Aware of the fact that I had not been to Yadgar Kebab House (148 Calder St, Govanhill, Glasgow, G42 7QP) since the July interview for The Glasgow Bell online newspaper, and the subsequent publication of the article in August, today was as good as any to remind all. [and Matthew T-S, if your misled and unhelpful comment re Akbar’s, Curry-Heute, and employment strategies made any sense, I would publish it] Hector has just returned from his final trip to Ausland of ‘25, the year is drawing to a close, The Silly Season is upon us. Who gets to decide that sunset has to be before 16.00?
Marg, who now accepts that if she doesn’t join me for the ritual Monday Curry, she doesn’t get fed, had us across the river for 14.30. Less than ninety minutes of daylight remaining. As Daylight Fades (Jadis).
No Naveed behind the counter, maybe he is off on his travels, Mr. Anwar Sr. was having Chai at his own venue. Shkoor, Mein Host, would arrive brevi tempore. So not a repeat of Saturday’s anonymity at Dessi Tadka (München).
What to have, I surveyed the ready fayre. Vegetables were foremost in my mind, so no Aloo Gosht (£7.50). Aloo Gajar Mutter (£5.00) I have enjoyed here oft, but today it would be Aloo Gobi (£6.00), and what else? Mushroom Pakora (£4.00) sat atop the counter, Fish Pakora (£7.00) beside the Samosas and Chapli Kebabs.
A Chapli Kebab, no, make it two.
No Curry for Marg: a solitary Meat Samosa, usually served in pairs, and a Salad would suffice.
Plus a Chapatti (£0.90) – concluded the Order. I wasn’t actually bothered about the Chapatti, but with Marg present, who knows?
The young serving chap brought the plates etc., the Order was assembled. A jug of chilled tap water was duly provided.
The Salad components could have been presented on the plates with the Samosa and Chapli, instead we were treated to the full Bunte Salad, complete with Black Olives and pickled Green Chillies. The Chillies came my way, I also grabbed some Olives before they all went left.
Mr. Anwar stopped for a chat as he took his leave. Always good to catch up, he was going home for his dinner. His lady cooks, now that lets the imagination run loose.
Shkoor, not to be outdone, took his turn.
Chapli Kebab
Two, halved, a meal in their own right. One, felt not enough, I knew Marg would take a half, the perfect accompaniment therefore. Chapli Kebap, the ultimate Spicy Chicken Burger. Who needs a Burger chain when these exist? Full on Seasoning and Spice, Cumin to the fore, and when dipped in the Chilli Sauce, a total delight. Why was food like this not on offer at the – Refectory – when at university? Why did I not think of wandering down Gibson Street, then in its heyday, and discover such – snacks?
Meat Samosa
The solitary Samosa did look kind of lonely sitting alone on the plate. Quite a crust, but the focal point looked to be well stuffed. Marg created quite a plateful:
A visit to Yadgar was a very pleasant experience.
I enjoyed the meat samosa with an abundance of salad. The spice and flavour from the Samosa and half a Chapli gave me the tingling sensation, and the black olives, cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, onion were covered with the Raita to help cool my mouth. I also took some of the hot Chapatti to mop up my meal.
I loved it all.
I knew the Chapatti would come in handy. Served whole and of the Wholemeal variety, I ate way more of this Bread than I originally envisaged. The subconscious – order a Chapatti – had proved to be the correct move.
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Aloo Gobi
More Cauliflower than Potato, this was as Dry a Curry as one can envisage. Yet, there was still a sufficient level of moistness coming from the Vegetables to make the combination with the Chapatti work. Again, Cauliflower appeared to dominate in the Masala Mash, such as it was. Not a single trace of Oil.
The Texture of the Cauliflower was spot on, just firm enough. The immediate blast of Flavour was reassuring, I had chosen well today. The Yadgar Taste – was there, prominent as ever. So reliable, so satisfying. With the Seasoning and Spice still lingering from the Chapli, this creation was standing up for itself.
As with the Fisch at Dessi Tadka on Saturday, I halved a piece of Potato to reveal a mass of white. So only the periphery of the Tuber had been permeated. When do Potatoes stop being – new? Just enough Flavour from the Potatoes then, but still a blast of Spice. This simple combination of Vegetables, I could have sat and ate all day.
At the end, but a scrap of Chapatti and a surplus of raw onions was all that remained.
As I approached the counter to pay, I asked Shkoor:
Before you make up a random number, do you actually know what we had?
The Bill
£10.00 Vegetables – apparently.
The Aftermath
Did you enjoy our article?
I had to ask. Shkoor and Yadgar do feature as much as Hector.
Didn’t we do well?
