I have been here before, well next door. The Café was stowed, we left. Only then did Our Man in Bradford reveal the presence of a larger restaurant a few doors down. The Bradford Sweet Centre (110-114 Lumb Lane, Bradford, BD8 7RS) dates back to 1964, around the time when Hector’s Curry Plate was being developed.
The walk up from the Travelodge did not appeal, a Taxi took Steve and Hector to Lumb Lane. Another Curry for Steve? He admits to eating almost nothing but last week in Spain. Steve, as we know is also the man who discovered the Indian Mango in München. Three more weeks…
The Restaurant is much more spacious than the Café, so I fail to know why everyone piles in there. Entering at Noon, there were already a few tables occupied. The
room is Bright, and has a – Colonial Feel – to the décor which grew on me the longer I was there. The tables were well spaced, I chose one in the middle of the room at a pillar.
Mein Host for the day was over immediately with Menus. I had already peaked online, Balti Gosht was the most Hector-like Curry on offer. Steve ordered the Mixed Balti, Lamb and Chicken. Who eats Chicken Curry? Steve apparently. Chapattis were 50p, – four please.
The Baltis arrived. The Meat was cut Small in the Bradford style. The Minimal Masala looked Thinner than I have come to know in my preferred Bradford Venues. There was Glow from the Oil/Ghee collecting at the base. No artificial colours had been used in the preparation of this Curry, it was almost as Pale as the White Karahi served in Glasgow’s Lasani Grill. The Hector Palate needed a Blast of the Bradford Curry Taste, this had it, sort of. Cloves dominated the Flavour initially. There was a Serious Kick, this was a Spicy Curry and this was how it came, no special mention o
f Spice level had been made. I would probably have enjoyed this Curry more if I had had it later in the day. This was Breakfast, and Lamb this early was Heavy. The Chapattis were Freshly made and quite substantial. One proved to be enough for Hector. As I ate on, the Cloves were assimilated, there was a sense of Meatiness, this Curry was full of Flavour. I have described Curry as having a Bisto Flavour in the past and used this as a negative. However, today I use this as a positive, the Meat did impress and it felt as if it would last forever. Was Hector finally Curried-out?
Steve’s verdict – Mixed Balti, Good, but not Great. It was Tasty.
The Bill
£17.80. We had to go up to the till to pay, different.
The Aftermath
Our Waiter manned the till, he spotted Steve’s Breaking Bad t-shirt and translated the Chemical Symbols. He asked why Steve was advertising these two elements, he is a Chemist but had never heard of Breaking Bad. There are still some who have not.
The Calling Card was received graciously and with enthusiasm. Nice Chap.
The Masala appeared Plentiful compared to the Fish Methi served at Lunchtime at the 
Mein Host, Mr Bashir, was not in his spot this evening, instead a Young Pretender was in situ. I introduced myself, a Nephew? Showing him earlier Curry-Heute posts, he did not recognise Ali without his beard. There had to be a photo.
Pickle looked a bit different, Red Bits, and was astonishing. What a Kick, what a Salt content, back-off, it’s early.
Omar came and sat with us. He and Taj are coming up to Glasgow in a couple of weeks. Hopefully Omar will get in touch, it is time I took them for Glasgow Curry – where?
The Chap, a 
Whatever the Yadgar Secret is, the Lamb tastes like nowhere else, the Masala has an edge that no other Curry house comes close to. So Rich, one knows that this is a Treat to Savour, one could not eat this every day, too Rich.
Yes I had an outstanding Fish Curry in 
Normally this would be Chops that are cooked in the Masala, not Tandoori Chops with added Masala. However, Rashid, The Chef, had to improvise. One wonders how busy they were last night that there was no Lamb today. Shan, the Delivery Chap was standing in as front of house, he brought the Karahi complete with Ladle-sized serving Spoon. Magnificent. The Chops would count at Nine.
The Bill
Our Speciality – is the name given to the Soup. Two Portions of this were also mandatory, again only a Soupçon (!) was experienced last visit.
I described the – Our Speciality – Soup as Cream Of Garlic Soup with Chicken and Vegetables. Marg said she wasn’t getting Garlic. We did agree on the remainder of the content. The Chicken was Sufficiently Abundant, Ginger Strips added Texture, Paneer, Peas and Green Beans completed the Melange. Paneer! This is Wonderful Soup!
Placed on the Candle Heated Stand, the Kadhai looked most inviting. The Masala was Dark in the ambient light, the Thickness most apparent. The Fish was buried in the Mass which was certainly abundant. The Dark Red Chillies revealed themselves as the Curry was spooned on to the Rice. Sometimes I eat them, sometimes not. With a ‘plane journey imminent, best not. Still, their Spice and Smoky Flavour would have permeated the Dish. The Spice and Seasoning were exactly how this commentator seeks them, the Quality of the Curry was oozing… Marg could tell that I was in my element, this was a very special moment. The Fish was plentiful, I asked the Waiter to identify the Fish – Salmon. One assumes the Fish had been cooked before as Salmon Tikka given the Slight Crisping on the Edges, this added to the Texture.
Texture, this Curry had another Dimension thanks to the Rice. Interesting Vegetables are always appreciated. The Copious Rice contained Cauliflower, Broccoli, Peas and Green Beans, from somewhere Two Slivers of Capsicum had appeared. Even these could not spoil the moment. This Curry was Truly Magnificent. I only know of 
The Young Waitress showed us to a Table, far right, there were Five Fellow Diners initially, more arrived. The Polish Restaurant next door remained empty. The Décor was Simple, Tablecloths established the Tradition of Indian Dining.
animent. This is how Chicken Tikka Masala was invented, I reminded Marg. She ate the Fish and enjoyed it, I sampled a piece, Salmon Tikka. With no Sauce, the Roti was redundant. Just as well no Rice was ordered on that side of the table.
The tickets said 20.00, Marg and Hector were there just after 19.30, the doors were open, no queue. Through the inner door to the downstairs standing area I could hear a Chap playing acoustic guitar, I recognised the Music – Genesis? The brain was not tuned in. Gary Chandler had related earlier they had to get a move on tonight, something to do with tachographs. As we took our seats, one of which was already occupied, Gary changed over to electric. We had missed the first half of his short set. Daylight Fades from Across the Water started the conclusion to the set, then Follow me to Salzburg, nothing from the classic – More than meets the eye album. I need to see Jadis again, properly.
When a band has a new album to tour, they can intersperse it throughout the set, or play it all at once as they take the stage as both Yes and Weather Report famously did back in the 1970s. Not tonight, we were on familiar ground with Eraserhead (Pure) then The Freak Show (Pure), with Paintbox (Masquerade Overture) following on without much banter. Nick’s Polish goes as far as – Good evening and welcome – one or two other phrases were appreciated by the locals, he admitted to never getting a particular phrase correct. Good on him for trying.
Material form the Passion album was at a premium tonight, It’s Only Me (Pure) closed the main set, if my memory is correct. There had to be an encore, it had to be Indigo (Pure), IMHO, the greatest composition in the Pendragon catalogue. After another break we were treated to Masters of Illusion (Masquerade Overture). Finishing on this was a master-stroke, it woke me up to just how complex and, well, Progressive this song is. From the stomping start, there are numerous mood changes climaxing with the great Barrett guitar sound. This song has everything the new album does not.
Marg and Hector find themselves Katowice where Pendragon, supported by Gary Chandler (Jadis), are playing this very evening. Last night Hector ate very traditionally at Krystalowa – Black Pudding Dumplings followed by Glombki. I realise I have been eating, and occasionally making, Glombki for Fifty Years, as long as I have been eating Curry.
Hurry Curry is rated highly as a Restaurant overall in Katowice and so despite it not being an Indian Restaurant per se, Hector thought he had better do his duty. The Menu was all over the place, South Indian, Malayan, Sri Lankan. The Prices were certainly – Right.
A Change – was how Marg describe this Snack. Plenty Vegetables, not much Sauce, was expecting a Thicker Sauce, but Tangy. This Marg washed down with a Glass of Mango Lassi which was – not as Sweet as was expected, however, the Texture was good.
Gary had finished his conversation, time to introduce him to Marg. I haven’t seen you since Rotherham in the late 1990s – he said to me. I lie, I said this to him. Playing Jadis material without a Band? He told me that he would play half an acoustic set then use MP3 tracks as backing for the electric. With Russelsheim the next date on the tour, he also said they were on a tight schedule this evening.
The Waiter sang the praises of the food on offer and stated that he ate here every day. I commented on the splendour of the décor and mentioned I thought in the past I had seen people dining at street level. This area is being converted into a hotel currently. On later examination I was even more puzzled. Marg by this time had managed to have Curry-Heute brought into the conversation. The Calling Card was handed over, no pressure then.
A Metal Bowl containing an Impressive Portion of Curry was accompanied by a Generous Portion of Rice. In the subdued light the colour could not be judged, however, the Photo does this Curry Justice. This was not Soup either. The Masala was Thick and Onion Rich, there was Potential.
It was evident the Lamb had just met the Masala moments before presentation. The Lamb gave no Spice and did not add to the Curry Experience. Ever so Slightly Chewy, this is preferred to Lamb Pulp. The Masala and the Jeera Rice had done enough to forgive the Lamb.