Back from Berlin, and it’s a Saturday afternoon with Dr. Stan in Glasgow. Karahi Palace (51-53 Nelson Street, Tradeston, Glasgow, G5 8DZ) the chosen venue, not just a matter of – swelling the coffers – but a desire to once again enjoy their Spicy Lamb Korma (£10.00). Last Saturday was my first experience of Karahi Palace’s interpretation of a Lamb Desi Korma, a Curry I simply could not get enough of some years back.
The rendezvous was at 14.00, both Shery and Ayaz, Mein Host and presently the only Chef, were sporting matching black outfits, all part of the relaunch at Karahi Palace. Oh, and the TVs have gone. I advised Ayaz that I was waiting for one more diner.
As I took my seat, Dr. Stan texted to say he was running a bit late – order me a Lamb Handi with a Paratha (£2.50). I assumed he meant Karahi Lamb (£12.00), Handi has not been on the menu here for years.
To accompany, I had to have the Mushroom Rice (£5.00), even though I knew it’s in reality, a portion for two. Half would go to Hector’s House. Ayaz confirmed the Biryani style of the Mushroom Rice, and I remembered to ask for – no Green Peppers!
The wait was appropriate, As Shery brought the food, so he asked a favour: could he take our photos and post them on a new page on a certain social medium? Why not?
The Paratha was served whole and was made from Wholemeal Flour, not Hector’s favourite. So few venues serve the wonderful Malabar Porotta.
The Mushroom Rice, a Biryani, was a rich Pilau with Green Cardamom and quite a few whole Cloves. With Fresh Mushrooms, this had all the substance and Flavour one could desire. At one point I thought I might manage the lot, sense prevailed.
Karahi Lamb
At the point of ordering, Ayaz knowing this was for someone else, confirmed the Karahi would be still be a la Hector: extra Salt, extra Methi.
A perfect blend of herbs and spices – was Dr. Stan’s verdict on this wonderful creation. I shall offer no further comment on the Karahi Lamb other than read any of the hundred plus reviews posted on Curry-Heute.
Dr. Stan ate the lot, including every last morsel of Paratha.
Spicy Lamb Korma
Large pieces of Lamb on-the-bone, sat in the dark, Yoghurt-rich Masala. Herbs had been stirred in, this Curry could have it all. I arranged the Meat on top of the Rice, keeping back some of the Masala for the end. Sliced Green Chillies had been cooked in, a Korma bearing no resemblance to that which appears in Mainstream Menus.
Shery appeared with a portion of Raita. Ayaz was worried he may have made the Curry too Spicy, as if. The Raita remained untouched.
The Lamb was astonishingly Tender, and was bursting with Flavour. Well Seasoned Meat, well Seasoned Masala, this is what the Hector seeks.
With the Cloves, there was another source of Flavour, so much was happening here. Taking Lamb and Masala, the magical Citrus Blast was revealed. The Yoghurt may alter the Texture of the Masala, however, it remained far from Creamy. Of the four bones present, only one was – Sucky!
With the remaining Masala poured over, it was evident that there was not enough Curry for the Rice. The appetite sated, it was time to call it a day.
The Tanginess on top of the richness of Flavour, the quality of the Meat, a spectacular creation. The Mushroom Rice was the icing on the cake.
The Bill
£29.50 Appreciably less than what was being paid in Berlin midweek.
The Aftermath
We studied the menu on the wall, again I enquired about another favourite – Kofta Anda. Would it be on display if they had it? I was assured they would make it from scratch. Interesting, but coming to Karahi Palace and foregoing both Karahi Lamb and Spicy Lamb Korma? Weekly visits may become the norm.
Sunday Lunch
Chicken Biryani, using the famed – leftover Chicken – which every home has.
Even Spicier! Where’s that Raita?
Telangana Lamb (€19.00) is what impressed the Hector on 
Bier seemed better value than Water at the point of ordering. There wasn’t much in it. Although printed menus are available on request, the staff at 
Individual bowls of Basmati were brought, a decent plateful, no wastage, every grain would be eaten. 
The Cheese Naan made me ask Steve a simple question:
Yes, the Masala was Soupy, but one has come to accept that this is how the majority of South Indian Dishes are served, Sukka being the exception. The huge Red Chilli floating on top of the Masala was a welcomed sight, classic South Indian Curry. 
I counted six large pieces of Lamb, plus a tiddler, as I arranged the Meat on the Rice. Steve had a piece of Potato in his serving, as I did 
With the remaining Masala poured over the remnants, Hector’s strategy was bearing fruit, every mouthful whether it be Rice and Masala, or Meat and Masala, was a joy. 
The Bill
Mela (Crellestrasse 46,10827 Berlin Deutschland) is the seventeenth 
Mela was recommend by a taxi driver when I passed through 
Mela is located in Schöneberg in the south west of 
On no, here we go again. What on Earth was this? The Masala was minimal, a positive. But this was not Curry, it was a classic exampleof what passes for Karahi in many, European in particular, Indian Restaurants. Behold the Big Onions, some cooked, some less so. Was Rice the correct accompaniment? 
The Tender Mutton was plentiful, initially giving more than just the Flavour of Meat but stopping short of the ubiquitous – Euro Curry Taste. In time, the Meat as a source of Flavour, dried up. There was next to no Spice coming from the Mutton. The Seasoning in what little Masala was present was fine. Both Steve and Hector added some of the Green Mash to give the – Curry – a boost. Whatever Flavour the Masala was able to give was eroded by the dominance of the Big Onions. Too many Onions. This was not a Curry, this was – Stir Fry. 
Don’t judge a book by its cover – remarked Steve as he ate. Later he added:
I started again. On mentioning – Desi/Apna – there was no response, I suppose he was hardly going to admit there was better to be had elsewhere. Somewhere in 
Having spent five nights with Lord Clive and Lady Maggie of 
The Order was nearly sorted, Clive then asked for a Keema Naan, not available. Alternatives were discussed – Garlic, Chilli, Coriander Naan (£4.00) replaced one of the Chapattis. Shery came to finalise the order on paper, Ayaz had lost a Curry. Oh, and Mags had arrived, so the Aloo Gosht may have been the missing piece in the jigsaw. 
A meal I have eaten here many times before. Today’s had something extra excellent. – said Clive. 
If one looks carefully, the Garlic Chilli, Coriander Naan was served in four pieces, and was substantial. The portion of Fried Rice was more than Maggie would manage. Cumin Seeds were mixed through. Then there was the Mushroom Rice. It became immediately obvious why this cost a fiver. A mountain of what was in effect a Biryani was served up to the Hector. The Pilau was enhanced by the presence of Cloves, Cinnamon, Green Cardamom and even Lemon rind. A couple of stray pieces of 
A Curry served in a bowl, not what Hector is used to at 
The Village
Why Mags has this with Bread often puzzles, surely the nature of the Masala commands Rice? However, the intensity of Flavour from the Shorva-esque Masala may be absorbed. Mags’ choice, she must know what she’s doing.
One takes a notion for Spinach, else it is avoided. This gives the appearance of being a Masala with Spinach, as Hector likes it. However, as the bowl was emptied, so a Spinach Mash was revealed.
Maggie immediately praised the Chicken, this was at the standard she expects and a vast improvement over that which she endured a few nights ago at 
When Hector and Marg arrived at 
Prices have increased, they had to. My Chapatti would cost a whole £1.00, still an honest and sensible price. I did my best to record the 
A couple of Takeaway customers came in whilst I waited. 
It never looked so appealing. 
Nobody serves hotter food than 
The Meat was sublime, nothing false here, as authentic as a Karahi can be, giving of Flavour. Green Chillies had been cooked into the Tomato-rich Masala, Ayaz and Rashid both know my tweaks, extra Methi, a bit more Salt. The Seasoning tonight was perfection, and so all the Flavours were released, crucial. 
No Sucky Bones tonight, the bone count was minimal, as if Ayaz would spoil the moment. Spoil the moment? This was a moment to savour. The well worn cliché about not knowing what you’ve lost until after it’s gone, rubbish! Other venues may serve something similar, there is a distinctive 
Find a Curry House in East Grinstead – was the instruction. Having studied the options, it had to be Curry Kitchen Takeaway & BYOB Eatery (194 London Rd., East Grinstead RH19 1EY England). Why? Their online menu showed two versions 
of Karahi Gosht. One – Lamb Korai – featuring the offending – 
Clive, Maggie, Hector and Dr. Stan arrived at Curry Kitchen at 20.30. Yes, Dr. Stan had been captured having spent a fine afternoon at East Grinstead’s – The Engine Room. A Wednesday night, around three tables were occupied, one definitely had taken advantage of the – BYOB. For us, Soft Drinks sufficed: £1.90 for 330ml bottles of Still and Sparkling Water. Dr. Stan had Tap Water, actually a weak solution of Calcium Carbonate. Clive was content to pass.
A tenner on – The Bill – already for sod all, is how the Hector sees it. Clive disagrees. Many venues simply provide this as a welcome and a thanks for having brought them the business. Maybe in the current hard times, Hector will have to come to terms with this. Maybe not. 
Whilst Maggie waited for her Starter, I once again raised the point that she tends to – over order, and under eat. If she consulted a well known and reliable Curry Blog, it is clear that Maggie has never finished a Curry having had a Starter. Depending on the portion size, there could be three Hoovers loitering, ready to assist.
This was different. Rather than a deep fried ball of Mushroom in Gram Flour, this resembled a Mushroom Chaat. Syboes were in the stir fry. Perhaps the waitress could have given better advice. In what way would one need this Mushroom Bhaji when one has ordered Mushroom Rice? 
The heart sank when this was placed on the table. This had all the appearance of the worst possible interpretation of what a – Karahi – can be, a Stir Fry. The Big Onions should quite simply not be there. Pieces of – red – also disturbed, most turned out to be Tomato, however, 
Some may worry about Putin starting WW3, Hector was not about to. The pen is mightier than the sword, aye right. I dipped some of the excellent Naan into the Keema Masala. 
I enjoyed that, tasty, plenty of meat. 
Having had a not so impressive 
To be fair to Chef, the Meat would not be cooked in this style of sauce. If one orders a – Curry – such as this, then this is what to expect. 
When this arrived, I took it to be the Hyderabadi, until I saw the latter. One would expect a sea of Daal, however, this looked quite decent. Coriander and Syboes topped the Masala, along with a wedge of Lemon. My records do not show the menu description of this Curry. It appeared to have an Onion-based Masala presumably with the Daal added towards the point of serving. An easy way to create this, and it looks way more inserting that many a Dansak I have seen Clive eat. Clive loves a Dansak, and as this Blog regularly relates, every Dansak is as good as, if not better than its predecessor.
Mein Host, Sharif, was sitting in the far room, I sat myself down at his table. We had a wee chat. He confirmed the Keema in the Karahi. I had to tell him that the Onions were quite inappropriate (as served) and this most certainly was not a Lahori Karahi. I did confirm that despite that, the overall Flavour was – wonderful! 
Trips to 
Today the Meat Platter was – Hyderabadi Lamb Thali (£16.50), a veritable mountain of food.
The Mini Poppadoms went straight into the Mix Veg Pickle Dip, very tasty. However, the strength of Pickle can wipe out the taste-buds receptive capabilities for what follows. The Daal was served – hot – and so provided an interesting alternative to the cold Pickle, a decent Daal. Clive’s tactic was to dip his Naan into the Daal, a time consuming feat given their relative dimensions. 
It was time to address the Curry and Rice. The Rice was emptied on to the tray, the Hyderabadi Lamb arranged on top. There was still plenty of Daal and Carrot/Mooli on the periphery, diversity was certainly the name of the game. 
The Masala had a Mint Leaf garnish, would Curry Leaf not have been more apt? The Tender Lamb was Dry, Earthy. Although the Masala looked the part, it was void of Seasoning, and consequently was lacking in Flavour. A pity, it was all going so well until this point. The detailed description of what was in the Masala was lost on me. This is when the remaining components came into play. The Carrots/Mooli added a crunch and some more Flavour. The Daal and Rice worked well, even though that in itself was a strange combination. Time to scrape the Pickle Pot. Everything bar the Masala had something to offer. Seasoning has not been an issue here before.
Very hot in temperature, I thought the Curry was quite tasty, and the meal as a whole was absolutely ample. 
The Aftermath
I had already persuaded Clive that we should order three Main Courses. London Portions – unless one has a Starter, there’s a good chance you’ll leave simply wanting more. Bhuna Lamb – Chef Special (£13.00) with the 
The waiter did the raised eyebrows when I asked for Bhuna times three. Maybe they should offer their Mains in differing sizes? One is always happy to pay extra for a declared larger size of portion. Paying extra? The prices at The India Club have increased in line with inflation, not the level admitted by the government, but the reality to reflect the cost of key ingredients having doubled.
When one orders Pilau, one expects a bit of colour, not today. The Rice did have Cumin Seeds, always a bonus. The sensible portion was enough to cover the plate, who needs more Rice?
Served – naked – as requested, the Dark, Rich Masala beckoned. I tilted half a portion of Curry over my Rice and did likewise for Clive. This covered more of the Rice than I had envisaged. Has the portion size actually increased? The irony.
When the full portion was added, here was a feast. The Meat count was well into double figures, possibly approaching the half kilo, this was more like it. There was only a trace of Oil. Here was a classic Tomato-rich, Minimal Masala, an authentic Bhuna. Why do so many venues get this wrong? 
Remember Curry Houses back in the 1960s, OK, 1970s? There was something simple, straightforward back then, an instant blast of Spice. This Bhuna may have shared the appearance but was markedly different, a slow burner. The Spice felt innocuous at the start, but registered slowly on the palate, growing steadily. I recorded the Seasoning as – neutral. Similarly, the Flavours revealed themselves gradually. Had this been a first visit, there might have been concern, however, one knew what was coming. Every mouthful was better than the last. This is where the added quantity came to the fore. A standard portion, and it would all have been over too soon. That the Meat required a good chew also prolonged the pleasure, and no, it wasn’t tough, far from it. Today I got to savour this wonderful creation for even longer. 
Every grain of Rice was meticulously rounded up, the solitary Green Cardamom is all that remained on the plate. For the first time at The India Club, I felt replete, sated.
£47.00 Service not included.
With Marg away, Hector is out to play. Lord Clive and Lady Maggie of 
With respect to Maggie’s own ongoing hiatus, she declared herself hungry enough to join Clive and Hector at Zari Restaurant & Lounge (212, 214 Ifield Drive, Crawley RH11 0DQ) at 17.40, ten minutes after their advertised opening time. Zari was empty, as ever we were asked if we had a reservation. We were led past the bar and waiting area to the far side of the dining room. Whatever the psychology of clustering may be, subsequent diners were sat at adjacent tables leaving the bulk of the room empty. 
Clive and Maggie were already sold on the Chicken Chettinad (£12.95) before we arrived at Zari. I had warned them that the super-dry Chettinad served at 
For Hector, the Famous Red Mutton Curry – Laal Maas (£13.95) caught the attention. Resisting a Laal Maas, difficult, but would it resemble 
The Mushroom Rice looked appealing, a sensible portion in comparison to that reported in recent Blog entries. The Naans were served halved, both were a bit peely wally, not large, by any standard. When Clive broke his Bread, I spotted the sign of a quality Keema Naan. The Mince was brown, precooked, not the pink – Donner-like – creations that too many venues serve. The Fig and Coriander Naan gave a big, gritty hit. Figs, I love. However, Hector had just added a source of Sweetness to his Curry, would this dominate in the same way that Garlic Naan does?
A Rajasthani Curry, so the menu informed me, the Masala was Thick as promised. The – red – was thankfully down to the abundant Tomato content. With shredded Onion featuring prominently, the Masala was more of a mixture than the Mainstream blend. 
The Spice Level I noted as – reasonable. The Seasoning was decidedly lacking, consequently there was no big hit of Flavour coming from the Curry, a real pity. The Meat was cooked to perfection, well-tender. 
South Indian – the menu informed us, I should hope so. Coriander topped the light brown Masala. The viscous texture was far removed from the predicted Shorva, a definite – plus. 
There may have been Sweetness lingering on the Hector palate, what I sampled was also Sweet. If this was meant to be a South Indian Curry, then where was the associated Smokiness? This was just Curry, a Chicken one at that. I did not recognise this as a – Chettinad.
The manager engaged once more. Remnant grains of Mince were spread across the table. He explained that they cook the Mince before adding it to the Naan. A lesson for Maggie who had not appreciated this. He asked what I thought of the fayre.
I gave Howard ten minutes during which time I ordered a 330ml bottle of Sparkling Water (6Zl). This gave me plenty of time to study the menu.
Another source had suggested the Naan would tick Hector’s boxes, but Bread and Rice? The Vegetable Biryani (36Zl) option was considered, however, the translator on the trusty Oppo revealed that Rice or Bread was included in the price of a main course. As the Butter Naan (10Zl) was already at a premium in the inclusive option, I decided to have the inclusive Basmati and pay for the Butter Naan. With hindsight, it may have been cheaper to switch this. 
The portion of Basmati was sensible, that Rice would be left was down to this commentator being less so. On arranging the Rice on the plate, a single, whole Clove was discovered. 
Dessicated Coconut topped the thickest Masala I have been served in quite some time. This was the antithesis of a Soupy Curry, here was what the Hector seeks, bring it on. There was probably no need for Rice, with this Curry, Bread would have sufficed. 
The Meat was delightfully Tender, certainly the best Lamb/Mutton served to Hector in 
There was no point in Howard having the Mutton Madras, this left him little choice but the Fish Tikka Masala (44Zl). He too chose the inclusive Basmati and added a Plain Naan (8Zl). The price of Bread remains realistic in 
Yellow and Creamy, this looked more like a Traditional Curry. Did I just write that? Well, the Masala was thinner, Soupy, that which the Hector prefers to avoid. I feel a mass of contradiction here. Maybe, it’s the lack of authentic Karahi Gosht? 
