Nobody is flying today, so I’ll have the Fish!
Hector has grown to favour Fish Curry over the last few years. It was probably Fish Pakora that awoke the taste buds to the possibility that a Fish Curry could be agreeable. The recipe which is posted on the above drop down has evolved from a recipe I found in a book some years ago.
This is probably Marg’s favourite, and it tends to be on the mild side, though an extra Chilli or two could sort that.
Hector hears The Village calling on Saturday…
At the end of Hector’s Great Escape from mainland Europe, there was the promise of a Curry in Crawley. Lord Clive had booked us in to the Taj Mahal at 22.30, however the farcical delay at Dover meant that it was 22.00 before we reached The Swan. The call was made to the Taj to re-confirm the booing at 22.30: ‘We’re closed!’
And so we walked from The Swan past the George Hotel to the Saffron Lounge (5 Grand Parade, High Street, Crawley, RH10 1BU). This was not the first choice Curry house in Crawley, one suspects that this is the one Hector will insist we return to at the end of May.
Hector ordered the Spicy Green Lamb Shank Curry, a ‘Goan Green Lamb Shank Curry with Fresh Coriander and Green Chillis.’ The meal came with a fare sized piece of Lamb on a single large bone. That it was eaten with the aid of a fork only is testimony to the quality of the meat. The appearance was perfect, the texture great, it only lacked ‘that special taste’ to make it outrageously special.
Maggie had the Lamb Dansak, Lord Clive the Chicken Dansak. Marg had Pistachio Chicken Steve a Lamb Madras, and David the Duck Chilli Garlic.
Ente Curry!
The Volcano has taken us prisoner…
A welcome return to Indian Mango (Zweibrückenstrasse 15, München). There was a 13.00 rendezvous suggested. Four of us made it, though Steve did drop by towards the end of our meal. He thought it was too soon after the Indien Express the night before. Usually a midday Curry would mean that the lunch offer would be taken, however it was a Saturday so only the full menu was on offer. The board at the door was most inviting. Chettinad, this is a new one. Apparently it relates to the food prepared in the southern Indian province of Tamil Nadu.
Jonathan and Hector ordered the Chettinad Fish, Dr Stan the Chettinad Lamb and Marg the Mango Chicken from the standard menu. The Chettinad dishes looked as if they had been prepared using fresh Tomatoes and coarsely cut Onions. There was a rugged look. The taste was not the usual Mango curry taste: this indeed was another Special Dish.
When we met up with Steve, he admitted that the Curry aroma had got on to his palate, he returned a few hours later and had the Chettinad Lamb – superb – was the verdict.
Are we reaching the stage of going to München for the Curry experience?
CNN was on the TV showing clouds of volcanic ash across Europe; how are we going to get back to Scotland?
A Tale of Two Visits
Followers of Bier today will recall the report of the opening of a new curry house in München back in February. Marg and Hector had been walking past The Indien Express (Schillerstasse Str. 3A) which is beside the Café Schiller, aka ‘The Sports’ Bar’, and realised that it was probably not open, yet. Having been stranded due to snow the opportunity was given to try somewhere which was not the Indien Mango. We popped our heads in: “We open officially tomorrow, but you may as well come in. You are the first customers!”
Hector did not need a second invitation. The welcoming waiter offered us bier, this has been the old Weissbierkeller after all. We declined.
“Chicken Tikka Masala?” he enquired… He was impressed when Lamb Karahi was ordered. Well if you do not order basically the same curry how can Hector compare? It was impressive, we knew we would return.
Others did come in and Chicken Tikka Masala was ordered.
We just happened to find ourselves in München for the first day of the Frühlingsfest. There had been no great intake of food durng the day and so a late night curry was in order. Steve had tried it a couple of days before but was not over impressed, he had tried the Lamb Madras.
We were again offered bier but declined. “Chicken Tikka Masala?” the waiter enquired… this must be their standing joke. Steve was impressed by the Lamb Karahi, Hector refrained from “I told you…”
The prices are right. The place is open late. They promised they would be open at Silvester which the Indien Mango is not.
Indian Gallery (450 Sauchiehall St, Glasgow, G2 3JD) is not for those feeling the pinch.
Will that be three Poppadoms each? – the waiter enquired just to get things going? Lord Clive of Crawley would have loved him. He is fascinated by the fact that in Glasgow all Indo/Pak/Bangladeshi waiters all speak with a broad Glasgow accent.
They are not just off the boat – as someone once so callously said.
Alan recommended the Bombay Bakra (or Murgh), he had the Murgh. Hector knew Murgh is chicken, but Bakra? It is obviously Lamb but why not Gosht? The waiter was having fun by now and explained that this is the Indian term…most Glasgow Indian restaurants are indeed Pakistani/Bangladeshi. The Bombay Bakra is a Karahi-Style Fricassee of Spiced Onion & Ginger, Green Capsicums, Tomatoes, Green Chillies, Kal Jeera and Fresh Spinach leaves. (So a Saag or Palak Gosht then depending which side of the border one comes from?) And so Hector ordered the Bombay Bakra but without Capsicums: Hector cannot stand green peppers in his curry!
The ladies had the Garam Masala and the Jalandrhi, the latter being a – Potent Fusion of Ginger, Garlic, Onions, Peppers, Coconut Cream & Fresh Herbs Simmered in a Spicy Chilli Sauce.
We were all invited to up the heat, this challenge was accepted. The ladies soon regretted this!
The Garlic and Coriander nan was also resplendent with a red chilli sauce, this also upped the heat.
Garam also means – hot -, we were advised: still learning after all this time.
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The meal was splendid: Alan rates this as the best curry house in Glasgow, Hector may not go that far but this is certainly worth a visit, especially if one happens to be on expenses! Hector’s only criticism: for £16.50 a main dish, the portions were small.
Strangely on paying the bill we were presented with two 20% discount vouchers for our next visit: why not just take this off the prices in the menu and have people scuttling back?
Hector is on holiday, so it is a case of maximising the Curry input. On Wednesday straight off the plane from Traben-Trarbach, Hector went straight to The Village “Curry House”, Tradeston (129 Nelson St, G52 1EQ) Glasgow – Scotland. Tradeston is one of the most run down areas of Glasgow being located in the hinterland of the old city docks. There are grand plans and the opening of the pedestrian – Squiggly Bridge – is a step in the right direction. Indeed it is a ten minute walk from Central Station via this new bridge to The Village.
The first visit Hector made to The Village was some years ago when a local newspaper did a supplement on Curry in Glasgow. The Desi Style Dishes caught the eye: the Tawa in particular. The menu relates that this is a … concoction of Black Pepper, Ginger, Garlic and the freshest of Herbs and Spices. This is what Hector looks for in a curry, herbs, spice and hopefully minimal sauce. To say I have raved about The Village since that first visit is not an understatement. The Bradford experience has taught Hector that cafes full of locals is a splendid guide to the quality of that which is being served. Generally, not available upstairs, is the – Village Desi Korma – …- a Yogurt base with Black Pepper, Green Chillies and copious amounts of special Herbs and Spices. This is nothing like a Korma, it has never seen Cream or Coconut. It can blow your head off if you dare ask for extra Chillies. This is now regarded by The Friends of Hector as the signature dish in the café. So why does it change every time one orders it? Hector wrote to Mr Baig the owner last year to point this out. Things did improve; indeed we are convinced they switched it with the Tawa to avoid the confusion, now we just accept that whatever gets served it will be excellent. Some days it is creamier, some days it has more citrus, some days it is brown and some yellow.
The Curry-Heute: Jonathan met Hector today for lunch. Jonathan had the Chicken Desi Korma, Hector had the Lamb Tawa. Both resembled the dishes we had eaten before, nothing is ever a perfect match. Perhaps this is part of the adventure, but is does mean that first time visitors may or may not be impressed. Lord Clive’s last visit from Crawley made him a convert. Dr Stan has been meeting us with increasing regularity for Saturday lunch, he has even been known to eat the same meal! Steve was not impressed last year and as far as I know has not been back. Alan now expects that we go there before Motörhead every November…and it does not sell cider…or any other alcohol for that matter.
There is also the question of The Blackboard
As one enters the café a blackboard displays an ever rotating range of curries that have never made the menu. After Hector decided towards the end of last year to have a mid afternoon curry before meeting the chaps for – Bier Today -, there was a realisation that one could not have the Tawa or the Desi Korma every week. Experimentation became the norm and the blackboard provides scope for this. The Aloo Gosht is normally Lamb on the bone, superb! 
However the dish of the moment has to be the Niharee. This is big, and I mean big, lumps of Lamb cooked in the Desi sauce. It is the most old-fashioned tasting curry I have had since, well the first restaurant curry experienced in the Green Gate (Bank St, Glasgow) back in the 1960s.
Hector has started asking Mr Baig if he has ever thought of building flats upstairs? One feels a feeling of disappointment when the Saturday ritual curry is over. One also has to fight off the munchies of an evening, yes; a second curry in one day has to be admitted to.
Recent reports in the press and other Blogs have suggested that there is a pretender to the title best curry house in Glasgow. Café Salma (523 Sauchiehall Street, G3 7PQ) is a Moroccan café/restaurant that also happens to sell Curry. They advertise on their brochure that this is Desi Style cooking: it is most apparent that they know what they are doing. The owner/manager is most welcoming and makes sure that the experience is a pleasant one. Given that there is a separate menu for the Moroccan dishes one has to be slightly embarrassed at not ordering what is probably the best food cooked in the house, but, this is a Curry Adventure!
Hector and Marg ordered Lahori Karahi (Lamb) and the Garam Masala (Chicken). The Lahori Karahi prepared from fresh Meat, Garlic, Ginger and Tomatoes, and finished with Ginger Flakes and Coriander looked very familiar. Somebody has clearly been across the river to The Village. This was certainly above the average and is recommended.
The Garam Masala was actually more pungent, prepared with Garlic Butter, warm spices and fresh Coriander.
Mein Host advised us that we should have ordered the Garlic and Coriander Nan as he boastfully displayed it en route to an adjacent table. He was probably correct.
Given the proximity of this restaurant to others in the Charing Cross area, this could become a place of temptation which could relegate the Balbirs Tiffin Rooms (573 Sauchiehall Street, G3 7PQ) next door.
Unser Lieblingscurryhaus in München
The first Curry-Heute to be mentioned is this Blog is much celebrated by The Friends of Hector. Indian Mango Restaurant (Zweibrückenstraße 15, München) is near the Isartor S-Bahn station.
The Fish Masala and the Lamb Madras are the two rated by Hector as outstanding. The cafe style is associated with lower prices. Rice is included and this always means value for money. Indeed, if you ever finish all of the accompanying rice you must have been ravenous.
As for the curries: there is a distinctive house – Desi – taste, it is slightly on the sweet side of normal. Either one takes to this or one does not. When one goes to München these days a visit here is a must, Hector is tempted to do so on a daily basis and there are few houses that come that recommended.
