Bury is only ten minutes from Cheetham Hill, Manchester. IQ, perhaps the UK’s finest Progressive Rock Band (IMHO) are performing in Bury, the furthest North they have played since the mid 1980s. As Ever, Hector manages to have all his pleasures in one day.
Mrs. Google suggested that the Dera (433 Cheetham Hill Rd., Manchester, M8 OPF) would not be open until 20.00, the venue was phoned, Hector was assured they were open already. Marg and Hector arrived at 16.15, apart from the Family who entered with us, the Venue was empty, this was early.
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.
Previously, Bottles of Water were brought to the table for which one was charged, ordering Sparkling took the pain out of this. Still Water was brought and promptly sent back. At this point Mein Host appeared on the scene.
He came straight over to greet, January was the last visit. Mein Host was keen to tell us all about the Re-branding. The – Lahori – has been dropped, this Venue is now simply – Dera, less discriminatory? There was talk of a Scottish Venue being opened, that may be a kilometre too far.
Two Poppadoms were brought, Marg particularly liked the Mint Raita, not for Hector. The Sparkling Water was now Mango Rubicon. No Sparkling Water available.
The open kitchen means that The Chef can be seen preparing one’s meal, a Perfect Photo Opperchancity – Flames, always impressive, Hector will never have the Courage to cook this way.
The Boneless Kilo of Lamb Karahi was served on a Flat Karahi, this is a lot of Curry.
Marg helped herself to a Generous Portion, she was in raptures from the start. The Tenderness of the Lamb immediately impressed.
This ticks all my boxes. If every curry I had was this good... One Happy Diner.
The Kulcha were served scored in half, a compromise, better than serving halves. Topped with Sesame Seeds, Slightly Sweet and heading as close to Peshwari as Hector would go, this Bread was a Good Foil for the Karahi. No way could we eat Two.
The Lamb in the Karahi was in two formats: Solid, just, and Shreds. The Majority was cooked right to the edge, any more and it would all have turned to Shreds. To describe the Masala as Minimal would be an understatement, basically it was comprised of the Shreds of Lamb – Thick in the Extreme! One hopes that the Restaurants that Hector has visited in Deutschland may take this on board. The Seasoning and Spice Levels were such that All could enjoy. The Vegetable Oil started to collect on the base of the karahi, dare I? There wasn’t much of this, Dry Cooked, almost. I shall ask for Methi next time, however, I accept I had ordered Boneless and – as it comes – to endear this Mass of Curry to Marg’s Palate.
Around a Quarter was left. I told Mein Host that I would sell this for £100 in Glasgow. The Karahi is unlike the Interpretations served in Glasgow, Bradford and even the venues I have visited in Manchester. Deutsche Chefs, behold!
The Bill
£29.40. The Poppadoms were Complimentary!
The Aftermath
Farewell to Mein Host, now for the short drive to Bury.
IQ at The Met
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.
Hector has been on board with IQ since the release of their first album, Tales from the Lush Attic (1983) the first visit to Bury was to see the unveiling of Subterranea (1997), now being turned into a Movie. Tonight was possibly Marg’s third visit to The Met.
Bury = IQ = The Met.
IQ kicked off with – I don’t know – no, that’s a lyric from Subterranea. I had asked the Band’s Website for the Set List, they didn’t respond respond, another website provided the required information. Who knows what tracks/songs are called these days? One listens to IQ albums in their entirety, it’s the only way, there are highlights in every album, such are the sorry, limitations on Pete Nicholl’s vocal range, most songs do merge into the next with ease.
With the customary IQ Three Screen Projections, the cover of Road of Bones was mixed with the intro-voice over from Bella Lugosi who appeared on screen. Expecting the current album to kick things off, Sacred Sound from Dark Matter (2004) somehow followed the taped intro. The first of two tracks from The Wake to feature in the main set – Outer Limits (1985), preceded the performance of Road of Bones, or so I thought. From the Outside in was followed by Born Brilliant also from Dark Matter. Now it was time for over thirty five minutes of Road of Bones – the Title Track followed by Without Walls and Ocean. Ryker Skies, Hector’s favourite IQ track, from Frequency (2009) gave a greater air of familiarity, is it just me or is this the Showstopper? Guiding Light from The Seventh House (2000) led to the final segment of Road of Bones – Until the End. Headlong from The Wake brought the main set to a close. Tthe customary Out of Nowhere/Mama Mia encore then Headlong, a third track from The Wake, ended the show. Nothing from Hector’s favourite, the comeback album, Ever (1993). Nothing from Subterranea, Strange.
Tonight’s line up featured four of the five original members. Mr. Jowitt and his flamboyant bass-playing style will always be missed in every live performance. Highlight for Hector was seeing Neil Durant perform, finally. Neil, the newest recruit on Keyboards, was the linchpin for every track, deep in concentration throughout, some excellent sounds created and/or reproduced. From our side of the hall, Mike Holmes was frequently obscured, much of his guitar work was lost in the mix, but this is what IQ is all about their – Wall of Sound. IQ has always been Prog at its finest, this performance was masterful, precise.
Afterwards I was able to introduce myself to Neil Durant, the first person I ever communicated with on t’Internet. Doing my Masters, doesn’t everyone have a Masters, at Strathclyde University back in the 1990s I was allocated an email address, nobody else I knew had one. An IQ Chatroom – It All Posts Here – IAPH – was discovered.
5 years of Curry-Heute, 20 of IT already. IQ 35 looms.
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.
A Monday in Stirling catching up with Kenneth, who is not the Mythical Character some have claimed over the years. Curry-Heute was a matter of course, the Venue had not been discussed, the inclement weather meant that the nearest Curry House to where the taxi dropped us had a chance. Rana’s (37 Friars Street, Stirling FK8 1HA) had the Magic Term – Punjabi – etched on the window, the Hector Curry could be a possibility.
Two other tables were occupied. The layout gave an air of – Spaciousness. With partitions separating the wall tables, larger settings were mid-room, a group of six arrived as we completed our meal. Tablecloths were ubiquitous, Posh.
Once upon a time, Marks and Spencer sold Portions of Chicken Tikka Masala – for Two. This was quite a treat. They then added Rice and reduced the Portion to – for One. This was perhaps a decade and a half ago. Who would admit to buying this now, eh, Kenneth, eh?
Earthy – once more best describes this Curry Experience. We’re off to a good start then. The Masala was suitably Thick but way in excess of what was required, even with Rice to maintain the interest. The Mushroom Rice also added to the Overall Flavour, properly cooked Mushrooms, far from the tinned variety simply chucked in and served.
The Waiter asked the Customary Question. I could not fault this Dish.
It was 21.00 when the order was placed. Ayaz took a Large Karahi upstairs. Takeaways were sent out, some collected. Chef Rashid was being kept busy. Another Large Karahi went upstairs. Normally when the upstairs is busy one hears the footsteps, all was quiet. Hector had to investigate. A Family of Four Adults with maybe four young children had just been catered for. Another Group sat at the window table, Two Chaps sat at the table at the top of the stairs. Only the Family had Food.
Meanwhile across the table, Hector was in the full frenzy. A Half Kilo turned out to be Eight Chops shrouded in the 
Friday may just be another day in Hector’s week, but some traditions persist, Curry-Heute pre-Bier.
The Waiter looked familiar but there was no sense of recognition from him. Polite in the extreme, he took the order and noted – No Green Pepper – but had to ask what – What was the other thing? – in reference to Capsicum. He returned moments later to enquire about the required level of Spice – Spicy is good.
The wait was not long, a Plate of Earthy Rice accompanied the Bowl of Tawa. The latter was not the expected Light, Yellowish Colour. Less Yoghurt had been added so the Masala was less Soupy and much Thicker than would have been served back in the Halcyon Days of 
The Seasoning was Spot-on though the Dish was only Moderately Spiced, so much much for – Spicy is good. The underlying Flavour was very Familiar, Comforting, this was a Curry born in 
April 2016 Another one bites the dust…