Symington – Balbir’s Route 77 – On the way to Prestwick Airport

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Hector

This is one of three Balbir’s experienced by Hector

Since Mr O’Leary changed Hector’s life some ten years ago, Balbir’s Route 77, on the A77 between Glasgow and Prestwick Airport has been passed more times than I can remember. However as the train usually takes us down it has mostly been seen in the other direction when Marg picks us up from our foreign sojourns. The fancy for a curry after a trip has been confirmed too often by the sight of this building 8km north of the airport, alas it is on the other side of the dual carriageway and so has always been passed at high speed.

We had considered today’s treat being at The Turban in Eastwood but the online menu did not grab me and so at the last minute a long-ish drive for a curry appeared to be a worthwhile suggestion. It was a pleasant spring evening and in Scotland at this time of year the sun is shining until after 21.00.
Hector should have done more research.

We were asked if we wanted the menu: as I do not particularly enjoy the general blandness of buffets we accepted the menu. I did not see a buffet set up on the way in but had not realised what the alternative was. Nor did anyone try to tell us.
The Lamb Tava looked to be the most likely dish that this commentator would order: Lamb fillet pan fried with onions, peppers and fresh herbs. I verified that the quoted Peppers were Capsicums. The waiter struggled to understand that I did not want these in a Curry. He told me they were already in and could not be taken out.

I did not believe this for a minute.

Hector settled for the Lamb Chilli Ginger: lamb cooked in a rich tarka bhoona base with plenty of fresh ginger and sliced green chillies. Marg was going to have this, but being the delightful lady she is, opted for the Chicken Parsi: chicken breast cooked to a sweet and sour flavour with chillies and coconut.

An enjoyable Pakora was wolfed whilst we waited for the main event. There were certainly more pieces served than in our last outing.
The Lamb Chilli Ginger did have a very pleasant kick and its appearance looked as though it had certainly been freshly prepared. The dish was enjoyable but not sensational.

The Chicken Parsi certainly had a kick, Marg kept telling me this. One must congratulate the chef for serving a coconut curry with a kick, why should Korma-style dishes always be mild?
The plates were cleaned, the volume was just a shade less than total satisfaction.

This was when Hector realised that the research should have been done in advance AND the staff could have been more communicative.
Apparently, in the first five years of this venue being open, there was no menu. The Chef cooked whatever one asked for. This is now described as – The Banquet. This was not at all visible from our table at the far wall. No offer was made. No price was quoted: it could well have been worth it, I do not know. However, the thought of the Chef preparing a Bradford-style Curry to my specifications, with loads of Methi and a dry sauce…well… We could have had the Fish too!

Those of you paying attention will realise that when the waiter said I could not have the Lamb Tava without Capsicums…

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Shenaz (Granville Street)

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Hector

Does one visit mean many?

Jonathan writes: Continuing the celebration of my escape, amongst other things, Kari, John and myself visited one of Glasgow’s oldest curry houses, the Shenaz in Granville Street.

This must have been the first Indian restaurant I visited, some time in the 70’s. As such, it is a place that I always view with a certain level of nostalgia. It has had some ups and downs over the years, but fortunately, it seems to be fairly consistent again.

On to the food itself – I had to start with the vegetable pakora – possibly one of the finest examples of this style of food. Kari joined me – John, being different, had chicken pakora. I heard no complaints!

Turning to main courses, as befits an old-established restaurant, both Kari and I opted for a traditional dish – dansac (one chicken, one lamb). John had a chicken tikka dish. Chapatis, rice and a nan were the chosen accompaniments. The dansac was rich and full of flavour – slightly mild for my tastes, but this was my fault as I did not order it hot!

I think the three clean plates at the end speak to the quality of the food on offer. Although this is no longer my favourite restaurant, it is still worth a visit.

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Mister Singh’s India (Elderslie Street)

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Hector

Escaped at last!

Jonathan writes: I know that the intention of this blog is to record every curry. As hopefully nobody else will have to endure the lamb curry at the Southern General, a photo will suffice!
One of the first things to do after my release was to seek a curry. In the spirit of Curry-heute, I decided to try somewhere different. Accompanied by John, I visited Mister Singh’s for their lunch.
This is another restaurant that offers haggis pakora (as well as offering haggis curries!). Despite this simply being haggis in batter, I thought it made a good starter, particularly when paired with a complementary cup of Indian Chicken soup.
For main courses, I ordered chicken Malaider (spinach puree with garlic, green chillies and cream). John ordered chicken Ambala (described as “authentic, rich and flavoursome”). Both were well prepared and tasty, although they both lacked that special taste.
On the face of it, the lunch menu was reasonably priced – £8.95 per head for three courses. The sundries were overpriced – £3.95 for 2 poppadoms with spices. Worse, however, was the cost of drinks. I object to paying over the odds for soft drinks. £1.50 for a glass of soda water and lime is grossly excessive. When I challenged the manager, he tried to say that licensing laws prevented them from reducing drinks prices! I’ve never heard of licensing laws affecting the sale of soft drinks… As a result of this blatant rip off, I will not return to this establishment, nor will I recommend it to others.
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Aloo Gosht – The Clydebank Version

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Hector








There was of course a Hector Curry Heute to accompany the best Bier on the planet…
The Aloo Gosht was started on Thursday and left to ferment for two days..


We left some for Jonathan…

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Glasgow – The Wee Curry Shop (Ashton Lane)

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Hector

Hector realises that it is the Curry portion which is – Wee

No Curry since last Saturday, what is a Hector to do? Fortunately Marg suggested eating out. If she was paying, Nando’s, else I choose, I pay.
And so back to The Wee Curry Shop in Ashton Lane to see if the Methi Gosht was a fluke.

The Haggis Pakora to start was over £5 for five pieces of what was essentially the same as any chip shop would serve: haggis in batter.
To the main course(s): Butter Chicken with Asparagus was too much for Marg to resist, there was no resistance. The foil wrapped Chicken again made me wonder if this has been – brought in – from outside. I had a taste at the outset, too sweet for the Hector.
The Methi Gosht tasted great but there was once more an issue about the size of the portion. As reported the – pre-theatre menu – was small, portion wise, but there was little excuse for this. Over £9 for eight pieces of Lamb. Papa Gills remains the best place in the West End for quantity.
The accompanying rice – to be shared – was insultingly small, this is never the case at The Village. The Paratha was the saving grace.


Hector and Marg both destroyed what was before them. Hector even mopped up an extra piece of Marg’s Chicken. Did we enjoy our meal? Well, yes, but… there could have been much more. The Asparagus turned out to be a mere three spikes…
£35 for a midweek snack…Hector’s mental arithmetic is trying to work if two pre-theatre menus is a better deal than one meal off the main menu.

And so we went down to the University Café at the bottom of Byres Rd to recapture the days of yore and enjoy the best ice cream in Glasgow. Fear not, there will be no ice cream blog!

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Meanwhile back in Clydebank something is brewing for Saturday…

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Bukharah – The Lorne Hotel, Glasgow

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Hector

Jonathan is indisposed…

And so when Mags suggested last night in The Bon Accord last night that she would love to join us in The Village one  Saturday, and the story of the rats was unveiled once more, it was a case of ‘So where are you going tomorrow?’

Hector arrived at the Bukharah (923 Sauchiehall St, Glasgow) bang on 3pm as arranged. The restaurant is on the west wing of the building and has its own entrance, but Hector did walk in through the main hotel entrance, and why not?

The Lorne Hotel was redeveloped and the intention was to build the biggest Curry House in Scotland. With the demise of Crème de la Crème (cue the romantic music, Marg) which was possibly the biggest Curry House on the planet, this was no great aim.
The place was empty as one would expect at this time of day…why have people not yet realised that this is the perfect time of day to savour a curry?

The waiter was quite amused by the fact that Hector was sitting alone and so the poppadoms were offered: ‘while you wait’. That we were not charged for these is a plus.

There was pleasant banter in the ten minutes it took Mags to arrive by which time the supposition was that it was a chap with whom I had made the rendezvous. ‘Worth waiting for.’ was the polite admittance.

And so down to business… Hector has seen an attractive dish on the website: ‘LAMB RASANDER TAVA Chunks of Lamb cooked in a rich spicy sauce with fresh ginger to give an extra bite’. The appearance was excellent, yet again on a black karahi… there was absolutely no distinctive taste to make this a standout curry, but the extra bite of the ginger, presumably, made this a dish to remember, The sweat was emitting from the skull, so this was no way a disappointment. Alas, it had been built up, so one was hoping for more.

Mags, aka Ms Korma, had the Chicken Karahi and found it pleasant. In the interest of decorum, Hector declined a taste of the curry below.

The menu did have a Desi dish which Hector stated he would no doubt be drawn to if ever he appears here again. There was also the leg of lamb dish requiring 24 hours notice: now a Kleftiko Curry could be the ultimate experience: the challenge to Marg: are we willing to risk £30?
The experience was very positive, alas there was no evidence of ‘the taste.’

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The Wee Curry Shop (Byres Rd)

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Hector

A Friday evening curry?

As Hector never cooks on A Friday evening between work and The Bon Accord, there was a sudden desire to complete ‘The Three Wee Curry Shops’ in a six day period.
And so an impromptu curry was in order at the bottom of (41) Byres Rd, Glasgow.
When this venue opened as Mrs. Majhu’s a couple of years ago there was great interest. The menu was as small the shop but there was lamb dish which was unbelievable. In the style of the Bradford dry curry this was a revelation when it appeared. Lord Clive of Crawley was taken there to give it the thumbs up. The reason Hector has not been of late is down to it not being open in the middle of the day, and so Mother India’s Café along the road has won. The menu has also changed and is a replica of that which is presented in the Buccleuch St branch. No Board was visible for specials.

The Lamb Karahi was ordered and appeared in minutes. It was sizzling hot and presented in the black karahi dish from which it was eaten along with two chapattis (which are not on the menu). The dish that did not impress in the main Mother India restaurant at the start of the week came back to mind. This was not the same as the Lamb Karahi served in Buccleuch St earlier in the week. The common factor of disappointment could be down to the karahi pan itself, is it possible that they are being over cooked and the taste is being harmed?
The Lamb Methi served in Ashton Lane last Saturday has to be the curry of the week.

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Curry Heute

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Hector

A small feast before visiting Jonathan.

The chaps are being fed at Hector’s House, well Howard is. Due to a diary mix up Robin was denied a feed, Hector’s apologies.. The Machi Masala is the dish of choice. To complement the Salmon, Hector has included Pak-Choi as a Leek-Substitute…

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Glasgow – The Wee Curry Shop (Buccleuch St)

Posted on May 4, 2010 by Hector

Hector’s Birthday Treat continues…

A pre-theatre venue was required, and so given the events of the past few days, The Wee Curry Shop (Buccleuch St, Glasgow, G3 6SJ) in the centre of the city was the obvious choice.
Yes it lives up to its name in terms of size being appreciably smaller than the Ashton Lane branch. One has to wonder why when one walks in to a restaurant to find no other customers the staff tend to insist that you sit at microscopic tables… do they really believe that a coach load is always imminent?
And so Hector and Marg sat out our little table and were made to feel welcome. The young waiter certainly looked after us. The Menu was on the small side but sitting with his back to the wall with The Board, Hector failed to spot the Lamb and Leek on offer. What, Lamb and Leek again what a strange coincidence this is?
We shared a Green Herb Vegetable Pakora which had been freshly prepared and the accompanying chilli sauce was certainly hotter than most encounters: definitely recommended.
 Marg had the Chicken (on the bone) with Crispy Okra which looked brilliant and was much appreciated. Hector had the Lamb Karahi, for a change. How is one meant to make comparisons if there is no basis for doing so…? There was instantaneous satisfaction: the taste was there, something exotic, was there a hint of puréed carrot in the mix? Suffice to note, given the negative reaction to this chain’s offering two days before, this was splendid.

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The conclusion: stick to the small houses, not the great industrial curry houses. However, a colleague highly recommends that place which could be the biggest in Glasgow, Scotland, nay The World…

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Glasgow – Mother India – FUBAR

Posted on May 2, 2010 by Hector

Hector’s Official Birthday Dinner

A meal in the Mother India Restaurant (28 Westminster Terrace, Glasgow,G3 7RU) has always been regarded as a special treat. Since they opened in 1996, word has spread about the quality of the food on offer. This is not the everyday menu offered by the vast array of Glasgow’s Indo-Pak restaurants, this has always offered something different, genuine Indian cooking perhaps!

Marg had made a booking for 20.00 in the upstairs – Dickensian style – room. The ground floor is always too busy in terms of passing traffic through the room. The newer basement feels like a bit of a  – dunny : a special day requires the best ambience. One has to book in advance, however even then bookings are made in windows to suit the management. Arriving a couple of minutes after 20.00, our booking was verified and we were asked to wait. We were then offered a basement table: this was firmly declined: we knew what we had booked, this is what we wanted. Hector by this time was dealing with the second of what would become three people trying to find us a table.  We were promised free Poppadoms. By 20.20 others were arriving and were being allocated their booked seat right away. We were then offered free drinks whilst we waited, these were declined – I want my Curry, not a Drink. – was Hector’s reply.

At 20.25 we were taken upstairs to a rather generously sized table for two. The free Poppadoms and Onion and Mango arrived immediately. The menus were issued; the free drink order was taken: 1 fresh orange and lemonade, one large bottle of sparkling water. Yes, this place is licensed but Hector prefers to taste the food, not the bier.

There were mutterings from the table in the middle of the room adjacent to us that we had been served so quickly. At 20.40 they stated they had been waiting for their main course since 19.15. The couple at the table behind Marg confirmed that they too had been waiting for their meal for a very long time. It is clear that the restaurant has become a victim of its own success: one needs to book, one still has to wait and then…worse was to come…

Preparing for the long haul, Hector and Marg took their time and enjoyed the free Poppadoms, two apiece, thank you. Our starter came within a most acceptable time, which meant there was again rumblings from the adjacent tables. It appeared the waiters were doing their utmost to make up for the poor experience so far.  Haddock baked in foil, with a roasted tomato was the starter. It was somewhat wet and not particularly impressive. Since this Blog began we have not been to Mother India’s Café along the road where the Machi Masala is to die for…

The main courses arrived much sooner than we had been led to expect based on the evening’s observations. Marg had ordered Butter Chicken. Marg always has this at Mother India’s Café, this was her chance to have the full blown dish: Marg enjoyed it thoroughly but did state she was worried that it might be too rich in that quantity. This turned out not be the case and the sauce had a fine – kick – which Hector believes all Curry should have.
Hector had spotted Lamb Karahi with Spicy Leek on the Day – Specials – Menu. Was not the same Dish that I had also noted on the Board in The Wee Curry Shop the day before? The three shops which form The Wee Curry Shop group are an offshoot of the Mother India organisation. Is it coincidence that these Dishes were on offer as Specials almost simultaneously? Is it possible that they are being cooked in a central kitchen and then taken to the smaller premises? More research will be done on this: I shall ask the restaurant directly.

 

The Dish looked superb and the quantity was a splendid challenge. However half way through the level of disappointment was becoming hard to bear. This was such a bland meal it was unbelievable. There simply was no taste at all. It was as if they had run out and just used a Bhoona Lamb as a substitute.

 Hector left half his meal. Hector had not eaten since 09.30, the appetite was there, the desire to finish this disappointing meal was not.  Inevitably I had to inform the waiter that I could only describe the meal as  – average. Another chap on bringing The Bill was informed that I felt the dish had been ten minutes in the preparation, not ten hours. The price of Hector’s Lamb Karahi was removed from The Bill. The lady manageress again apologised as we left the premises. They admitted to having had been busy. I repeated another comment I had made upstairs that every visit I have ever had to the Mother India Restaurant has been outstanding and that tonight was a major disappointment. The staff were splendid, Marg still left a tip: Hector insisted in paying for his own Birthday Dinner as I knew that I would be creating a the inevitable Glasgow  – Stooshie. 

Mother India Café sell similar Dishes, we are regulars there for Sunday lunch. This is where Marg and Hector will continue to go, unless the memory of Saturday’s Methi Gosht at The Wee Curry Shop creates an overwhelming desire to savour again the sheer pleasure that created.

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