Hector has dined at Mama’s Rasoi (82 Howard Street, Glasgow, G1 4EE) Twice, and his Mother Once. JD had made quite an Impression on us Both, the Food had been Fair to Good. When I spotted the New Moniker – Dawaat – a few weeks ago I made the resolve to Investigate. New Owners or a Re-branding?
Entering just before 21.00 I found the Venue Busy. In my previous visits the place had been empty, but that was in the Daytime. I was Intrigued. What lay in store, what did my Fellow Twenty Three Diners know?
The Laminated Menu
The Cover of the Menu described the Business as being a Family Run Establishment with a Modest Chef of Twenty Years Experience. This did not sound like JD who boasted that he cooked for the Indian Prime Minister. Under Lamb Delights (£9.75) was the Lamb Desi Handi – Lamb on the bone, Cooked in a Sealed Pot…with the Ingredients One would Expect an No….!
Chapattis were available at £1.25. Hector’s choice – the Aloo Paratha at £2.95.
The Menu made it clear that Poppadoms and Dips would be charged for. There was also a Minimalist £9.95 Menu which listed Three Courses. The Poppadom et al apparently counted as Course #1.
Hector ordered Tap Water. Around the Room I spotted Folk drinking Wine and Bottled Bier. I made no enquiry as to what else was on offer.
During The Wait which was just over Fifteen Minutes, I had time to take in the Surroundings. The Curved Corner gives the Restaurant a Distinctive Shape, the end furthest from The Door gets Narrow. The Counter looked as it it had had a Makeover. The Open Hatch to The Kitchen remained. The Ambience remained Cheap’n’Cheerful. I was still wondering why the Place was so Busy. A Desi Lamb Dish, it can be anything…
You Must Be Joking
My First Mama’s Rasoi Dish was Soup, the second a much Improved Dish. Tonight it was Soup again. The Heart sank, this is exactly what I did not want. The Paratha was definitely Peely-Wally. It was so Thin, still, there could be something to Salvage.
The Spoon was used to Full Effect. I ate the Top of the very Thin Masala as – Soup. Eventually I reached the Meat. I had forgotten the Meat would be on-the-bone. It lay at the Base of the Dish with what looked like Six Pieces of Bone with attached Lamb. And I thought the Kabana Portion was Questionable Two Nights ago. The Masala, and I feel the use of this term is generous, had occasional Pieces of Onion, Floating. Zero Seasoning – is what I recorded. There was no sign of any Herb. With a Moderate Sense of Spice, what Flavour there was, Uncomplicated.
If there was Potato in the Paratha it had been Waved over The Bread. Hector was Far from Impressed. In their Favour, I only had Three Pieces of Bone on my Plate at the end. However, I had not sensed that I had consumed any Bulk.
The Town of Bamberg came to Mind, and not for its Bier Heritage. The Restaurant Zwarg, officially the Worst Curry Review Recorded in these Humble Pages. Hector will not know until this Review is read back which was Less Impressive, this evening or the Zwarg.
I started to Wonder. Is it me? Are my Fellow Diners – Really Content – eating this and accepting it as – Curry? Am I out of phase with what People Want?
No-one Came
The Standard Question was not asked. Nobody came anywhere near Hector whilst he ate. Maybe just as well.
The Bill
£11.75. Em, how? I wasn’t about to Complain.
The Aftermath
As I presented The Calling Card, I asked Mein Hostess – What happened to Mama’s Rasoi?
Her answer was along the lines of … People thought the venue was for Ladies only. ?
She assured me that it was the Same Staff and same Chef. Then The Chef will know me. We walked to The Hatch together. The Chef approached. We looked at each other. There was no Recognition.
How did you enjoy the Lamb Desi Handi?
I didn’t.
A Young Waitress brought the Menu, One of many I would encounter it would turn out. As it was my impression that this venue could be pricey, I decided to stick with Tap Water. The venue is licensed, most were partaking of Stronger Beverages, it is Friday. The Tap Water arrived, that was the last I saw of this particular Waitress. I had plenty of time to study the Menu which was not pretentiously long. Small print on the top right corner suggested I should try Lamb on-the-bone. A good idea. To Accompany there was the choice of Chapatti (£1.50) or Paratha (£2.50). There was no mention of Paratha Variants, I would ask.
The Lamb Desi was immediately attention grabbing. This was Dry, Bradford-Dry. The Lamb was cut Small, Bradford-Small. The 
The Paratha had sufficient Potato to satisfy the need for the Interesting Vegetable. This was one helluva’ Paratha. Excellent.
The pleasure continued. For a brief moment, the distinctive 
The Fish Starter is now the accepted part of Being Fed. Wherever this Sourced I would love to know. The Freshest of Fish covered in Spice and Baked in Foil. Two pieces presented, Alan identified one was Slightly Larger – That’s Yours! This was Alan’s First 
There is nothing which Pleases Hector’s Visual Cortex more, that’s a Star Trek NG reference, than the First Glimpse of a Kilo of 
Three Chapattis accompanied The Feast. Quite sufficient. No need to fill on Bread. In the end the Pile of Bones was a welcome sight, The Endgame. Shkoor reappeared. He saw three small pieces of something left at the Base of the Karahi. We could do no more. Marg had even Nibbled. This she enjoyed, it was within her Tolerance Range. She was full from Match Teas she admitted later. Shkoor forgave us.
The Chaps had a Quiet Evening reminiscing over Times Past, NOT!
It was exactly half an hour from Hector’s House to the Shish Mahal. Walking up the stairs at 17.25 I was not surprised to find myself the first diner of the shift. A young waiter greeted me warmly and took my coat. I was invited to sit anywhere. Being upstairs premises there was no window as such for me to be sat at. I chose the third booth on the left of Four. Another three booths ran down the opposite wall. It was tight squeeze getting in, I suspect others wouldn’t manage. I was given the Set Menu (£9.95) and the a la Carte. I was only interested in the latter. The waiter invited me to call him when I had made my selection. So far, so good.
This was not the most extensive of menus so no pretentious tweaking. The Lamb Karahi Lalpuri and a Vegetable Paratha was the Hector choice. What the significance of Lalpuri may be remains unknown. The withholding of the Green Peppers was not a problem. The Sparkling Water was provided and I cleared away all the cutlery, side plate and cloth napkin, I needed space.
Served in a traditional cast iron karahi sat on a wooden base, I carefully manoeuvred this in front of me and dispensed with the plate. The Curry was Dark Red, with a Thick Tomato and Onion-rich Masala. Buried in this Mash was the Lamb. It looked like Lamb Tikka, the occasional Smoky Taste made me convinced, the tenderness then 
The Vegetable Paratha was excellent. I have now abandoned the Keema Paratha, it is too much to eat with a Meat Curry. This was well filled with Potato and Fresh Coriander, a good size at £2.45. For the record, Chapattis are available here at £0.85.
The decision was made to have something Earthy, Genuine home-cooked-style Curry. A venue which has only been operating under the current Management for ten months has impressed twice during 2013. And so Café Reeshah (455 Shields Rd, Glasgow, G41 1NP) was chosen as the locus of the first Glasgow Curry of the year.
It was going to be a struggle to eat the Curry and Rice. So quantity was in the inder’s favour. The Mince was served with truly Minimal Masala and next to no Oil. The Seasoning was exactly to Hector’s Taste. The presence of cooked Tomatoes and a sprinkling of Fresh Coriander added to the overall Flavours and Texture. This was so simple, just like Mother never used to make. When Mein Host came out to asked – Excellent – was the reply.
Given the size of the Premises, it is interesting that they still do not serve alcohol. I congratulate them for this. Hector goes to Curry Houses for Curry. Craig ordered a Tropical Fruit Mocktail whilst Yvonne ordered a more simple Fruit juice. Marg was not put off by the somewhat excessive £3.95 for a Glass of Mango Lassi. All these Soft Drinks were around the £4.00 mark, well one doesn’t have to order them. Hector stayed with Water.
At this level of Dining, the Bread is not Inclusive. Chapattis are not on offer. It is £0.95 for a Roti, £2.25 for a Plain Pratha and £3.55 for an Aloo Pratha. We ordered Two Roti, a Plain Paratha and a Pilao Rice.
Marg, Craig and Yvonne all went for Lamb Karahi, Two Medium, One Baby Strength. They do actually sell Baby Food at 
For those seeking a Big Night Out then 
Marg had been planning a Portion of the Lamb Chops (Starter £3.90) for days. A Mango Lassi (£1.50) would top this off.
As with the Lamb Chops Achari enjoyed by Clive and Hector on
The Hands had to be washed, the Facilities used. The doors separating the Ladies and Gents were open. That was a good one – came a Female voice from not too distant a locus. If one can’t do it here, then where? – was the reply. As I took my seat I related the events to Marg. The next Lady to emerge will be wondering… she came out, I smiled – Was it was you? The same Doris who had spoken to Marg earlier. She was in a Party Mood, one deduces something had happened today to make her Particularly Happy. Perhaps one day she will read this and tell the world.
Hector felt the need to update the – Taken with – Photos. So, Khalid, Mr. Bashir and Hector took the Opperchancity of Marg on Camera.
January 2nd, it must be 
Sadaqat had Complimentary Salad, Dips and Poppadoms on the Table as soon as they could be mustered. He took the Order and then we discussed The Hector Curry. How can I resist my Lamb on-the-bone Sheesh Mahal Special with Extra Methi?– I told Sadaqat. I was torn between this and Fish. It’s New Year, I’ll do you Fish as well. 
Although Marg made no remark. Her Vegetable Pakora did look a bit Scrawny and unless he got there before the Camera, only Four Main Pieces. Knowing that we would be indulging ourselves shortly, Marg ordered Kashmiri Tea. This is a Spicy, Milky Creation first experienced at 
The Lamb on-the-bone was Full of Flavour, Very Tender. The Methi evident but not Over-dominant. The Quantity was more than Adequate, Two Chapattis were enough. This is why Hector comes to Bradford. Another perfect Curry, and a Rare Hector Smile!
en to Ilkley. This Story is related Elsewhere.
Five of us entered what turned out to be a Sizeable Venue. We were shown to the rear. In comparison, Lala’s was much busier, Hector was still Confident. The Menu revealed the availability of Ostrich and Venison. The Prices for these were not Ridiculous either. Craig was seduced by the Venison – Jalfrezi. Deer – The Menu said. At £9.50 maybe not. Pilao Rice would Accompany. Yvonne went for the Chilli Lounge Special Karahi (Lamb and Chicken) plus a Roti (£0.95). Mags loves her Aloo Gosht, well so does Hector. Lamb Alu Nagha is how this appeared on The Menu. Hector was straight on to the Trusty Samsung. Whether this meant Capsicum or Chilli remained unclear. A Mushroom Rice and a Chapatti (£0.65) would be an Elegant Sufficiency. Now, let’s stop to recall the ridiculous prices for 
A Lamb Achari with a Chapatti please. This was a Marg First. Hector has been adding Lime Pickle and Tamarind to most Home Cooked Curry Dishes in the past year. Whilst Marg has eaten these, sometimes one feels under duress, this came as a Complete Surprise. Fifteen years ago Marg ordered Chicken Korma.
There is an Aberdeen Curry House which does not, and likely never will, feature in Curry-Heute. We arrived late-ish , they took us in, then cleared everything away whilst we waited a ridiculous time for our Curry. It was here the period of time referred to in this Blog as – The Robin – materialised. I mention this, not because of the wait, but the fact that many tables in my field of view were stripped and the chairs arranged in rows beside me. Not clever. However, the tables were then congregated and large Serving Trays appeared. They were setting up for the MEGA Buffet, available on Thursdays and Sundays. One wonders how many of the Exotically Named Dishes appear in the Buffet?
Hector was presented with a Bradford-Dry Curry and No Capsicum! The Lamb was cut Small with Big Pieces of Potato. The Spice Level was Impressive. More Seasoning and More Methi would have made the Dish Outstanding, however, for the First Visit this has to be regarded as a Commendable Curry. When The Waiter came over to ask – I gave the Thumbs-up. The Aloo Paratha was most enjoyable, Fresh with just the required amount of – Hint of Crisp. I think I’ll be sticking to these. Just how much Potato did I end up with?