Marg and Hector are in Girvan for a few days – Staycation-2021. In this west coast seaside town, en-suite accommodation was available at a sensible price for our chosen dates. Why do so many Scottish B&Bs think a shared bathroom is acceptable in this century?
Dalrymple Street is where Curry is found in Girvan, actually, outwith this main shopping street there’s not much of anything. Yasmin’s Fine Indian Cuisine (10 Dalrymple St., Girvan, Ayrshire KA26 9AE) is the only dedicated Curry House with sitting in. Closed on a Tuesday, it was tonight or never.
I had booked a table for 19.00, and so Mein Host greeted us by name throughout our visit. A young waitress took our Drinks order, a litre bottle of Sparkling Water was brought. With no Drinks Menu, there was no clue as to the cost.
Marg decided she was having Poppadoms (£1.50). Having photographed the Menu posted in the window yesterday, I had narrowed my choices to three possibilities, each in the – Hot Dishes – section: Chilli Bhoona, Lahori Masala, and the unusually titled Cobra.
There is a £1.50 surcharge on the quoted £10.95 for Lamb, therefore at £12.45, quite pricey for a Restaurant in the provinces. Of course, a substantial portion may justify this. Marg would choose from the – Medium Dishes – Lamb Lassani (£12.45). To accompany, Mushroom Rice (£3.75) and a Plain Paratha (£2.95).
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The young waitress returned to take the Order.
I listed my choices and my reasoning:
I do not wish to see Peppers in my Curry.
I asked which had the most Flavour. The waitress admitted that she had no personal knowledge of any of the Dishes, but most people went for Cobra. She confirmed that Cobra would be – Spicy – but wouldn’t all the Dishes in this section be so? Having restated that my interest was more about – Flavour – I continued:
Should I phone a friend, ask the audience?
Why at this point did she not defer to someone in the Restaurant who could answer?
Cobra it would be for Hector, and the lady at the adjacent table assured Marg that Lassani was a good choice.
Marg then added her request for Poppadoms and Mango Chutney.
How many? – was the reply. Unbelievably, at Yasmin’s, like 7 Spices Balti (Sheffield) – Poppadoms – on the Menu is actually – the singular. Marg persevered despite knowing that this goes against everything that – The Curry-Heute Campaign – stands for.
No Peppers – was noted for both Main Courses.
The solitary Poppadom was accompanied by a surprisingly large bowl of Mango Chutney. Marg took care of the Poppadom, OK, I had a nibble with some Chutney. I suggested that rather than waste the remaining Chutney, we hold on to it, just in case.
The adjacent couple were finishing their glasses of wine at the end of their meal. Two female strangers let loose, after some ten minutes it became possible that xmas cards might well be exchanged.
The Rice arrived with the Curry. Fresh Mushrooms pleased, there was enough to share, just. There was an apology for the relatively late arrival of the Paratha. The Wholemeal Paratha had the – spiral – and was soft and flaky. A good choice, and somehow we managed to finish it.
Lamb Cobra
The half, large Green Chilli was the differentiating feature to distinguish our choices.
The redness struck us both, this cannot be natural. The Masala was suitably viscous, so not a Soupy Curry then. The Spice Level was decent, the extra Chilli would enhance this as and when required. Where was the Seasoning? I always congratulate Chefs whom I consider to be – brave. The Chef at Yasmin’s most certainly was not. As a consequence, the Flavours of the Spices simply did not come across, just their heat.
Marg was ahead of me in complimenting the Meat, it was delightfully Tender. The Meat count was into double figures, each piece was a good size, so the price felt justified.
Hector decided to go down the Chasni road and took some of the leftover Mango Chutney. The first sample of this new mix confirmed that Hector’s taste-buds were still working. Sweeter, yes, but definitely more Flavoursome than that which had been presented. A pity the rules of Curry-Heute did not permit me to add – Salt!
Lamb Lassani
No Toppings, one cannot therefore take – foliage – for granted. Having sampled a Soupçon of the Masala, it was difficult to say how it differed from the Cobra other than having less of a – kick. Again, in terms of Flavour, nothing significant was coming across. Ginger Strips and Coriander Leaves could have done a lot for this Curry. Marg’s verdict:
Dark red looking, very tender lamb and a rich flavoured sauce. (really?)
I enjoyed the Mushroom Rice for a change and half of the Paratha.
Mein Host came over as we neared the end – How is your meal?
I’ll tell you at the end, for reasons I’ll explain later – was my response.
Undaunted, he sat at the adjacent table and engaged us in conversation. Marg’s earlier conversation had established that significant travel was (once upon a time) involved in him getting to Girvan each day. All is well now. He confirmed that Yasmin’s has been in existence for some five years. Previously he worked at a Curry House in Newton Stewart.
We cleared our plates: every grain of Rice, crumb of Paratha, karahi wiped clean. This confirms that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the food served here this evening, but we were back in the land of Mainstream Curry. One always hopes to discover something special, surprising, not this evening.
The Bill
£39.60 As it was not itemised, I cannot confirm the prices of the Sparkling Water or Mango Chutney.
The Aftermath
It was a different chap who cleared the table. With Calling Card at the ready, I waited for the opperchancity to engage Mein Host. Unfortunately, he disappeared out the door with a large Takeaway, a delivery. The Calling Card was left, but this was not the end.
An hour or so later, we were heading back to the venue which may well be regarded as our – Local. Mein Host came out of Yasmin’s with another delivery and drove off, but only for a few metres. On spotting us he pulled over, opened the car door and thanked us for our business.
Now that was a – special – moment. There’s more!
Breaking News!
Angela announced this evening that as of Wednesday, doubly vaccinated citizens of the UK can enter Deutschland without quarantine.
Can we come back?
Menu extracts
