The Woburn Fort, Woburn Sands (13th May 2010)

Overall Score: 8.028
Cost: £15-£20

RECOMMENDED

We ventured to Woburn Sands with Lee's dad as the nominated driver. The journey took a while as Dave was unfamiliar with the route and was a little conservative with his speed on route.

PICKLES
With one more member of the group we had to settle for just the nine poppadoms, pickles arrived a good selection, which were replenished upon request. Better than some of the previous curry houses, but a little way to go to match the best, still scored a creditable 7.834.

STARTERS
Simon went for Prawn Puri, his favourite starter, Tony for bharjis and Lee for his paneer. All were good and scored a reasonable mark.

MAIN COURSE
Simon opted for a new dish, a vegetarian thali, excellent selection of food which provided a good variety of flavours. Tony went for lamb rogan, following advice from the friendly waiter who insisted he tried the lamb ahead of the chicken. Lee decided on his vegetable vindaloo and enjoyed the dish. Overall the main courses were good but not exceptional.

DESSERTS
Simon and Tony decided on desserts but were disappointed that they did not match the pictures on the menu - somewhat of a let down, hence the lower scores.

This restaurant was good and worth a visit and is in the top third of our restaurants but has some way to go to reach the top.

The Woburn Fort
37 High Street
Woburn Sands
Milton Keyns
MK17 8RB

Tel: 01908 282002

Koh-I-Noor, Horse Fair, Birmingham (1st May 2010)

Overall Score: 6.900
Cost: £15-£20

NOT RECOMMENDED

The second trip to Birmingham to try another restaurant in the heart of the midlands. Tony and Simon met up with Lee and Harry, they had returned from the Villa game in Manchester in high spirits after a few beers!

Following a visit to some of the lively bars in the centre of town, we walked to the Koh-I-Noor, whilst the rain poured down, Tony less than impressed with the distance we had to travel to the curry house. This is the only curry house that I have been to that has a tree in the middle of the restaurant.

PICKLES
The selection of pickles were disappointing, the onion salad arriving on a saucer and we had to ask for the lime pickle too. The poppadoms were not crispy and although the waiter would replenish the pickles, we felt that this was one of the poorer selections we have had, hence the low score.

STARTERS
Simon and Lee decided on the Mushroom Puri, exceptionally good indeed, both enjoyed this and awarded 9. Tony went for Onion Bharjis and was slightly disappointed with them, hence his score lowered the average for the curry club.

MAIN MEALS
Lee opted for his veggie madras, his option when in Birmingham as this is equivalent to the Vinda down south, Simon went for a Chicken Korai and Tony for the Lamb Rogan, on the recommendation of the waiter, who insisted that this was the best choice. All enjoyed their meals, Simon and Tony giving theirs a 9, while Lee awarded his a good 8. Main meals very good and were exceptionally tasty, Lee and Tony taking their left overs for breakfast.

All decided against the deserts, as we had all eaten our fill and the days drinking had made us a little tired. Overall this restaurant provides good food, the service is a little slow and we waited a while for our two courses. The value for money is very good and its worth a visit, but does not figure in our top selections.

Koh-I-Noor
28/29 Horsefair
Birmingham
B1 1DD
Click here for a map

Tel: 0121 622 2053

Asian Grill, Sutton Coldfield (27th March 2010)

Overall Score: 6.560
Cost: £20-£25

NOT RECOMMENDED

The second curry evening for the club members was locally in Sutton Coldfield. Following a few drinks in town and meeting up with two of Lee's friends we wandered to the Asian Grill.

PICKLES
A limited choice of pickles, only four to choose from was a slight disappointment to the curry club members. This was reflected in the scores given, a top score of 5 given.

STARTERS
Tony decided on a new starter, Chuza Pakora, which he thought was very tasty and awarded a very sound 8; Simon decided on his usual Prawn Puri and was disappointed with the lack of a salad garnish, not traditional in the Midlands apparently. Traditional or not, Simon scored it a 6, lacked a bit of spice as well which affected the score. Lee decided on the Vegetable Puri and was pleased with the spices and taste and awarded a 7.

MAIN MEALS
All members decided that as we were in Balti country we should all have our own choice of the famous dish. Tony went for the Chefs Special Balti which he thoroughly enjoyed, awarding it an 8.5. Simon went for the Chicken Balti and again enjoyed it, awarding an 8. Lee decided to have a Vegetable Balti Madras with Paneer, not the usual Vindaloo as the spices in Brum are a lot hotter than down south in the Home Counties. Lee awarded an 8.5. An overall impression of the main meals was that they were good, not exceptional, portion size very generous.

DESERTS
A poor choice for deserts so we all passed on those, decided to finish off our beer and move back into the town centre for more beers.

In summary, although the food was at an acceptable level we were disappointed with the style of service; the waiter we had was a little bit too overpowering and did not make us feel that comfortable, also had to wait for the starters. Value for money was OK but this is not one we would be returning back too, after all there are so many more to try in the Balti Triangle.

91 Park Road
Sutton Coldfield
B73 6BT
Click here for a map

Telephone: 0121 354 7491

Al Faisals, Birmingham (26th March 2010)

Overall Score: 9.250
Cost: £15-20

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

For many months now Lee has been going on about the curries of Birmingham & saying how great they were, so we decided to travel up there to find out.

PICKLES
A varied choice of pickles suited everyone’s tastes, refilled by the waiter without even asking, this went down very well with the boys nearly as much as the stack of popadoms which was given free.

STARTERS
With Tony's palate ever changing he decided on this occasion to venture for the Paneer Pakora, very rarely seen in the restaurants further south, his decision was justified with the perfect 10 given, with Lee deciding on the Paneer Tikka, commenting that his choice was one of the best he had chosen, so when a score of 9 was given there was no shock what so ever. Simon decided to score another 10 for his Vegetable Pakora we then knew that the food that we were about to have would be absolutely great.

MAIN MEALS
Moving swiftly on to the main meals, Tony now getting a little braver and wanting to put some heat into his meals it was no surprise when he asked the waiter if he could have some chillies with his Chicken Korai, topped off with mixed vegetables. Tony awarded a maximum for his main course. High scores were to follow from both Simon & Lee, Simon giving a 9.5 for his Chicken Bhuna, using the term absolutely gorgeous for this meal; Lee not to be outdone also scoring a 9.5 for his unusual choice of vegetable madras with extra Paneer instead of his usual Vindaloo, explaining that the madras was the equal to a Vindaloo here.

DESERTS
With only Simon having desert on this occasion & going for his much loved Gulab Jamon it was not surprising that once again another perfect 10 was recorded for this restaurant that was absolutely outstanding.

With this restaurant being rather large & an open space you would think that you might feel a little uncomfortable, this is definitely not the case, this is a great place to visit knowing that the food & the service is top class.

NOTE- Alcohol is not sold here on the premises but can be taken in with you.

136-140 Stoney Lane
Birmingham
West Midlands
B12 8AQ
Click here for a map

Telephone:- 0121 449 5695

The Maharajah, Sandy (19th March 2010)

Overall Score: 6.801
Cost: £20-£25

RECOMMENDED

This newly opened restaurant in Sandy was a definite must for the curry club. The Maharajah only opened five days before our visit, is a modern restaurant with lots of open space and allows you to feel very relaxed.

PICKLES

The Pickles will have to improve quite radically with just three choices, consisting of Mango Chutney, Red Onion and Yoghurt & Cucumber, very poor selection to say the least. Subsequently a low score of four was given.

STARTERS

Moving onto the starters, after waiting half an hour, these were worth the wait. All three starters recorded high scores. Lee having chosen Paneer Shashlik scored a nine, Simon the Prawn Puri which scored a respectable eight while Tony chose the Pongila Delight which was well worth the second nine.

MAIN MEALS

Moving swiftly on to the main meals, once again for a restaurant that had just opened we were in for a pleasant surprise. Lee chose his beloved Vegetable Vindaloo which scored a good eight. Simon and Tony in two different minds as what to choose, and at one stage were both going for the Chicken Madras. Eventually, Tony went for the Chicken Byriani while Simon stayed with the Madras, both dishes were given an eight.

An overall opinion of this restaurant was that the food was very good; however teething problems were in evidence. Service was a little slow; however the waiters did all they could to appease the diners and were very courteous. This restaurant will be well worth a return visit in another four to five months when the teething problems with service are ironed out.

22 Market Square
Sandy
Bedfordshire

Click here for map

The Viceroy, Biggleswade (27th February 2010)

Overall Score: 5.900

Cost: £25-£30

NOT RECOMMENDED

A journey to Biggleswade for our next curry club evening out. We decided on the Viceroy before heading off into the town to have a few beers.

The restaurant was very busy, seems to be a popular venue for a curry on a weekend night. Popadoms arrived with a selection of pickles, nothing that you could describe as out of the ordinary but an average selection, which was reflected in the score.

We ordered our starters, Simon went for his prawn Puri, Lee for his Paneer and Tony for his samosas. The starters were all OK, although nothing exceptional and again an average mark was given by all of the members.

Main meals arrived, all looked good, Simon went for his chicken dish, Tony for a Byriani and Lee his veggie vinda. Then the Naan breads arrived, one keema one plain, on the same plate. As you will all know Lee is a strict vegetarian and he asked for a fresh naan on a separate plate - after some chat this was sorted out. The food was, unfortunately just average and not that impressive.

No deserts for any of us, we just needed the bill. When this arrived we were shocked by the overall price as it came to well over £25 per person, that's without deserts; this is one of the most expensive restaurants that we have been too, and frankly the food was distinctly average. This is one that missed out on taste and value for money - one which we will not be going back to.

51 Sun Street
Biggleswade
SG18 0BY
Click here for map

Tel: 01767 316267

The Ruby Murray, Bedford (13th January 2010)

Overall Score: 6.529
Cost: £20-25

NOT RECOMMENDED

Following our first visit here and subsequent trip to the Ritzy in Potton, we were asked to return here to see if the opening night scores were a little harsh. The standard of the food had improved, although we still feel that this is a curry house that is trying to hard to impress. More attention to the food would be impressive in the club members eyes, rather than the fancy decoration.

Starters were a vast improvement on the last visit and scored a very healthy 8.8, the main courses were all good with everyone enjoying their own choices, however the deserts were a disappointment and scored a very low 4.

We still feel that the Ruby Murray needs to improve on their service and the VFM. As this is one of the more expensive restaurants we have visited it needs to improve to warrant the extra cost

17 High Street
Bedford
MK40 1RN
Get directions

Telphone: 01234 353419

Ritzy India, Potton (15th December 2009)

Overall Score: 9.167
Cost: £20-£25

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Whatever is written about the Ritzy should definitely be written in stone, this was absolutely Indian food and service at its best. Starting with the pickles, not a huge choice, but the waiters always ready to replenish the bowls.

For starters Lee chose his favourite, Paneer Tikka, scoring just one short of the maximum. Tony and Simon went for the mixed starter, very good, scoring a nine. Moving on to main course, Lee went for the veggie vindaloo and once again came up with a high score as did Simon and Tony who went for the Chicken special. Seems that Simon and Tony wanted to eat the same thing this evening.

Moving quickly on to deserts; a high score from Tony - the obligatory maximum for the pineapple ice cream, which wasn't on the menu but seemed to appear from nowhere when ordered.

Our overall view of the Ritzy was that this was a restaurant that delivers qulaity Indian food with a service that you would get in a 5 star restaurant. The waiters were willing to listen to our comments and were there and not there when you needed them. Ritzy top of the pile, this is a place that will take a lot to beat, if ever.

2 Blackbird Street
Potton
Sandy
SG19 2LT
Click here for a map

Telephone: 01767 260 332

The Raj Garden, Welwyn Garden City (11th November 2009)

Overall Score - 7.389
Cost - £20-£25

RECOMMENDED

This was Lee's choice of venue, a little further to travel but was worth it in the end. To start with were the ever present 7 popadoms but with only 4 pickles to choose from this was a little disappointing, but the quantity more than made up for that.

For starters Tony decided to go for the veggie samosa, Lee deciding on aloo chat while Simon choose the prawn puri, nothing to shout home about, as the scores show. For the main courses Lee decided to go for his usual veggie vindaloo, Simon felt the chicken dupiaza was calling out his name but was to be slightly disappointed saying it tasted very bland; however the same couldn’t be said for Tony's choice the old classic a chicken curry, and the 9/10 score that he gave for it should really be enough said, truly gorgeous & full of flavour.

To end the evening all 3 decided on having a desert & were not to be let down in anyway, Lee scoring a 9 for his, only to be out done by Tony scoring his beloved pineapple ice cream with the obligatory 10.

This restaurant was slightly further a field but was worth travelling to, with its traditional décor, this is one restaurant that we shall be recommending

78 Haldens,
Welwyn Garden City,
Hertfordshire,
AL7 1DD.

Telephone: 01707 373386

Click here for a map

SLT Curry Club

The Lancer, Baldock (15th October 2009)

Overall Score: 5.933
Cost: £20-£25

NOT RECOMMENDED

The club ventured to Baldock to try the cuisine in The Lancer, this one was Tony's choice. Reasonable selection of dishes - Lee went for Aloo Chat, Simon decided on the Ali Special and Tony went for Onion Bharji. Mains arrived and OK, but nothing special, we all thought that the service was quite poor, cutlery not placed down on the table but thrown down - definitely room for improvement there. Decided against the selection of deserts, this is one restaurant that we would not recommend.

14c High St
Baldock
Hertfordshire
SG7 6AS
Click here for a map

Telephone: 01462 892766

Nawab Lounge, St Neots (16th September 2009)

Overall Score: 8.600

Cost: £20-£25

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Simon's choice of restaurant; after much research it was decided that the Nawab Lounge would be the next venue. Very impressive choice on the menu, the standard 7 papadoms and a very impressive pickles selection arrived - all enjoyed by the club members. Starters arrived, prawn puri for Simon, onion bharji for Tony and saag paneer on puri for Lee - all excellent. Mains were all really tasty too - veggie vinda for Lee, chicken korai for Simon and chicken rogan for Tony; the main courses were really very good. We all decided against pudding, even Tony rejected the Mr Egg ice cream. Complimentary drink to complete the meal and very reasonably priced too - all in all a very good choice and second best that we have visited.

6 New Street
St Neots
PE17 1AE
Click here for a map

Telephone: 01480 473473

The Raja Tandoori, Knebworth (3rd June 2009)

Overall Score - 5.833
Cost - £25-£30

NOT RECOMMENDED

Lee's choice of restaurant - and we ventured south to Knebworth on the recommendation of one of his colleagues. Fairly busy when we arrived, ordered the usual 7 papadoms - pickles were OK, nothing special. Starters arrived, Simon went for the Prawn Puri (no salad garnish), Tony had Onion Bharji and Lee went for the Aloo Chop - bit bland. Main courses arrived - all very good - veggie vindaloo very spicy indeed, easily the best part of the meal. We all had puddings - Lee and Tony went for Creme de Menth ice creams, Simon chose Orange Blossom ice cream (very poor). Overall not a great meal and the most expensive restaurant we have visited - overpriced for the meal we got.

129 London Rd
Knebworth
Hertfordshire
SG3 6EX
Click here for a map

Telephone: 01438 813321

The Gandhi, Sandy (1st May 2009)

Overall Score: 7.945
Cost: £15-£20

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Having travelled to review restaurants the club decided it was time to visit Lee's regular local curry house. Tony liked the decor, much more traditional than some the club have visited. Starters arrived, all very good, Simon decided on a Chicken Madras for main course and he thoroughly enjoyed it - "the best he has ever tasted". All of the meals were very good and to complete the evening, Tony was in heaven with the Pineapple Sorbet, a "guaranteed 10". The food was excellent and the value exceptionally good. Would recommend the Gandhi as one to definitely visit.

37 High St,
Sandy.
Bedfordshire.
SG19 1AG.

Click here for a map

Telephone: 01767 680283

The Akbar, Sandy (13th April 2009)

Overall Score: 6.867
Cost: £20-£25

NOT RECOMMENDED

Birthday celebration for Lee so the members of the curry club decided on this local curry house, within easy walking distance. Starters OK, nothing exceptional, but all acceptable. Lee had his veggie vindaloo and paneer (the latter too sweet), Tony and Simon opted for chicken dishes. Food OK, but would not be the first port of call for the club members. Very convenient but not the best.

144 London Road
Sandy
Bedfordshire
SG19 1DN
Click here for a map

Telephone: 01767 699066

The Ocean, Lower Stondon (18th March 2009)

Overall Score - 8.337
Cost - £20-£25

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Tony's choice this time after hearing good things about the curry house. Started very well with seven pickles for the popadoms, only the Clifton beats that with nine. Starters were all good, Tony's not too dry and all eaten very quickly. Took advantage of the "gourmet option", starter, main, rice or nan and side dish for £10, exceptional value. Main courses really good too, full of flavour and enjoyed by all of the members. Simon went for the Ocean Special option, the house specialty which consisted of chicken in a rich spicy sauce - very good. Only downer was the lack of Pineapple Sorbet, even though on the menu - this one definitely deserves to be the second best recommendation from the SLT Curry Club - visit it on the gourmet evenings - but you will need to book.

Fakeswell Lane
Henlow
Bedfordshire
SG16 6JY
Click here for a map

Telephone: 01462 819296

The Nawaab, Magaluf, Majorca (28th February 2009)

Overall Score: 4.400
Cost: £25-£30

NOT RECOMMENDED

Sitting on the beach front in Magaluf did very little to please the member of the SLT Curry Club. The members were not sure if coming to this restaurant in the off season would make a difference to the food, but we were soon to find out. With a choice of three pickles to go with the popadoms, which were more flexible than the plastic in our wallets; did not create the best first impression. Things did not improve with the starters which were either very dry or bland. Main courses improved slightly with both Simon's Jalfrezi and Tony's Rogan not quite up to the mark, still a disappointment. To round things off just one desert(ice cream) which did not go down well with the group. Hopefully this venue will improve in the summer months, it needs to! Please let us know if it does.

The Himalaya, Santa Ponsa, Majorca (27th February 2009)

Overall Score: 7.600
Cost: £25-£30

RECOMMENDED

The Himalaya was traditional in decor, much to Tony's liking, beer all round whilst we contemplated our choice of food. Pickles tray arrived - very good red onion salad which had a bit of a kick to it - replenished happily by the attentive waiter. Lee's veggie vindaloo hot and very good, Simon's jalfrezi bit too mild for him while Tony's Rogan Josh was the "best ever" he had tasted. Decided against the desert but was given a schnapps to wash the food down. Very good curry and good service -if you are in Santa Ponsa go to this one.

Ruby Murray, Bedford (31st January 2009)

Overall Score: 2.445
Cost: £25-£30
Website

NOT RECOMMENDED

After all of the local media hype about the modern style of the restaurant, the overall consensus was that the food and service were disappointing. The open grill area meant that the restaurant had a strong smokey atmosphere which affected the eyes! The experienced curry lover, Lee, was shocked at the Cheese Naan (Mozarella sprinkled on top), the limited deserts (four choices) was very disappointing to say the least! Once again the gallery effect did not impress Tony, who is more of a traditionalist. Simon was surprised that the hot towels arrived between the starter and main course, an interesting service idea. Overall this is not a restaurant that we will be returning to.

17 High St
Bedford
MK40 1RN
Click here for a map

Telephone: 01234 261475

Raj Villa Tandoori, Arlesey (6th January 2009)

Overall Score: 8.003
Cost: £20-£25

RECOMMENDED

Simon's second choice of venue was a pleasant surprise to all of us after reports that this curry house should have been avoided. Traditional decor, attentive service and very good food from starter to desert. Atmosphere good and very little to complain about with this restaurant; this is one to visit.

27 High Street
Arlesey
Bedfordshire
SG15 6RA
Click here for a map

Telephone: 01462 835145

India Lodge, Stotfold (13th December 2008)

Overall Score: 8.280
Cost: £20-£25
Website

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Good Indian restaurant - pickles and starters very reasonable and good size portions. Vinda quite spicy, Simon completely mis-ordered with his Nawabi Chicken (very very mild!) needed to be spiced up with a spoonful of vinda! Tony's usual Chicken Korai was slightly dry, but again a good size portion. Once again nothing to complain about with this restaurant.

49 High St
Stotfold
Hitchin
Hertfordshire
SG5 4LD
Click here for a map

Telephone: 01462 733222

Clifton Cuisine, Clifton (7th November 2008)

Overall score: 9.004
Cost: £20-£25

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Fantastic Indian restaurant - good choice of pickles, best you'll ever find (9 to choose from), quality food all round, great service and very reasonably priced. Hard one to beat, definitely worth a return visit.

39 Broad St
Clifton
Shefford
Bedfordshire
SG17 5RL
Click here for a map

Telephone: 01462 811813

Shefford Tandoori, Shefford (17th October 2008)

Overall score: 6.000
Cost: £25-£30

AVERAGE

Website

With a few things going wrong on the night, wrong starter served and grumpy waiter, this did not add to the inaugural night of the SLT Curry Club. Main meals were of a good quality, hot and spicy with plenty of it, the price of the drinks did not make this choice value for money. The decor was pleasant and much to Tony's relief was not of the "gallery effect".

8 High St,
Shefford,
Bedfordshire.
SG17 5DG
Click here for a map

Telephone: 01462 813352 ‎