Scarlet Dot, London. (29th June 2012)

Lee made a second London curry in less than 24 hours with a lunchtime trip to Scarlets, in the old Spitalfields Market, with the wife. To quote Nick Fifer from 2009, there is nothing more decadent than a lunchtime curry!

To start the chosen dishes were both chickpea based, with Pani Puri, a dough filled with chickpeas served with a tamarind sauce and Chani Patti, a spiced chickpea dish served in a sweeter yogurt, mint and tamarind sauce. Both dishes were full of flavour, the Chani Patti having more of a heat kick!

For main, Lee, unsurprisingly, chose Paneer, in a tomato, red chilli and onion sauce, which again was full of flavour, good spice served with a crisp fresh nan bread. Emma chose lamb Dansak, less spicy but very tasty.

With the addition of a non alcoholic cocktail, made a lovely lunchtime stop off, one definitely worth the visit.

St Crispins Place
London
E1 6DW.

Tel: 020 7375 0880

Website: http://www.scarletdot.co.uk/

Moti Mahal, Covent Garden. (28th June 2012)

Lee's latest evening was at Moti Mahal, Covent Garden. And to set the scene, maybe the best Indian meal Lee has ever had, well in the top 3!

The open kitchen is a nice touch and the atmosphere was relaxed for this top end Indian restaurant. In the party of 8, 5 choose the tasting menu and 3 from the al-a-cart. Lee went for the vegetarian taster menu.

Popodoms were served with 4 pickles, a mango chutney and mint sauce and 2 Lee had not encountered before, mushroom chutney and chicken chutney. The mushroom chutney was lovely.

To compliment the popodoms and starters a plate of salad was bought to the table. Interestingly, the salad was uncut and a knife was provided to 'self serve'.

The starter consisted of:

- malai saunfia paneer, paneer with fennel. Amazing flavour and texture, ashame was only one piece, could have eaten that all night!

- bhalla papadi chaat, a chickpea dish served with yogurt, tamarind and mint chutney. Served cold with a fresh taste, lacking a little bit of flavour

- katli, stuffed aubergine steak, full of flavour and a nice kick of spice, another amazing dish!

Mains followed, consisting of:

-wild mushroom kofta. The mushroom kofta had a firm texture in a sweet sauce which worked very well

- saag paneer, chunks of paneer is a dry sauce

-dal makhani, was the star of the show, full of complex flavours with a smooth consistency was beautiful, by far the best flavour on the table and that was amongst some amazing dishes.

-kararee bhyein, fried lotus stem with peanut and coriander, again tremendous flavours on this crispy little offering, eaten with the raita added to the flavour

The extra green chilli added the extra zing to bring everything alive (except George with his rather delicate southern palet). Served with raita, nan bread and saffron baked rice.

Price, well, prices were good for a top end London restaurant, but a different league to the boys usual establishment, but as my nan used to say, you get what you pay for and if you enjoy it, price doesn't matter - it was definitely one of those meals (to be fair, the veggie taster menu listed above was a reasonable £43 a head).

Overall, an amazing meal, plenty of food and a great atmosphere. Very highly recommend for a special night out or as a well deserved treat!

45 Great Queen Street
London.
WC2B 5AA

Tel: 020 7240 9329

Website: http://www.motimahal-uk.com/

Dunstable Cricket Club (27th June 2012)

Simon's solo curry followed a competetive game of cricket between the PCT and the GPs in Luton.  A trip to Sports Direct the previous night meant i looked every part a cricketer.  Would love to say I starred in the game, but only managed 7 not out, I was the last man standing as my last 4 batting partners lost their wickets in 4 balls!

The post match curry consisted of a red kidney bean and sweetcorn curry, very tasty and quite a kick to it as well.  Alternative veggie dish of veg curry with extra aloo was a milder curry yet flavoursome, the non- veggie option consisted of a madras hot chicken curry.  Served with rice and nan, sides of onion barji, samosas and kebabs.

Later found out that the food came from one of Luton's local restaurants, The Alankar, one which the boys have scored before.

All in all a good evening, close game an excellent food.

Humaira Restaurant, Kings Cross (22nd June 2012)

Lee's latest outing was in London, at the Humaira near kings cross station. Due to a recent self imposed diet, Lee had a lighter than normal meal this evening, with only popodoms and a main course, electing to pass on the starter, albeit they served his favourite, Paneer Shashlick, oh what will power. Lee also skipped a side order too!

2 popodoms served with onion salad and 3 chutneys well presented. The mango chutney and mint sauce had a twist on the tradition serving which made a pleasant change.

For main, Lee went for Vegetable Madras with plain rice, a healthier than average choice. The curry had a bit of a kick due to the additional chillis. Lee missed the nan accompanyment, but he saved on the calories!

Overall a convenient stop off if you are around Kings Cross, maybe a better alternative to pass the time than the concourse chain restaurants!

112 Judd Street,
King's Cross,
London.
WC1H 9NT

Tel: 020 7278 6183

Dalia Spice, Cromer (5th June 2012)

Latest curry outing for Lee was Dalia Spice, Cromer in Norfolk along with the family.

Popodoms to start with large bowls of pickles, onion salad, mango chutney, mint sauce and lime pickle, all were well received and quickly demolished!

Mains followed. Veg balti vinda for Lee, lamb balti for Emma and veg biriani for the girls along with nan breads, rice, vegetable sag and aloo gobi. All dishes were tasty and all were finished. Only criticism would be over the use of frozen veg!

Nice restaurant if in the area, not one to go to far out of your way to visit!

36 Prince of Wales Road

Cromer

Norfolk

NR27 9HS

Tel: 01263 519700

Garden Lodge. Letchworth (11th May 2012)

Score: 7.100

Price: £15-£20

NOT RECOMMENDED

The boys latest trip was to the Garden Lodge Hotel in Letchworth. Simon was recovering from a stressful day at the office addressing "IT issues" and Lee was still a little jet lagged from his most recent states trip!

Popodoms and pickles started, Popodoms could have been crispier but pickles were good, good amount and flavoursome, scoring 8 out of 10.

Starters followed, Lee had chana chat + green chillies which would have benefited from being served on a puri. Simon had his regular prawn puri, which could have benefited more spice, more prawns and just more of it!  Tony had haba beta kebab (veggie + paneer) which would have benefited with some flavour. So all round a little disappointing! Scores were an under par 6 out of 10.

Mains arrived, Simon had vegetable and paneer kofta with a mutter paneer, Tony had veg dupiaza with a mushroom rice and veg narimish side, Lee had veg balti vinda, sag paneer and cheese nan. The boys were pleased the quality was higher than the starters, scoring a much improved 8.5. Tony led the scoring with an impressive 9 out of 10 for his choice.

Service was ok, at 6, nothing special, and value for money averaged at 7, giving the Garden Lodge Hotel an overall score of 7.1.

The venue was slightly more impressive than the menu on this occasion.

42 Sollershott East

Letchworth Garden City

Hertfordshire

SG6 3JW

Tel: 01462 683143

Website: http://www.gardenlodgehotel.com/

India Palace, Memphis (5th May 2012)

Lee's latest American visit took him to Nashville and then on to Memphis Tennesse.

Unfortunately Lee didn't get chance to fit in a visit to an Indian in Nashville, so looked to make the most in Memphis, by stopping off at the India Palace at 1720 Poplar Avenue,  with wife Emma. Lee's natural sense of direction meant they found the restaurant in good time and navigated Elvis Presley Boulevard to mid town Memphis.

Complementary popodoms greeted them on arrival, which had a nice kick, along with the mint chutney. Emma's choice of lamb karahai boti sag from the chef's specials was “so so lovely“ and was a generous portion. Lee's standard, veggie vindaloo, packed some heat as requested and the shared side of paneer massala was very tasty, all accompanies with basmati rice and a plain nan bread.

The India Palace has won local awards, so if you are visiting memphis, well worth a stop, after spending the day at Gracelands - Elvis would!!!

1720 Poplar Avenue
Memphis
TN 38104

Tel: 901-278-1199

Website: http://www.indiapalaceinc.com/

Akbar, Leeds (24th April 2012)

Tonight took Lee up to Leeds and a visit to the Akbar restaurant on Eastgates, a chain Lee has visited before, in Newcastle - the local knowledge came in handy, as Lee remembered the vegetable vindaloo last time out was one of the hottest dishes Lee had ever eaten!

Lee was joined with guests Amy and Tim tonight. Lee started with Paneer Pakora which was well presented and very tasty, followed by Balti Mushroom Paneer Madras, which was hot enough and a table Nan - hit the spot. Overall, would have struggled to drop any points as was lovely.

Akbars would rank high in my list and one I'd recommend if in Leeds, but be cautious, it packs some heat.

15 Eastgate

Leeds

LS2 7 LY

Tel: 0113 243 6566

Website: http://www.akbars.co.uk/leeds-eastgate

Noor Jahan, Old Brompton Road, London (24th April 2012)

Simon's addition to the club site followed on from meetings in London.  Arrived at the Noor Jahan after a walk from Earls Court and were greeted by friendly staff, restaurant was busy.

Poppadoms accompanied with four pickles - nothing outstanding but adequate.

 

Decided on Prawn Puri to start - excellent dish - good spicing and heat to the dish, enjoyed the food.  I asked if they could do me a paneer dish, but was told that would not be possible as it was not on the menu, not the response normally received from more accommodating restaurants.  In the end went for Chicken Korahi, which lacked the normal onions, peppers etc, so a little disappointed with this dish.  Also had Matar Paneer as a side.

Service was too rushed, one of my fellow diners was still eating their starter when my plate was cleared, very much a restaurant where they wanted you in and out as quickly as possible.

Food OK, service poor, expensive for what we had.  Not one I will be visiting again or recommending.

2A Bina Gardens

Greater London

SW5 0LA

Tel: 020 7373 6522

Website: http://www.noorjahanrestaurants.co.uk/

Mausams, Cotton End (23rd April 2012)

Score: 8.267
Price: £15-£20

RECOMMENDED

Tonight's impromptu trip came about as Lee's London night out was off the cards due to an extended work meeting, so the boys took advantage and made a trip to Cotton Ends' newly opened Mausams.

Monday nights special offer of starter, main, side, rice or nan and coffee for £7 proved very popular with the locals, so recommended booking if planning a monday evening trip! During the acceptable 20 minute wait, the boys had time to peruse the extensive menu, with a lot of new dishes on offer 

Popodoms started proceedings accompanied by a fresh onion salad, lemony mint sauce, spicy mixed pickle and a smokey mango chutney. All complimented each other which was reflected in high scoring for just 4 pickles at 8.667!

For starter Lee managed to go off the extensive menu with an all time favourite, chilli paneer, Simon choose Lee's second favourite pudina aloo tikka and tony went for paneer nilgiri. The boys were left slightly disappointed as expectations were high, but the food a little bland, scoring was 7.333 overall, a little below par, but still hoigher than average 

Mains, Lee went for another favourite, Veg Balti Vindaloo with a mushroom bhaji and cheese nan, simon went paneer adrakwala with aloo paneer and a special rice and tony, chicken rezalla with aloo paneer and, the usual, mushroom rice - enough food to feed a small nation! 

Scored faired better than starters with overall of 8.333, Lee's main hitting the spot with a fiery 9 out of 10! Tony's main was good albeit the chilli hidden in the dish nearly killed him, the rice could have been better. Simon's main lacked a bit of bite but overall he scored 8. Simon took up the offer of an inclusive cup of tea, at his age he enjoys a cup of tea at the end of a meal!

The vfm scores were a very competitive 9 out of 10 with the fixed menu off of £6.95 proving an excellent deal - limited time only, so take advantage quickly.... Service scored well, with, in the main, very friendly waiters scoring 8 out of 10 Make good use of the Monday night special offer, as other nights, paying full price, could sting the wallet! 

Overall a very good score of 8.267

113-115 High Street
Cotton End
Bedford
MK45 3AX

Tel: 01234 742905

Website: http://www.mausams.co.uk/new/

Indali Lounge, Baker Street, London (13th April 2012)

The latest venture out was to the recommended Indali Lounge on Baker St, London. Reportedly the healthiest curry in the world!

The occasion was Lee's birthday and he was joined with wife Emma, Ian and Emma (Emma 2) and Liz and Richard!

Complimentary popodoms accompanied with mango chutney, onion chutney and mint sauce, then a complementary spicy lentil soup and crispy mushroom followed. A tasty surprise!

Lee struggled to choose a starter as the 8 veggie starters all sounded fantastic! Lee decided on having 2, Paneer 3 ways and chat baked aloo tikki. Both would have scored 10! Emma and Richard went for crispy mushroom masala, Ian and Liz joined lee with Paneer 3 ways and chat baked Aloo tikki respectively. Emma 2 chose lonavala crispy batatawade (lentil balls), which Emma 2 said was a little bland.

Mains, Lee had pander tava jaipurifor, a lovely shredded Paneer and veggies dish with extra spice, Liz had the same with regular spice, sindhi sai bhaji (spinach and veg) for Emma, Richard and Ian going for the old delhi chicken kofta, but reported the dish to be on the bland side lacking flavour and spice, Emma 2 kashmir chicken (v nice at a 9) with some healthy garlic chilli nan and saffron rice. Just the one side of black dal makhni.

Plenty of booze accompanied the meal, including two bottles of wine and the bill came in at £37 a head, so very reasonably priced for a high end London establishment!

Very highly recommended, and one the club will be returning to, to conduct an official review and full scoring.

50 Baker Street
London
W1U 7BT

Tel: 020 7224 2232

Website: http://www.indalilounge.com/

Mother India, Birmingham (7th April 2012)

Score: 8.067
Cost: £15-£20

RECOMMENDED

Saturday night in Birmingham, second day of the Birmingham trip!

The day was spent in the Black Country, Tipton and Wolverhampton, having a few beers. A visit to the Fountain Inn, Mad O'rourkes and the Red Lion then into Wolverhampton to the Wetherspoons and Tap and Spile took most of the day.

In Tipton

The club were joined with Harry, Chainsy and the OAP for the evening Chas (Lee's father-in-law). The 1 oap per evening law threshold was maintained, Lee's dad last night and Lee's father-in-law tonight!!

Back to Boldmere to Mother India an unlicensed establishment. 4 paneer shashlick, veggie samosa and lamb chops to start. Chas's 3 lamb chops made good value, unfortunately Chris's first attempt at the veggie samosa failed being uncooked, second (free of charge) attempt was better!  Scores excelled at 9.5 for Lee, Simon 9 and Tony 8.

Mains, 2 veggie madras, chicken dupiazia, prawn madras, paneer shashlick and, for the second time this week, egg paneer madras for Simon.

Scores came in, good with Simon topping the charts with a top marks 10 out of 10, Lee and Tony scoring 8 each.

Vfm was good, not as cheap as the previous evening, but well under 20 quid a head, which the BYO booze helped achieve.

One last beer afterwards at the Wetherspoons in Boldmere, then home!

So, 12 hour extravaganza over, plenty to drink, some good food, seen parts of the midlands either not seen before or not seen in over 20 years with some good company, all in all a successful day!

60a Boldmere Road

Sutton Coldfield

Birmingham

B73 5TJ

Tel: 0121 354 1923

Taste of Khyber, Alum Rock, Birmingham (6th April 2012)

Score: 8.833
Cost: £10


HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Harry and Lee's dad, Dave joined the club for the 4th outing in Birmingham. Harry chose this evening's restaurant.

A treat was in store for the boys this time around with a visit to alum rock. The restaurant was more of a cafe and the boys were thrown as the concept of popodoms, starter and main were loosely followed.....

After making the order, the boys were left wondering what food would actually arrive. And as predicted all the food arrived together.

2 chana massala, 3 mixed Veg curries, 4 side salads, lamb kebab (peshwari chapal kebab) for 3 and a large chicken karahi accompanied with 2 king size table nan breads - see photos!

Food was tasty, well spiced but nothing too hot, everyone enjoyed the mint sauce and Chilli sauce that complimented the food.

1 of our table nans

It turned out that 2 king sized table nans was a bit much for the 5 chaps, so Harry contemplated the remainder for his jam sandwich breakfast in the morning.

The very friendly service kept coming, with the offer of green, sweet or desi tea, and some sweet coated almonds.

Scoring was a little tricky, as a culturally different experience, but Simon scored the food 8.5, Lee 8 and tony 7. 7.887 overall. Service scored 8 from tony and 9 from Lee and Simon, so 8.667.

A bill at £50.25 for food and a cup of tea each hit the financial spot too, making the Taste of Khyber the cheapest venue in club history at 10.05 a head!

20 Alum Rock Road
Birmingham
B8 1JP

Tel: 01213 287733

Gandhi, Sandy (4th April 2012)

The boys made a trip to the local, Gandhi in Sandy (see 1st May 2009) for the official review and scoring), Lee's regular!

Popodoms started proceedings, albeit only 4, lowest count to date! Puree’s were big for the starters with Simon electing for chicken, Tony prawns and Lee veggie saag on purer. Lee's choice seemed to confuse the waiter somewhat... All starters hit the spot.

Mains included Lee's weekly dish of Veg vinda (his third in 24 hours), prawns biriany for Tony (double prawns for Tony) and a surprise choice for Simon of Egg and Paneer Madras, which took Lee and the waiter by surprise as isn't a typical choice for Simon (and I'd go as far to say, probably the first person in the Gandhi's 25 yr history to order this particular dish!!!!).

All dishes delivered to the Gandhi's high and expected standard - clear plates all round.

Tony, as predicted, went for the pineapple ice-cream to finish.

Another good outing, in preparation for the bi-annual trip to Birmingham at the weekend, so further reviews with scoring to follow.

37 High Street
Sandy
Bedfordshire
SG19 1AG

Mem Saab, Bedford (31st March 2012)

Simon's next individual entry for the club. Following the rugby which Bedford won, decided to go to the award winning restaurant in Bedford, following a few beers at The Cricketers, great pub with a Welsh theme.

Started with the prawn puri, which was good, but needed a little more spice. Followed with the club favourite ingredient, paneer, had it in a madras sauce, with rice and nan, teamed it with a mutter paneer, really good. Then pudding, my favourite gulab jamon, as fellow members know a guaranteed 10! Really excellent pudding, served with a coconut kulfi - best gulab I have had.

This restaurant was ok but expected a bit more quality than we got. Not bad but have been to better.

4 Kimbolton Road
Bedford
MK40 2NR

Tel: 01234 344440

Website: http://www.mem-saab.com/bedford/

Gandhi, Kennington, London (30th March 2012)

Lee's latest UK curry was in Kennington, following his return from the US only 7 hours earlier!

To start, Paneer Tikki read well on the menu, slight disappointment with only 2 pieces of paneer, normally 6-8!! An average 6 out of 10 if official scoring was being undertaken. Lee did successfully introduce other members of the party to paneer.

The regular veg vinda and plain nan followed, accompanied by aloo gobi - did not disappoint - hot an spicy and very tasty. Highly recommended if you fancy a hot ruby.

Great curry when south of the river, with a celeb or two thrown in if your lucky.

347a Kennington Road

London
SE11 4QE

Tel: 020 7735 9015

Website: http://www.gandhis.co.uk/

Little India, Toronto, Canada (27th March 2012)

Lee's second state-side curry of the week was in downtown Toronto with the lit-up CN Tower in the background. Lee hot footed the 200 yard walk from the hotel, to the highly rated Little India!

Popodoms with red onions and mint sauce started proceedings, followed by a starter of paneer tikka, Lee's favourite which was good, but could have been better!

Main was a veg jalfrezi hot with a plain nan, and hot was hot, a good vindaloo!

A very popular restaurant, almost full, not bad for a Wednesday evening.

255 Queen Street West
Toronto
Ontario
Canada

Tel: 416.205.9863

Website: http://www.littleindia.ca/index.aspx

Tantric Indian Bistro, Boston, USA (26th March 2012)

Lee's latest trip to the US created another opportunity for some state-side Indian food. First stop off in Boston.

Popodoms and pickles good, could have done with bigger bowls for chutney as needed replenishing. Paneer pakora was awesome, stuffed deep fried paneer, 10 out of 10 for sure.

Followed by vegetable and paneer vindaloo. A first for Lee, he was asked if he wanted 10 out of 10 hot! He elected for 9 out of 10 - he did have client meetings the following day!! Accompanied with a plain nan. Great curry, full of flavour and 2 green chillies gave it a bit of a kick.

Good place to visit if you find yourself in Boston.

So, not a bad start, on to Toronto tomorrow to see what the Canadians can offer this time around, as last time Lee was in Canada he had a great value feed.

123 Stuart Street
Boston
Massachusetts
USA

Tel: 617.367.8742

Website: http://tantricgrill.com/home/

Khushma Cottage, Hitchin (9th March 2012)

Score: 8.633

Price: £15-20

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

After making the decision to head south towards Hitchin rather than north to Huntigdon, a late call as we stood on the platform at Sandy station. Once in Hitchin, we stumbled across a little gem in the Khushma Cottage, a small but delightful restaurant. What this restaurant lacked in size (about 20-25 covers) it surely made up in the quality and quantity of the food which was served (doggy bags were needed!!)

As the scores for the Khushma Cottage show, the pinnacle was nearly reached, just falling short of the magical 10 in some areas. Starters good, Tony going for the unusual Vegetable Tikka Rolls, all of the starters scored highly.

For the main courses all three of the SLT Curry Club decided to chose the balti dishes. Lee deciding on the Vegetable Balti Paneer with his customary green chillies. Simon and Tony went for the Balti Paneer Khandai which on the night proved to be a very good decision. It was not too spicy but had an abundance of flavours. The SLT curry club decided against deserts on this occasion as all three were full to the brim.

The staff at the Khushma Cottage were extremely helpful and most welcoming in their service to us as the scores have reflected.


32 Walsworth Road

Hitchin
SG4 9ST


Tel: 01462 435936

Biggles Tandoori, Biggleswade (17th February 2012)

Overall Score: 7.800
Cost: £15-£20

RECOMMENDED

The first SLT curry of 2012, Tony has been ill so this was the first date we could all make. Glad to say that Mr Codd is now on the mend, although has a slight cough. Lee arrived with his money, £43 in £1 coins in his big envelope.

The initial curry house we intended to visit, the old Hope Bine has closed, so we travelled back through Biggleswade to try Biggles.

Greeted on arrival by the helpful waiter who guided us to a table in the corner, we asked to move to another table in the middle of the restaurant.

PICKLES
Poppadoms ordered (5) with associated pickles. Choice of five pickles, including the mint sauce, all of the usual pickles present. Not a bad selection but nothing out of the ordinary, hence the average score given.

STARTERS
Now settled at the table, Simon went for the Reshmi Kebab, which was a little underspiced and a tad bland, wrapped in the customary omelette it deserved no more than a 6. Tony went for his Prawn Puri, something that he is now choosing regularly, no salad served, but Tony enjoyed it and scored a good 8. Lee decided on the Aloo Chat with green chillies, would have scored higher if there had been a salad to accompany the dish - still scored a very good 8.5.

MAIN
Simon decided on a Chicken Balti,medium hot, although it has to be said that the lack of spice in the dish was somewhat of a disappointment - a little bland again; deserved only a 7. Lee had his usual Veggie Vindaloo with side of Mutter Paneer, Lee questioned the authenticity of the spicing for a Vinda, not hot enough which resulted in a score of 7. Tony went for something different, Chicken Methi, nice thick sauce, a preference for Tony which he really enjoyed - this dish scored a highly respectable 8.5.

No desserts for the boys, no longer a scoring section for the club.

This was a good meal, service was acceptable and very friendly. Excellent value for money, bill was £45, including a couple of beers for Simon and Lee. Tony had water (ill and driving).

Biggles Tandoori
4-6 Shortmead Street
Biggleswade
SG18 0AP

Tel: 01767 600122

Himalayan Cuisine, Frisco, Colorado (9th February 2012)

Lee has recently returned from a skiing trip and visited this curry house in Colorado, this is his first contribution to share his restaurants.

STARTER
Paneer Kebab and Paneer Pakora

MAIN
Paneer Makhani
Veg Vindaloo
Shahi dall (Lamb)
Rice and Garlic Nan


Himalayan Cuisine
409 Main Street
Frisco
Colorado

Tel: 970.668.330

Wesbite: http://himalayancuisinefrisco.com/

Alankar, Luton (8th February 2012)

In a new development for the SLT club it has been decided to add restaurants which we have visited individually. The first post from Simon, who went out with colleagues for a local curry in Luton after work and a few drinks.

This restaurant is within walking distance from the office and it was decided that a main course was only required.

STARTERS
Prawn Puri - very good but no salad let this dish down. Prawns perfectly cooked and a good tomato and spice sauce.

MAIN
Simon went for a Veggi Balti and rice, something simple, but very tasty. Would recommend this dish, served with a plan nan.

Alankar
276 Dunstable Road
Luton
LU4 8JL

Tel: 01582 410374

Raj Pooth, Biggleswade (22nd November 2011)

Overall Score: 8.033

Price: £20-25
RECOMMENDED

The SLT went local following their trip to warmer climates and ventured down the A1 to Biggleswade. The Raj Pooth, a new Indian restaurant, situated in the centre of the market square had only been opened for 5 months when the boys decided to visit. The club were very pleasantly surprised by the hospitality and the food that was brought to the table.

PICKLES
Reasonable selection of pickles on offer, the standard selection, all good so scored a reasonable 7.

STARTERS
Simon and Tony each enjoyed a succulent Prawn Puri; whilst Lee went for Aloo Chat, all were good ans this is reflected in the marks awarded.

MAIN
Simon decided on a veggie main course and went for the Veg Balti, madras hot, very flavoursome with some good spices in the sauce. Lee joined Simon with the baltiand decided on vindaloo hot, both were very good and enjoyed by the balti lovers. Tony decided on Chicken Katta Matta, a new dish for Mr Codd, one which he managed to polish off - very good dishes all round for main courses, all scoring very well.

This Indian restaurant should only grow into a much better restaurant and we would recommend a visit to give it a try.

Raj Pooth
30 Market Square
Biggleswade
SG18 8AQ

Tel: 01767 314360

Website: http://www.rajpoothbiggleswade.co.uk/

Masala, Puerto Del Carmen, Lanzarote (1st October 2011)

Overall Score: 8.400
Price: £20-25

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Well as the old saying goes, "we've save the best till last”! Third night, third curry and what a curry it was! The location was the furthest away from the hotel, so Tony insisted on taking a taxi...no surprise there - the dodgy knee excuse again. Near the casino, it was a little difficult to find, Lee politely told a waiter outside a restaurant that they were eating elsewhere, to then, rather embarrassingly, found himself being seated by the same waiter, albeit having entered a different entrance to the same restaurant.

Guest Harry was all curried-out and decided to abstain from proceedings, taking the opportunity to have a bit of "self time" at the apartment - least said........

Once seated, the boys decided on a manly sangria as the drink of choice instead of the traditional pint of lager which made a nice refreshing and rather Spanish-feel to the evening and ordered what turned out to be a mostly vegetarian menu.

PICKLES
Popodoms and pickles were served, with the immediate request for additional servings of pickles – what is it with Indian restaurants in Lanzarote, only serving enough pickles to feed an anorexic mouse!! With ‘large bowls’ of onions and mint sauce now on the table, the popodoms could be properly enjoyed. Whilst pleasant enough, the pickles choice was limited so the entrée only scored 6.667!

STARTERS
With the new love of Paneer, both Lee and Tony opted for the Paneer Pakora – 2 days on the bounce for Tony – and it did not disappoint, with both scoring an impressive 9 out of 10. Simon’s regular choice of Prawn Puree didn’t impress, so scored a rather average 7 out of 10, giving starters an overall score of 8.333.

MAINS
Now onto the mains, Vegetable Thali for Lee and Simon and more paneer for Tony with an off-menu Paneer Tikka Shashlik. The boys were mighty impressed all round, with content mmmm’s and a few ‘that’s lovely’ comments throughout the meal. All scored full marks, 10 out of 10.

DESERTS
Tony and Lee were content with their food, but as soon as Simon saw his favourite Gulab Jamon on the menu, he found a little extra space to fit a portion in. Again, some rather disturbing noise coming from Simon indicated he was thoroughly enjoying the Gulab Jamon experience. As for the score, another full marks, 10 out of 10!

All that was left was to pay the bill, score value for money, not bad at 8.667 out of 10 and Service, a “could do better but not bad” at 8.333. This gave an overall score of 8.400, so one the boys would certainly recommend if you ever go to Puerto Del Carmen in Lanzarote.

As a side note, the restaurant also has an Italian menu (which led to Lee’s confusion finding the restaurant…), so it’s a great place if the wife or kids don’t fancy Indian, but you do!

Avenida de las Playas 41
355100 Puerto Del Carmen
Lanzarote
Spain

More details can be found at Mesoncafemasala.com

India Zaffron, Puerto Del Carmen, Lanzarote (30th September 2011)

Overall Score: 7.900
Price: £15-£20

RECOMMENDED

India Aroma, Puerto Del Carmen, Lanzarote (29th September 2011)

Overall Score: 7.667
Cost: £10-£15

RECOMMENDED

Following a successful journey from Stanstead to the beautiful island of Lanzarote we took Lee's recommendation for the first restaurant. Having had a relax around the pool, followed by playing some pool and a few drinks we felt it was time to eat.

PICKLES
Pickles arrived, limited selection, including all of the usual suspects, adequate but nothing out of the ordinary. Mid range scores from everyone, average of 5.333 accurately reflected the feeling on the table.

STARTERS
Starters only for Simon and Tony, Lee did not fancy a starter as well as the main meal. Tony went for Aloo Vada, fried potato dumplings, which Tony really enjoyed, scroing a well earned 8.5 Simon went for the curry club favourite ingredient, Paneer, pakora style - excellent dish and really tasty - well worth the 8.5

MAIN
Lee decided on Paneer Shashlik for his main, really pleased with the dish and the meal was of an excellent standard, scoring a deserved 8.5. Tony went for the Chicken Biryani, again another good meal, nice and tasty, scored 8. Simon decided on the Chicken Curry - good but not exceptional so scored a middle of the road 7 - average for main meals 7.833 .

No deserts appealed so they were not scored. Service was good - always on hand to replenish either drinks or pickles when required. Scored an acceptable 7.667.

The VFM scored highly, excellent quality of food for the price we paid, one of the cheaper indian meals we have had but still delivered a good quality of food which compares favourably with some of the others we have visited. Scored 9 for VFM.

If in the resort definitely one to try - good quality food at reasonable prices - well worth a visit.

Avenida De las Playas
Commercial center Las Tabaibas
Puerto Del Carmen
Lanzarote
Spain

Dine Bangla, Baldock (21st July 2011)

Overall Score: 7.667
Cost: £20-£25

RECOMMENDED

Simon's choice of restaurant on this occasion so off to Baldock to try Dine Bangla, reviews said it was a good curry house, so the SLT decided to give it a go.

PICKLES
Good selection of pickles provided, five in total including a spicy tomato and chilli sauce which was very good. One of the better selections to go with our popadoms.

STARTERS
Simon decided to go off menu and ask for a Paneer starter, however the restaurant did not have any Paneer courses, so opted for the Prawn Puri, which had an excellent kick to it, very good. Lee decided on Aloo Chat, with green chillies - very good and would have benefited from a Puri. Tony went for a Prawn Cocktail, too much sauce and not enough prawns, so one to avoid. Two out of three not bad.

MAIN COURSES
Tony decided on the Chicken Korahi, accompanied with a Mushroom Rice and Resham (mixed vegetables) - enjoyed it very much. Simon went for the Chicken Balti, was a good taste but had too much sauce and no peppers or onions, side dish of Chana Masala which was slightly bland. Lee opted for his usual Veggie Vindaloo which was very hot and equated to a Ghandi Phall, side of Mushroom Bhajee. Main courses good, some improvements needed to compete with the better restaurants we have been to.

No deserts appealed so this was not scored. Overall a good quality of food, not the best we have been to, but one which we would recommend. Slightly pricey but probably worth a visit.

Dine Bangla
21 Whitehorse Street
Baldock
Hertfordshire
SG7 6QB

Tel: 01462 893643

Sitar 2, Hitchin (8th June 2011)

Overall Score: 7.233
Cost: £20-£25

NOT RECOMMENDED

Average quality of food in the restaurant - not the best we have been to but did score well. Mid table for this restaurant.

3a Sun Street
Hitchin
Hertfordshire
SG5 1AE

Tel:- 01462 451896

Dalchini Spice, Shefford (12th May 2011)

Overall Score: 7.542
Cost: £20-£25

NOT RECOMMENDED

Visited this restaurant on the recommendation of Lee, a good standard of starters but the main courses were a slight disappointment. The real blemish on the score was the pudding created for Tony, ice cream with mango slices - one which was not particularly liked by Tony. As you can imagine Tony expressed his views on this clearly and concisely.

Not great - would think twice about visiting this one.

3 South Bridge
Shefford
SG17 5DB

Tel: 01462 815778

The Shalbon, Sutton Coldfield (18th March 2011)

Overall Score: 8.583
Cost: £15-20

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

The Shalbon is a very accommodating restaurant, a light and bright feel to it but still holds that Indian style. They are also willing to go off menu if asked which is not uncommon now for the members of the club, but when the food comes back and tastes as good as you want it to, it just goes to show how good this Indian really is, especially with a number of other restaurants near by in competition.

With just a little longer to wait in between dishes, which is not a bad thing, this restaurant gave time to truly enjoy the food in your own time - no rushing at all.

As you will see in the scoring this is a must if in the area when looking for that special Indian.

65 Birmingham Road
Sutton Coldfield
B72 1QF

Tel: 0121 355 5836

The Magna, Bedford (6th October 2010)

Overall Score: Did not score please see review
Cost: Too much for the quality of food.

NOT RECOMMENDED

As you will see from the above, all curry club members felt that the meal we had at this restaurant did not merit a score as the food was so poor.

Following last weeks visit to The Curry Leaf we were told by the owner of the Magna that we should try his restaurant and he uttered the immortal words "if you don't like the food then you wont have to pay for it" - bear that comment in mind as your read our experience.

Arrived and our first impression was the smell as we were shown to our seats, a table for four, Lee's father in law joining us.

PICKLES
Adequate, nothing special, lime pickle a disappointment.

STARTERS
Starters ordered and not good, all of the dishes poor, every one of them had a problem. Simon's Prawn Puri was dry and had a very powdery taste. Tony's pepper much the same as was Lees - ate them hoping that the main course would be greatly improved.

MAIN COURSE
Unfortunately the mains were poor too, Simon's Chicken Korahi not nice, again the overriding flavour was one of a harsh powdery taste, not at all good. The Mutter Paneer was dreadful, overcooked frozen peas coated in a curry powder. Lee's meal so bad that he did not eat it nor have any for his lunch for the following day. Tony's meal not good either - the worst meal that the SLT Curry Club have experienced since their formation in 2008.

We made our complaints to the two waiters, the first one did nothing apart from say that no one else had complained and that he would tell the chef! The second waiter took the plates away as we entered into negotiations about the payment. We were adamant that the food was so poor that we were not going to pay - duly noted by the waiter, who returned with a revised bill of £65 (£20 discount). We reopened negotiations and after much deliberation it was agreed that we would pay for the drinks and nothing else. Interestingly the waiter informed us that there were 10 brain surgeons also in the restaurant and that they had not complained.

All in all an awful meal, which we did not feel we were able to mark as it was so poor. Unheard of for Lee to leave a curry - beer good.

Magna Tandoori
50 Tavistock Street
Bedford
MK40 2RD

Tel: 01234 356960

The Curry Leaf, Bedford (28th September 2010)

Overall Score: 7.950
Cost: £15-20

RECOMMENDED

Tony's belated birthday curry trip and we went local to try the food at the Curry Leaf on Tavistock Street in Bedford. Excellent offer at this restaurant - starter, main, side, rice and naan for £9.95 on any day of the week - exceptional offer!

PICKLES
Arrived and ordered our 7 poppadoms, 3 pickles offered by the attentive waiter and we also asked for lime pickle and mint sauce. Pickles let down by the lime pickle which was not enjoyed by either Lee or Tony - this reflected in the score.

STARTERS
Simon opted for the Prawn Puri, Lee going for the Vegetable Puri - both were excellent and served on a slightly thicker Puri than in other restaurants that we have visited. Tony decided on stuffed pepper, enjoyed it but would have preferred another colour from the green one served. All in all not a bad start to the meal.

MAIN COURSE
Tony decided on the Chicken Rogan and his side dish of Madra Samba, a lovely combination of spices which also had a nice little kick to it as well. We all had a taste and agreed that this would have made a really tasty main course. Simon went for the Chicken Korahi and Mutter Paneer as his side dish. Very good portion which contained a lot of chicken, excellent main course. Lee chose Vegetable Jalfrezi with Saag Paneer, again another excellent main course and side combination. Everyone enjoyed their main courses which is truly reflected in the score awarded.

No desserts this time as we had all eaten a fair bit of food - plenty left over for lunch the following day. In summary a restaurant that offers a very good deal and provides a good quality of food. Service good, only slight problem with the pickles, this brought the overall score down for The Curry Leaf.

The Curry Leaf
60 Tavistock Street
Bedford
MK40 2RD

Tel: 01234 328237

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