speculate. Once again the Paratha was a perfect example of what this Bread should be: Layered, Soft, Flaky and served – Whole. If ever I ordered one I would have to forgo the Rice, this would mean less Curry ironically.

Mmmm – was an instant reaction when Steve started on his Karahi. This was soon followed by a – Wow! – and a slightly worrying observation:

… a slightly different taste from last time.

We both put this down to the Salad Starter – The Salad Conundrum.

Initially Steve thought his Karahi was Boneless, then he started to encounter small bones. Rizwan brought the Hector Curry:

Extra marrow-bone for Hector – he declared.

Extra everything – was the reality. This was a – Rizwan Portion – with a mass of Curry atop the Rice. As before, Rizwan had added the Coriander, Ginger and Chillies.

Hector is well used to Ginger Strips as a garnish, however, today the chopped Ginger seemed to hit the spot even more than usual. Seasoning is all, so important, the full Flavour of the Masala was sublime. The Meat once again tasted so much better than the Lamb I encounter most days. Porosity, Permeability, the Lamb had absorbed the full Flavour of the Masala. Then there were the Sucky Bones, bone marrow indeed. How could one come to Manchester and not have this?

Rizwan sat at the adjacent table whilst Steve and Hector ate. He asked in effect – where is better than here? I had to admit that Dera has the edge, what they do is in a different league compared to the – Fast Food – Curry outlets of the Northern Quarter. There is another Kabana on Cheetham Hill Rd. Rizwan told us, managed by a relative, and has the same Menu. I asked if the food was cooked here and shipped out, apparently not. I cannot see me ever going up towards Cheetham Hill and not going to Dera.

Rizwan recommended the Buffet at Nawab on Stockport Rd. This is one for the future. I had of course to mention the Ramadan Buffet at The Village (Glasgow) which has the finest Punjabi Dishes and has set the standard. I was amused that Rizwan also admitted to overdosing on Starters when going for a Buffet. So go twice.

On praising the Paratha, Rizwan speculated that some venues simply serve up a Chapatti smothered in butter and pass it off. That could explain last Saturday at Jasmine (Kirkintilloch).

The Bill

£6.30 and £6.80 respectively. 50p for a Salad.

The Aftermath

We bade each other farewell, that was Kabana for another year.  I think.