Your journey has been updated – which is Avanti-speak for – your 10.38 train is cancelled, your seat reservation is no more, take either an earlier or later train, we don’t give a … it rained overnight, nobody designed a railway to cope with that.
And so Hector found himself at Glasgow Central queuing for the 08.00 along with some like-minded peeps. Sheffield, via Lancaster and Manchester, all being well, an unexpected stopover at the latter meant only one thing.
It was 12.20 when Hector entered Kabana (22 Back Turner St., Northern Quarter, Manchester M4 1FR England). There was no sign of Rizwan, Mein Host, but his sixth sense must have kicked in. Having exited from his hidey-hole, the usual exchange of greetings followed. Rizwan asked what I was having, as if it would vary. The first of any cluster of visits to Kabana has to be Lamb Karahi on-the-bone (£7.00) with Fried Rice (£2.00).
Having parked my luggage out of the way, I squeezed myself on to the table nearest the door. Draughty!
Such is the rapid turnover of customers, I had already identified a better spot soon to become available. As Rizwan brought the food, he too noted the same locus. A quick wipe down by a colleague and all was set.
Lamb Karahi
The foliage had already been added at the counter, so no naked photo today. Abundant Coriander, diced Ginger and sliced Green Chillies topped a mass of Meat, some on-the-bone. Beneath, a portion of Rice, which on a good day I could manage. Today was very much a rushed job, the stress of actually getting here had diminished the appetite somewhat. Get the excuses in early.
Cloves! I can only be in Manchester. I wouldn’t encounter a whole one, but their presence was marked. Black Peppercorns and a best avoided Black Cardamom, the Whole Spices which were unearthed. Today, the Seasoning felt a tad below the Kabana norm, the Spice built, and kept on doing so. Ah, the Chillies, without even thinking, I was taking these in with something approaching gay abandon. There was no stopping me. The three components of – the foliage – greatly enhance the Curry.
Curry, it is Curry, and Rizwan can call it Karahi if he chooses. Much of the Masala disappeared into the Rice. This makes for tasty Rice, and scoff it I did.
Much has been written about the outstanding quality of the Lamb as served at Kabanahttps://curry-heute.com/recommended-curry-houses/kabana-manchester-england/. Today’s lacked that almost velvety texture enjoyed here over the years. It wasn’t necessarily giving back Flavour other than its own meatiness. A new Monday morning batch, or was it a case that Saturday’s equivalent at New Cafe Reeshah (Glasgow) was even better?
Regardless, the unique Kabana blend of Flavours were present. Karahi Gosht twice within forty eight hours, both a different experience.
Had the Lamb, Rizwan says there should be Fish on Thursday for my planned stop-off in Manchester.
The Bill
£9.00 Outstanding value
The Aftermath
As I had approached Kabana along Thomas Street, I noted that Yadgar Cafe has gone. The adjacent Al-Faisal Tandoori went last year, two rivals, this can only be good for business at Kabana which has set the standard of Northern Quarter Curry Cafes, and so must surely continue to thrive. I managed to get my customary comment in regarding the transformation of Al-Faisal into a Kebab House.
Any idiot can grill meat, it takes skill to make a Masala.
When Dr. Stan eventually arrived in Sheffield he somehow took the train I was booked on, although it become the 10.36 to Preston and arrived ninety minutes late. Delay repay?
Hot food on a cold afternoon, winter has definitely arrived in Glasgow. Arriving at 
With everything hotter than everything else, much care at the start. The peripheral Oil 
Having over-indulged with Bread, I took stock of what remained. Six pieces of Meat, almost a portion at other venues. I could manage this, just, slowly, lots of deliberate chewing. It was only towards the end I spotted the Ginger Strips cooked in. The Flavours just kept coming. 
Aware of the fact that I had not been to 
What to have, I surveyed the ready fayre. Vegetables were foremost in my mind, so no Aloo Gosht (£7.50). Aloo Gajar Mutter (£5.00) I have enjoyed here oft, but today it would be Aloo Gobi (£6.00), 
The Salad components could have been presented on the plates with the Samosa and Chapli, instead we were treated to the full Bunte Salad, 
Two, halved, a meal in their own right. One, felt not enough, I knew Marg would take a half, the perfect accompaniment therefore. Chapli Kebap, the ultimate Spicy Chicken Burger. Who needs a Burger chain when these exist? Full on Seasoning and Spice, Cumin to the fore, and when dipped in the Chilli Sauce, a total delight. Why was food like this not on offer at the – Refectory – when at university? Why did I not think of wandering down Gibson Street, then in its heyday, and discover such – snacks? 
The solitary Samosa did look kind of lonely sitting alone on the plate. Quite a crust, but the focal point looked to be well stuffed. Marg created quite a plateful:
A visit to 
I knew the Chapatti would come in handy. Served whole and of the Wholemeal variety, I ate way more of this Bread than I originally envisaged. The subconscious – order a Chapatti – had proved to be the correct move.
More Cauliflower than Potato, this was as Dry a Curry as one can envisage. Yet, there was still a sufficient level of moistness coming from the Vegetables to make the combination with the Chapatti work. Again, Cauliflower appeared to dominate in the Masala Mash, such as it was. Not a single trace of Oil. 
As with the Fisch at 
As I approached the counter to pay, I asked Shkoor:
A day in 
Fisch Chettinad, not on the 
Ginger Strips and a modest sprinkling of Coriander topped the Masala whose appearance was heading towards an authentic Shorva. This was not a Mainstream blended Masala.
Two marvellously large pieces of Pollock, plus a third smaller piece, 
A sharp sense of Spice hit the palate. There had been no discussion of Spice Level, extra Chillies were clearly sat before me. If this was the starting point, where did Chef think I was going to end up? The Hector has had his 
The Onions added crunch, an alternative Texture. The Lemon, added Citrus, which, for me, always works in a Curry. As I broke it down into smaller and smaller pieces, approaching – flakes – I marvelled at the Fish. The Texture was spot on. A bit of chewing, certainly not – rubbery. Why so white? Does this mean Fish Curry is comparable to Chicken Curry in terms of a lack of permeability? No way, not if one has had Chef Pintu’s Fisch Chettinad, and the Hector has had plenty. 
The Masala, I was coming to terms with. Far from excessive, I found myself pouring on the remainder. No Clove or Cinnamon was evident here. Then I found a Green Cardamom – Desi, man! Today, the definite – fishiness – was complementing the Earthy Flavours from the Masala. The Seasoning was all in the latter which maybe was doing the heavy lifting. 
Having already drawn a line on the plate for what I thought I might manage, once the Fish and Masala was gone, that was it, the end.
Steve, who is otherwise not in this saga 
On entering Bella Tandoori, nothing was familiar. 
Rehydration, a
For Hector, Lamm Rogan Josh (€19.90), a bit steep, but of course, in Europe, Rice is usually included. And we have tablecloths, so pukka eating today. Clive, determined to find something with a – kick – opted for Chilli Chicken (€15.90), whilst Maggie took Hector’s advice and went for Chicken Sabji (€14.90). 
Three Spice Levels were outlined on the menu. Our waiter took time to address our individual needs. Maggie specified – lightly spiced – whilst the men sought something above medium, but not crazy. 
When the food arrived, Maggie was impressed by the 
Attractively presented, raw Onions Rings were an interesting addition to the ubiquitous Ginger Strips and threat of Coriander. I counted out the, oh so standard, eight pieces of Meat. 
We had Seasoning! The Spice Level was well pitched, and we had Flavour. OK, calm, there was no great depth of Flavour, no Whole Spice, and so nothing 
With an identical garnish, the Masala looked not dissimilar to the Rogan Josh. The major difference was the protrusion of the Meat in the Masala. So, maybe more eating here. Clive:
Everything about that was good. Nice place, good service. Excellent, it was hot and spicy, not lethal, pleasantly hot. Addition of f
The Masala here was markedly diffe
Lots of vegetables, lightly spiced as requested. Not too soupy, lots of chicken, cubes of chicken. Just the right portion size. It’s not often you go somewhere and get everything you ask for.
It’s that time of year when the Bockbier of Franconia calls. Curry opperchancities are limited, to many restaurants are open in the evening only, which does not fit into the daily model. 
Steve texted to say he was joining me, and to verify the train I was taking. For reasons unknown, this was impossible, t’Internet was not working, A global outage, unglaublich!. 
A new layout, with extra tables in situ, and the majority occupied, 
The Board had extra options, Punjabi Kadhi (€8.50) had to be considered. Which – Kadhi – was this? 
We took our seats, the food would be brought to the table. 
Curry, nothing fancy, with more Basmati than I would manage. Five pieces of Meat, four of these would require cutting into two or even three bits. T
Bloody hell! – no prisoners, this was brutal. Tissue please, 
Soft Meat, giving of Flavour, a respite from the Masala. Eating this early, taking it slowly, remember, Hector, this is meant to be pleasure. 
Cumin and Coconut Milk were mentioned on the menu, in addition to declaring this Curry to be a South Indian creation. I initially took the slight Creaminess of the Masala to be Yoghurt, but now we know. 
A pleasant dish with just the right amount of spice and heat. There was a reasonable amount of fairly tender meat. Fresh ginger juliennes added a nice finish. 
Later this evening, Steve and I excused ourselves and found a bar which put on the match for us. 
A Saturday night, and Hector is having Curry at home courtesy of Praveen Kumar (Unit 1, Islay Place, Perth PH1 3FU). 
A frozen, pre-cooked Curry, quite a departure from the norm, and a Railway Curry to boot. This could be anything 
The back of the box gives full disclosure of every Spice which went into this 
A modest portion, but as it turned out, well judged.
The Thick, and not excessive Masala, impressed in terms of appearance. 
Having driven past The Chaat Corner (516 Cathcart Road, Govanhill, Glasgow, G42 7BX) for who knows how long, Hector
The laminated menu was already on the table, a portion of Lamb Karahi (£11.99) is why the Hector was here. 
The artwork at the doorway advertises an array of interesting Paratha. The Laccha Paratha looks close to Hector’s favourite Malabar Parotta, light in colour, thick, and multi-layered. This was not on the menu, nor was it being offered. A Plain Paratha (£2.99) completed the Order. 
I spotted the board with a list of Curry Dishes, various. I wondered how many of 
The chap brought the food after a sensible period of preparation. The quartered Paratha was a good size, thin, flaky, had some layering but was decidedly thin/flat, and brown, compared to how I like my Paratha. A bit greasy too, but that’s the Butter. Wholemeal Flour appeared to have been used, definitely not my favourite. I would manage half, which is good going for the Hector.
Wooden cutlery was on the table, this I find abominable. By the time I arrived in 
A small karahi, and only half full, how I miss the indulgence of the days of 
In time a glass of water, which tends to make matters worse, was provided. 
identify it with certainty. The Ghee/Oil was giving off a distinctive Flavour which put me back in the Charsi road, no, this was better. 
The 
A friend, who has recently become a regular – passer by – at 
This 
The seating area in 
The Dry Lamb Chukka/Sukka has long gone from the 
A flashy bottle, a paper cup, not wonderful.
The chap brought the food.
There used to be two options, the 
Six, I can only describe as – miserly, pieces of Fish were arranged on the Rice. Not a huge volume of Fish, and this was me going – standard. The Tapas must be very much just that, beware. 
What I took to be Mustard Seeds permeated the Masala, whole Curry Leaves were aplenty. Still, I refuse to attempt to 
The food cooled quickly on the cold dinner plate. Despite the fact that I was enjoying the Flavours from the Masala, things were not going well, and nobody came to ask, else they would have been told much of this critique. 
The new Vegetarian Curry House – Saravanaa Bhavan – has finally opened on Sauchiehall Street. We know how long Curry Houses with this self-imposed restriction survive in Glasgow. I’ll get there sometime, maybe before it disappears. 
Stewart had contacted Hector, with time off his work, there had to be 
The external graphics do not convey – Curry. As I took my photo so a chap emerged. 
When Stewart arrived, I let him down gently. He too would have the Lamb Chops Curry, a Nan (£1.25) plus a Rubicon. With his prepared appetite needing sated, he added Vegetable Pakora (£4.00). 
The two Naan were served whole. Round, risen, puffy, on the verge of forming blisters, not as perfect as my preferred teardrop Tandoori Naan, but I would eat more than I thought capable. 
The Oily Shorva may be off-putting to some. Bear with it, once the eating gets underway there is a transformation. 
The Seasoning, the Flavours, and why did I add more Chillies? Stewart would pull out a piece of Cinnamon Bark from his Shorva, the Hector found the solitary Clove. Whole Peppercorns were also a major feature. It is so much easier to identify Flavours when the Whole Spice is visible. More concentrated Flavour too when these are present. This Curry was full on.
With a further bowl brought for the discarded bones, we set about separating Meat from Bone. 
Ten large pieces, well fired, presumably twice fried. Offers were declined, the Hector literally had enough on his plate. Stewart polished off the contents of one Chilli bowl and started on the next. 
By the end, Stewart had wiped his plate clean – ready for the next customer. 
The Bill
Now there’s the matter of converting the recently acquired next door premises into a Takeaway. There’s also the question of letting m