Spice of The City has gone, the premises have been given an upgrade, we now have The Chennai Restauarant (52 Oswald St, Glasgow G1 4PL). Hector has done well in the World of Curry-Heute in recent outings, my Most Favouritest (sic) Curry Houses in Manchester, Bradford and Glasgow all visited within a week. It is time to try somewhere new, savour the alternative flavours that Curry can offer.
The on-line Menu was surveyed before heading into The City, Lamb Chettinad (£8.49) was the first of the Lamb Curry Dishes on offer. Fish Chettinad was available too. There is only One Source of Fisch Chettinad, it is unlikely Hector will ever find anything that comes close, but one never knows.
Arriving at the Curry O’Clock, one Diner was finishing a Thali, another Chap sat at the head of the room presumably a Staff Member having a break. A Young Waiter and a Young Waitress were on duty, between them they managed to supply The Menu and take the Drinks order – Sparkling Water. The Lamb Chettinad was ordered – A Traditional Chettinad preparation, combining ground coconut, curry leaves, fennel and sesame seeds – no mention of the Unwelcome Vegetable. On the assumption that there would be Copious Masala, Rice had to be ordered. Vegetable Fried Rice (£3.49) felt a bit Pricey. Bisibelabath (£3.99) was a new one for Hector, a Rice Dish with Lentils I now know. I had to take advice, the Waiter described it as – Wet -, a Dish in its own right, not to be had with Curry I would deduce with the aid of hindsight and access to other sources. Vegetable Fried Rice it was then, I asked for assurance that no Capsicum would appear.
The Sparkling Water caused a problem. They had none, The Waitress brought a bottle of Still, this was sent back. By now The Waiter had offered me Soda Water, but had put it in the fridge to chill it. Have you no Ice? Eventually, the smallest of Bottles was provided, just enough to fill the glass.
Spice of The City was very much a Curry Cafe, that I never returned may remain an unsolvable mystery, the Curry was worthy, maybe the Chaps manning the shop were a bit off putting.
Seating about thirty, The Chennai Restaurant is smaller than was Spice of The City, half of the unit being given over to The Chennai Express, a Takeaway, next door. Given the location of the Kitchen in the Restaurant, there is a perception that they are run separately, else there is a link around the back. Now where else have I discovered this? Plastic Tablecloths may be less Posh than Cotton, are they needed? Chennai Bar – is inscribed at the counter, there is an array of glasses but no Drinks Licence, yet?
The Waiter was now alone and full of chat. He asked if this was my first visit, retaliation to me asking if this was his first day. He used to work at The Village back in the day of the original Cafe, ah, the halcyon days…
Shorva
The Lamb Chettinad was presented in a Metal Bowl, Soup. In another day I would have been put off by this, however, this is what I had signed up for. Nobody will serve Chettinad as Dry as the Indian Mango. The Rice was accompanied by a Sweet Chilli Sauce. The Rice was Interesting, Spring Onion, Onion, Shredded Cabbage and Green Chillies had been stirred in, these had not been Fried in the Rice they were Fresh. I liked this.
The Shorva was spooned over the Rice, Eight decent sized pieces of Tender Lamb were revealed. The South Indian Aroma was Powerful. Although none of the Dark Red Smokey Chillies were present, the Classic South Indian Flavour appears to have been achieved through Black Pepper. This was a well-Seasoned, Spicy Curry, full of Flavour. If there was Coconut, it was drowned thankfully in the Masala. Aromatic and Spicy, a change indeed from the usual Hector Curry. I thoroughly enjoyed this, way better than that experienced in another City Centre South Indian Curry House. Mother’s Curry as served in the 1960s came to mind, Peppery. Every Grain Of Rice was consumed, the plate cleared, one can rarely achieve that in a Deutsche Curry Haus.
I would certainly return and have the Lamb Chettinad again, but there is also the Kadai to consider.
The Bill
£11.98. No complaints from me.
The Aftermath
The Waiter was intrigued by The Calling Card. I showed him Curry-Heute, he rates Bradford Curry as the Best in Britain, I agreed. His remark on how much I enjoyed my Curry was accompanied by a gentle slap on the shoulder. Different.
I asked about the smaller size of the Restaurant compared to the previous incarnation, there is an upstairs, for Functions with a Buffet. They should make that better known.
With the sun beating down we walked to Govanhill, to work up an appetite. Mark had been warned, minimal food intake prior to the visit. Shkoor was texted on Monday evening – Please feed two. That is all that was required, the rest takes care of itself.
The Interval was most appreciated. Chef Arshad had taken his bow before the Karahi arrived, the place was slowly filling up. At 15.00 we had arrived to see the Lone Diner finish his meal, by 16.00 half of the tables were occupied. The new furniture has not arrived, the décor is bright and welcoming, the tables cumbersome, they could fit in more. Two Plants are now in situ between Takeaway area and the seating area, no Hanging Baskets, yet.
For Hector, today completed The Ultimate Curry Trilogy – my favourite Three Curry Houses visited consecutively, this has never been achieved before. Lamb Karahi at 
Today’s Masala was the Thick Mash associated with this Interpretation of Karahi. Was it lighter in Colour than the Norm? Punjab heading towards Afghanistan was the Hector take, perhaps one is dreaming still of the White Karahi. The Masala looked so Simple, just how do they achieve this Wondrous Curry?
Between Bury and Kirkby Lonsdale lies Bradford, sort of. Hector’s Volkswagen Passat (Diesel) knows the road well, exhaust emissions are minimal, they say. For a change, Hector fancied Mughals on the Leeds Road, Marg had never been. The Venue was stowed this Sunday morning, The Locals here for Punjabi Breakfast. At 11.40 were were advised there would be no Menu available for another fifty minutes. They know their business, we left.
Lamb on-the-bone Methi Achari, Chapattis – was the request given to Omar. Achari does not appear on the Menu at the 
The Portion was Five, Marg would eat Four, guess what! One was kept back for Hector. The Chops were tremendous. Marg coughed after her first bite, the Spice was in-your-face, the Marinade sound. Watch for Marg having Lamb Chops as the base for her Preferred Curry in the months to come.
Two Young Waiters were running the show, apparently. The Newspaper-style Menu has gone, instead a Bound Menu was provided. The Menu was Modest, not excessive, the Expected Starters, and Mains were there, we were here for the Excellent Karahi.
Karahi was well defined. How to order was clear. Choose your Meat, Boneless or not, choose your Oil – Vegetable, Olive or Butter. There is still no choice of Portion size, the Kilo or nothing. Knowing that Marg would appreciate Boneless Lamb, it had to be. Last time we had Butter, very demanding. Normally I ask for Tweaks, – more Seasoning, more Methi. This time it was take it as it comes, £24.95 for this Incarnation. Marg would inflate The Bill by ordering One Poppadom, Dips were already on the table. As we were in Manchester I suggested we have Kulcha as our Bread Accompaniments. Two were ordered at £1.25 a Pop, most affordable.
Two Poppadoms were brought, Marg particularly liked the Mint Raita, not for Hector. The Sparkling Water was now Mango Rubicon. No Sparkling Water available.
This ticks all my boxes. If every curry I had was this good... One Happy Diner.
That IQ have not, until now, been mentioned in these pages is testimony to the rarity of their performances. IQ’s logo does appear on every page of Curry-Heute, check the Header. Tonight was their second appearance at Bury within a year, – Other Duties – prevented Hector being present in October 2014 for the – Road of Bones – tour.
The sun shone brightly into the room giving a level of illumination that was going to make photography difficult. With my every move watched by Mein Hostess, the process of eliminating the contents of The Menu down to one Dish was underway. Fish at Lunchtimes is a preference, especially when the level of Curry Intake has been so self indulgent. Karahi Fisch, this has worked well this week. I asked for the – Ohne Paprika – Mein Host was puzzled. We were speaking half Deutsch, half English. The Lady spoke up, – You must have capsicums, no capsicums, no karahi. I was not to be dismissed. You can use other vegetables. The straightforward Fisch Curry seemed to be the compromise, no Interesting Vegetable for Hector. 
There was an extended and precise discussion about the required level of Spiciness. In Erlangen they are prepared to deliver Curry in the Extreme, the 
Towards the end of the last Intensive Tour – 
Green Beans protruded through the Masala, Courgette, Carrot, Broccoli, and the Onion was Minimal! The Portion was Huge!, in balance the Fish was actually less in proportion to the Vegetable Matter, however, Hector was once more in his element.
21.05 – A Cumin seed dislodged, bliss!
Three stops on the S-Bahn took us to Isartor, 
Excellent – was Clive’s summary. He has been here often, he knew what to expect, it was delivered. The Aloo Paratha was well stuffed but a bit Limp, was it needed? Bunkers.
One wonders how many people in the UK would take to this. The Company have seen it over the years, some prefer Lamb to Fish. How close is this Curry to Stir Fry? It is a Karahi Gosht interpreted for The Hector Palate. Magnificent.
Both Waiters asked after – Your wife -. It was somewhat ironic when Marg phoned as I put the first piece of Lamb in my mouth.
Herr Battra presented a portion of Mango Cream, essentially Lassi on a plate, this was refreshing.
Erlangen has featured well in these pages since the birth of Curry-Heute, it felt strange walking past the Impressive – 
There were four fellow diners on entry at 20.15, The Waitress greeted and let me choose any table. A table for four was chosen adjacent to – Her Spot.
I pointed to the Karahi Gosht (Dry). Ich esse nicht Paprika – said Hector trying out Stewart’s advice, – Auch Minimal Zwiebeln. This would hopefully avoid the Onion Overdose when Chefs cannot add Bulk to Curry without resorting to Capsicum. The Waitress went away to check, all was well, the order accepted. The Menu began by describing the Ingredients, Methi was second on the list. Hector forgot to have Methi added, Koriander was promised, allegedly.
A single Cumin-infused Poppadom was brought to the table and the candle lit. What a scene. Without The Dips, the Poppadom tasted even more Powerful. The Sparkling Water came in a 0.5l Bier glass, Perfect, no small measures here. It could possibly cost as little as a Bier, such is the way things are in 
The ratio of Meat to Vegetable was acceptable, Potatoes offered the Interesting Vegetable Factor, never Ballast. The Masala would have been reported as Standard, Thin, Minimal Onion-base, not significant, except… There was a Kick, yes there was a Kick, the Kick kept coming… this was Vindaloo Strength and more… was this the hottest Curry ever served to Hector, certainly the Spiciest ever served in Deutschland ! Congratulations – Spice is not everything, however, at least the Chef had the Courage to Spice the Curry, how much Bland Deutsche Curry has Hector eaten in the last forty years?
The Bill
The Fish had been cut into cube-like pieces and was into double figures, Plenty! Who knows what this White Fish was however the required Flavour was there. The Masala was topped with slices of Lemon, this provided a Citrus Flavour also. In Fish Curry, the Seasoning should be a matter of course, this was, the Kick was Substantial. There was a gasp at one point when Hector bit into a Seed, this Curry had a decent Texture and was full of Flavour.
With the vaguest of names, these Dishes could have been anything. Karahi Murgh – Clive was probably the first of our group to make positive noises – This is very good. Very – was raised to – Extremely – by the time he had finished.
Chicken Taj Mahal – Jim uttered – Fantastic! As a man who loves his Curry, but never takes photos of them, Jim was most accommodating. Nice and Nippy – was Jim’s take. We had all asked for our Dishes to be – Scharf – rarely is this delivered in Deutschland.
The Tandoori Mix arrive Sizzling on the Iron Platter just as it does in every British Curry House. The Meat was piled high, Chicken, Lamb Chops and Jonathan’s first ever – Tandoori Prawn. Lots of Meat – was his next utterance. Rice and Naan with a Tandoori is potentially – Dry – in the extreme. There was no call for Tomato Soup to be poured over this. I couldn’t fault this – was Jonathan’s concluding remark. The Pair of Lamb Chops even had Hector salivating, they looked The Real Deal.
Hector’s last Curry in Koblenz was a decade or so ago sitting in a Curry House next door to Bei Bernd when Deutschand took the lead over England. By the time we had finished our meal a certain Liverpool striker was scoring for fun, we had to convince the Locals that Scots were suffering as much as them.
A Large Bottle of Sparkling Water would be shared, the Menu and the Lunchtime Menu were perused. €8.50 for the Fisch Curry off the latter, or go a la carte? Machi Masala drew the attention, however, when Dr. Stan declared Karahi Gosht, that was it. Clive chose the Fisch.
German Menus have Shorba as the heading for the Soup section, this is good, a suggestion that the Curry will not be Soup. Clive was given a Bowl of Soup as part of his Lunchtime Menu. Dr. Stan and Hector were supplied with Cumin laden Poppadoms and Dips. No Tamarind today, back to the runny Mango Chutney.
The Khyberi bore no resemblance to anything that might be cooked in this region, it was simply Lamb Curry. The Standard Masala was not excessive, the Basmati soon soaked this up. An Onion-based Masala, this was not the Mash that could have been presented given the
Having withheld the Capsicum, there was an Overload of Onion Chunks, for the second time in a week, Hector started piling Onions on the side of the plate. Fresh Tomatoes and Ginger Strips had been added before presentation, these at least gave Diversity. There was a sufficiency of Meat, one accepts it was Lamb, slightly firm, but still Tender The Seasoning was below the Hector Preference, but the Kick was more than adequate. The Overall Flavour was somewhere back in time, Pleasant, but not Outstanding. Time to stir in the Tamarind and Pickle. Oh yes, now we have a Curry.