A Thursday in April, a Curry. The last ever Curry with a work related evening to follow.
Visits to the Akash (45 Sinclair St., Helensburgh, G84 8TG) will decline in the coming months, but something BIG is planned for later. This evening, James accompanied Hector for the Thursday – order what you wish a la carte for £15.00. The Menu is posted on the door which was unusually closed. Tetula? I have never spotted that. Tamarind? Hector loves the Tang of Tamarind.
Irfan was consulted. Chicken Tetula appeared under – Chef’s Specials. Of course, any of these dishes are available in Tender Lamb. What about an Aloo Gosht version? No problem.
Would you like a sprinkling of Methi on top?
No need to ask twice. Given the expected Mainstream Masala, Mushroom Rice should be an excellent accompaniment.
James loves his Curry but has not had enough years to work his way around the entire array of dishes on offer in Indian Restaurants. He took advice and opted for Lamb Acahri. A Peshwari Naan and a Pilao Rice to accompany. Time was when Hector may have considered this volume, but we still had Starers to select.
The Mixed Combo? – asked Irfan. He knows. James asked what – Puri – is.
You’ve never had a Prawn Puri? You’ll love it and it won’t be your last.
The Musical Accompaniment from the Akash Laptop this evening was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan performing yet another live version of his classic – Allah Hoo. This went on for ages and so track of time was lost. Still, we were on a time budget.
The Starters
The Chicken Tikka in the Mixed Combo has come to the fore in recent visits. It used to be the Lamb Tikka that stood apart. The Seekh Kebab has taken a firm back seat. Succulent only begins to describe the Chicken Tikka. The Lamb Tikka took in more spice. A Perfect Combination.
That was lovely – was James initial remark for his Prawn Puri. And it will not be my last. QED.
Irfan came across to address James. Would you like a sprinkling of Methi on your Achari?
What a wonderful idea.
The Peshwari Naan was placed on the table. Who could eat all that? Hector did not dream of touching it.
The Mushroom Rice was decanted in its entirety onto the plate. A Large Portion of Rice. 
The Tetula was served with sufficient Masala, they do not to serve Soup at the Akash. The covering of Dry Methi was Liberal, here we go…
The Seasoning was right on the Edge, more would have been Excessive. Rashid in the kitchen knows how to get the most out of his Ingredients. The Tang and the Kick were present, what astonished was how clearly the Flavours from the Lamb came through. I always appreciate this. The Portion of Lamb and Potato again was Perfect in Quantity, a good Balance of Vegetable and Meat, With the Mushrooms, Hector indeed had a plateful of Interesting Vegetables. This was another Akash Winner.
The Lamb Achari as served at the Akash always impresses. James was impressed. The Methi Topping would have given the Dish even more Flavour. One suspects James will be back here. One also suspects that when he next visits Nakodar, his Local, an attempt to replicate this evening’s order will be attempted. Watch this space.
Most of the Peshwari Naan went into a Doggy Bag.
The Bill
£33.00. A Veritable Feast.
The Aftermath
Irfan asked if I would like to chat with Rashid. The Chef, who is also the Co-owner, came from the kitchen –
You have been to Munich, the Indian Mango.
Rashid reads Curry-Heute regularly, as some do…
We discussed – how – the Chettinad at Indian Mango can be so different from Curry served anywhere else. Rashid remarked that there is a limit to how many dishes can be served. Long cooking, short cooking, more spice, less spice. Think of the Restaurants which have Overlong Menus that resemble Icelandic Sagas. Needless and Confusing.
Just after 13.00 we wandered back down towards the Isar and the final meal of this trip at 
When Clive finally got around to his – Lipsmackingly good. Very good meat, extremely tender lamb, all meat, no straggly bits.
Maggie enjoyed hers too – not so spicy I couldn’t taste it.
Herr Battra brought Dessert – from Jolly.
Howard and Tracey, took the adjacent table some twenty minutes later, Lamb and Fish Chettinad respectively. The Six had yet to be fed, The Special would take some time.
I had no idea what would be presented. An entire Fish on-the-bone lay across the plate covered with Masala that took Minimum to the extreme. The Lemon Wedges were squeezed, the juice drizzled over the Fish. The Flavours? I had no idea. Different – was my only description at the time. There was Spice, there was just enough Masala. This was not the Chettinad Masala.
So stunning was the Lamb Chettinad served at the 
The Bill
The Dhaba Indisches Restaurant (Belgradstraße 16, 80796, 
En route we passed Deeba, a Pakistani Restaurant, and soon afterwards Indisches Streetfood, both on Barerstrasse which leads towards Schwabing, our objective. The latter will certainly be tried on a future visit, a classic Café, the preferred style.
With white table cloths, this formal atmosphere is not the sort of Indian Restaurant that Hector currently seeks. Still, a quick glance at other sources showed that some hold this venue in the highest regard. The Menu was mostly familiar. The Lamm Karahi listed the inevitable Capsicum. Rather than attempt interfering with this the Rarha Gosht was possibly along the correct lines. Rice would be inclusive.
It was arranged with The Waiter that the Samosa would arrive at the same time as The Main. Complimentary Poppadoms and Dips were provided. The European Poppadoms with embedded Cumin Seeds are always a welcomed site, a Blast! A Soupçon of Lime Pickle would titillate Hector’s Palate a little more.
The Quantity of Tender Lamb was Sufficient. The Masala was thankfully not to excess and had an acceptable Texture; not overtly Thick and Dry, but far removed from Soup. A Decent Onion-based Masala. There was a Modest Kick. With more Rice than a man could eat there was quite a lot to get through. Still more pieces of Capsicum were uncovered, my enjoyment of the majority of this meal was manifesting itself. How good was it really?
The Seasoning and Spice hit the palate instantly. Marg knows the accompanying Hector Facial Expression when Curry Nirvana is attained. These moments are relatively rare. Hector enjoys some High Quality Curry Experiences but there are The Special Moments.
Herr Battra brought the Curry and Inclusive Boiled Rice. The Aroma is Unique, the Curry smells Spicy and Smoky. The Masala is at the Absolute end of Minimal with finely chopped Onion and Chillies. The Seasoning was aided by the Fish itself, the Complexity of the Flavours is simply Astonishing.
On entering 
purposes I had to sample a couple. These and the Chops would make an Excellent Main course.
The Lamb Handi in its distinctive Pot was the first Dish to arrive. By now the Staff were aware of the Photographic Ritual and wanted reminders of the URL of Curry-Heute. Just Google – 
The Lamb Parsi Dansak was the most Soup-like of all the Dishes. The Keema Mutter and Lamb Rara were suitably Dry.
The Modest Lamb Karahi Portion served two days ago was today greatly enhanced. Six Large Pieces of Tender Lamb sat before The Hector, no bones were evident. As each piece had to be broken up, this was now a Substantial Quantity of Lamb. Stewart had a Similar Mass, though a couple of bones were spotted. The Masala was the Thick Mash that one associates with the North-West Frontier was this time set in a much Oilier Base. The Oil was so visible, some would have found it off-putting. The Seasoning was toned-down compared to Thursday, so the Intensity of Flavour was less. Dark Matter pervaded the Hector Masala, was there a Slight Burnt Mass or was this Fruit? Whatever, it gave an Edge. Stewart was now noticing differences between the Two Karahi.
Habib offered us the Traditional Afghan Tea. This too differed from Thursday, a Strainer had been used. Whilst the same Earthy Taste was there, I missed the Cardamoms floating in the Mass of Leaves.
Update November 2016:
The Colour of the Desi Kourma has varied through time, depending on the Duty Chef. Today’s was heading towards Brown. The Karahi was too hot to handle, so was the Bowl of Rice. 
The Rice with Peas and Mushrooms was spooned on to the plate. Special Rice? Ah, the memory of the Vegetable Rice in the Old Days, a Mountain of Rice, Cauliflower, Potatoes, whatever was available, a meal in itself. It is probably this that set me on the path of The Interesting Vegetable.