Bombay Flames, Alpharetta, Atlanta (20th June 2013)

On Lee's last night in Atlanta he decided to pay a second visit to the Bombay Flames, given the exceptional meal he had first time around

To mix things up a little, he went for paneer tikka at heat level 5 out of 5. There was a lot of it and the spice level was good - a very filling option for a starter

For main, Lee upped the spice level again going for vegetable phall (again off menu) - wowsers that packed some heat! Served with a plain nan and cold beer...

Again, another fantastic meal!

3050 Mansell Road, Suite A
Alpharetta GA 30022

Tel: (770) 552-5575
Website: http://www.bombayflames.com/index.html

Bombay Flames, Alpharetta, Atlanta (19th June 2013)

Lee's latest US find was the Bombay Flames in Alpharetta Atlanta, Georgia conveniently located 2 minutes walk from his hotel.

Lee started with a twist on his favourite paneer tikka with Tawa Paneer - similar in that the paneer is cooked in a clay oven with peppers and onions.  The waitress asked Lee 'how' hot with a scale of 1 thru 5 with 3 being American spicy and 5 being Indian spicy - Lee opted for a 4. The dish was fantastic, served with a little bit more sauce than paneer tikka, but still quite dry. The sauce had a hint of sweetness with garlic and chilli. The 4/5 on the heat scale was the right call bringing on a light sweat and a tongue tingle

For main, or 'entree' as they say in the states, Lee went off menu, but for an all-time favourite, vegetable vindaloo. The chef did well, well spiced and full of flavour. 

To drink, beer was definitely on the menu with a pint of Taj Mahal Premium lager

If Lee was scoring, he'd be hard pushed to score anything less that 10 out of 10.  Highly recommended if ever in Alpharetta, Atlanta.

3050 Mansell Road, Suite A
Alpharetta GA 30022

Tel: (770) 552-5575
Website: http://www.bombayflames.com/index.html

Anokha Indian Restaurtant, St Pauls, London (3rd June 2013)

The latest review is from a lunch time curry Lee had in London, at the Anokha Indian Restaurant near St Pauls Cathedral in London. The restaurant is intimate with seating for around 24 people.  

Lee was attracted by the £6.95 lunch-time special menu for a vegetarian Thali. Other Thali options were available including meat, chicken and sea food at a small supplement each. For the price, you received a starter a vegetable dish, pilau rice and half a nan bread along with your choice of one extra dish from a list of 7 or 8. Lee chose the Paneer Karahi as the additional dish.

The group had poppadoms and chutneys to start then each chose their thali of choice. The food was well presented and full of flavour. Others in the party went for the chicken, meat and sea food options and all agreed, the meal was great value for money for some good quality food.

Lee looked at the al a carte menu and thought it was a bit on the pricey-side, so the value for money will not be as attractive for a regular meal, so a recommendation for the lunch-time special!

2 Grrenchurch Lane

London

EC3A 5AY

Tel: 020 7283 7729 or 020 7283 7747

Website: http://www.anokha-indian.com/

Bhujon, Mere Green, Birmingham (29th March 2013)

Score: 6.400
Price: £20

NOT RECOMMENDED

After a days drinking in Lichfield, the second Birmingham curry was at the newest Indian restaurant in Mere Green the Bhujon. 

After a 15 minute wait for the booked table poppadoms and pickles started the meal. True to form 3 x paneer tikka's were ordered as a starters, but the food was very disappointing. firstly there was not a lot of it and what there was, was lacking in flavor.

For mains, Lee went for the predictable Veg Balti with the unpredictable side order of chips!! Tony had a mushroom desire, so ordered mushroom Balti with mushroom rice and Simon carried on the egg theme with chicken jaipuri (chicken with egg - begging the question, which came first.....).

Unfortunately the evening came to an abrupt end for Lee who started to feel unwell so had to leave before the mains were served but the boys thoughtfully packed his food up and bought it back as a take away to have the following day.

Mains duly arrived, plenty of it too.  Simon's chicken and egg dish arrived, very tender but lacked a lot of flavour with very little spice so only scored a 7, nothing special.  Tony had lots of mushroom options with his meal and was happy with the food although again found that it needed a bit more flavour, bit better than Simon's but only marginally with and 8.

Summing up this restaurant as more style over substance, very popular but the food did not really score highly.  Not recommended and if you are in Birmingham choose another from our previous trips.

290-292 Lichfield Road
Mere Green
Sutton Coldfield
Birmingham
B74 2UG

Tel: 0121 308 0930
Website: http://www.bhujondining.com/index.php

The Lodge, Shenstone, Birmingham (28th March 2013)

Score: 8.133 or 8.917 (free pickles excluded)

Price: £15-£20

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Tonight was a finale in Birmingham, with Lee's parents likely to be moving from Sutton it was the last weekend for the boys. Harry and Chainsy joined the boys for this momentous occasion.

A couple of liveners started the evening on route to Brum (for Lee and Tony), at Lee's old dears, walking to the pub and at the Old Speckled Hen, then it was on to The Lodge, Shenstone for a welcome curry.

Popodoms and pickles started proceedings then Starters was the house special 5 x Chilli Paneer across the board! As far as scoring was concerned, the boys were unanimously agreed with 9.5 out of 10 - well flavoured and good portion sized! 

Mains, Lee went Veg Balti Madras with plain nan and green chilli, Simon unsurprisingly went Egg Masala with mushroom rice and plain rice and Tony going Veg Balti with egg.  Harry chose Veg Jalfrazi extra hot, Chris doubling up on the paneer with Palak Paneer as a main. As far as scoring went, Simon was a well deserved 10/10, tony enjoyed the meal really a lot scoring 10/10 with a lip tingle! Lee scored 9/10! Chris and Harry agreed with very high marks. 

Overall, a great curry with good value for money - very much recommended.  Two scores here to reflect Lee's thoughts that the pickles score of 5 should be excluded as they were free - you choose! 

Bring on tomorrow night to see if we can top the Lodge!

24 Birmingham Road
Shenstone Woodend
Shenstone
Staffordshire
WS14 0LQ

Tel: 01543 483334

Website: http://www.thelodgerestaurant.co.uk/index.php

 

Swagat, New York City (18th March 2013)

Lee's second curry in New York was a more informal setting at an Indian cafe, Swagat on 29th and 7th Avenue.

Starter was 2 vegetable samosas with a tamarind and a mint chutney, followed by vegetable madras with extra green chilli, rice and a plain nan.

Food was authentic and well spiced. Tremendous value at $11 (£7) including a soft drink.

Swagat Indian Restaurant (W 29th)

205 W 29th Street, (7th Ave. & 29th St.)

Tel: (212) 967-7373

Website: http://swagatindiannyc.com

Tamarind, New York City (17th March 2013)

After travelling half way around the world, Lee was certainly in the mood for a curry. After Singapore, New York City had plenty to live up too!  Andy booked a table at the Michelin starred Tamarind restaurant, so the anticipation of a great meal was high.

Vegetable pastry served with a ginger, garlic and chilli dip was bought to the table whilst Lee, Andy, James and Rajesh reviewed the detailed menu.  Lee started with a favourite, paneer, the dish was pudine wala paneer. Andy and James opted for nawabi shami kabab, rajesh chilli crab. Everyone enjoyed their starters and James summed things up with the comment "the food was served with the perfect amount of heat"

For mains, Lee went for vegetable jalfezi with green chilli on the side and a paneer kulcha, James Duck hari mirch, Andy Rogan josh (with an ensuing debate whether the meat was mutton or goat, but either way, it was very tender) and Rajesh Tandoori mix grill. Portion sizes were very good, bordering on too much. 

As for value for money, not bad for a michelin starred restaurant in Manhattan but was never going to be the cheapest place!

All-in-all a lovely meal, well served, well presented and well spiced.

41-43 East 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010. Tel 212- 674 -7400

&

99 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel 212- 775 -9000

Website: http://www.tamarindrestaurantsnyc.com/

Night Safari, Singapore (14th March 2013)

Lee's second Indian in Singapore was at the Night Safari attraction at a take away food court, from Indian Tandoori!

The meal consisted of poppadoms with yogurt, biriany rice, mutter paneer, daal and aloo chat. Food well flavoured and spiced and tasted very authentic.

Great value for money at SIN $15 (£8).

102 Serangoon Road,

Little India

Singapore
218007

Shahi Maharani, Singapore (13th March 2013)

Todays choice was the Shahi Maharani in the Raffles city mall, Singapore.

Lee, accompanied by the Fizzback team, Andy, Dani and Baji found one of the highest rated Indian restaurants in Singapore. Popodoms were bought on arrival with onion salad and chilli mint chutney and pickled shallots - Lee asking for a second pickles tray from the off.

Starters consisted of a vegetarian sharing platter, veg samosa, veg pakora, stuffed mushrooms and aloo mint tinka (yes tinka) - all were amazing with the stuffed mushrooms winning the show (very closely followed by Aloo MintTinka), Dani commented, “all the starters were brilliant“

For mains, Lee went for the fiery vegetable jaipur, Andy mutton rogan josh, Baji chicken tikka massala (very spicy) and Dani butter chicken Makhanwala served with rice and nan. All the food was delicious with the right level of spice to leave a tingle in the mouth and a light sweat on the brow!

Thanks to Ravi for the recommendation, and if you find yourself in Singapore its well worth a visit.

252, North Bridge Road,

03 – 21B Raffles City Shopping Centre
(Lever 3, Fairmont Singapore)
Singapore 179103

Website: http://www.shahimaharani.com/index.html

Jannah, Gamlingay (4th February 2013)

Score: 8.000
Price £20-25

RECOMMENDED

After many months of waiting the SLT Curry Club finally got to visit Tony's choice of the Jannah and were not to be disappointed in any way.

The Jannah has that feel where the establishment was once a pub, but this has been transformed into an Indian restaurant of the highest quality.  The service levels were of a standard that you would expect from a well run restaurant, the food also achieved a higher than average score.

Pickles arrived and were good, but nothing special so scored an average 7.  Starters were a lot better; Simon went for the Prawn Puri, very good presentation and very flavoursome food, deserved a 9.  Lee and Tony both enjoyed their starters, Lee went for Paneer Tikka and Tony had Chicken Chaat.  All in all very good scores - a better than average 9 for starters.

Main courses followed, Simon went for Chicken Jalfrezi, with boiled rice, hot and spicy as one would expect but not too harsh, very enjoyable indeed.  Lee had his Vegetable Vinda with a naan, this was also fairly hot, Lee breaking out into a slight sweat.  Tony went for Vegetable Korahi with mushroom rice, main good but mushroom rice a little disappointing.  Simon and Tony shared a naan.  All in all good mains and decent sized portions, plenty for the following day.  Better than average score for mains of 8.50. 

Service was very good, price a little on the expensive side compared to other restaurants we have visited.  This is a great Indian restaurant and very much worth a visit, the Jannah does not have any gourmet nights but does have a set menu, willing to go off menu if asked.   

1 Church Street
Sandy
Gamlingay
SG19 3JH

Tel: 01767 652117

Red Chilli, Luton (15th January 2013)

Simon's second solo visit for 2013 took him to the centre of Luton to experience the Red Chilli gourmet night, deal included starter, main, side, rice or naan and coffee for £9.95.  Not surprisingly the restaurant was busy for a Tuesday.

Poppadoms arrived with a selection of six pickles, two onion salads, mango chutney, lime pickle, mint sauce and coconut - all very good and if on an official scoring night would have secured a high score.

Opted for a fish starter (£2.50 supplement) - Mass Bora which is a dry spicy fishcake, needed the mint sauce to help it out, had a decent amount of spice but probably not one I would choose again.

Main course - chilli paneer with boiled rice, very good dish, rich sauce, plenty of it too.  Quite hot as one would expect, with planty of green chillies. 

One of the better curry houses in Luton and worth a visit.

96-104 Wellington Street
Luton
Bedfordshire

Tel: 01582 480055
Website: http://www.theredchillirestaurant.com/luton/index.html

Madras Chettinaad, Atlanta (13th January 2013)

Lee's Atlanta Indian experience was at a south indian restaurant.

Lee started with an all-time favourite Chilli Paneer with extra green chilli to make it hit the spice rating required - the dish didn't disappoint, tasty paneer with some heat and plenty of it!

For main, lee choose off the specials, veg chettinaad curry with set uthappam (lentil pancakes), with a saag paneer and the obligatory extra green chillies.

Food was very tasty and all had a hint of spice and enough for a box to take left overs home for a late night snack!

Certainly recommended if in Alpharetta, Atlanta Georgia!

4305 State Bridge Road

108 Alpharetta,

GA 30022,

United States

Tel: 678.393.3131

Website: http://madraschettinaad.com/

Shabs, Bedford (8th January 2013)

Score: 9.167
Price: £15-20

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

The first 2013 SLT curry club trip was a recommendation from Lee following a previous visit here with his family.  The boys departed Sandy and arrived at Shabs on Tavistock Street, via St Neots train station to collect Lee.

The 50% off all food (Sunday to Thursday) was a reassuring sight as we arrived.  Tony clutching his carrier bag of pickles that he decided to bring to accompany the provided pickles tray - a first for Lee and Simon to see someone bring their own pickles to a restaurant!

The pickles arrived, 5 in total which included 2 onion pickles, mango pickle and mint sauce, supplemented with the lime pickle which the waiter gave to us once Lee asked.  All enjoyed which gave the restaurant a reasonable start with the scoring.

The starters were a trio of Panner Shashlik - good flavoursome food, plenty of peppers (all 3 colours used), tomatoes and onions.  All in all a lovely dish - just needed to be more paneer to increase the score.

The mains arrived - Lee opted for Veg Vinda, which was excellent, brought out a light sweat, Tony went for Veg Korahi, which he commented on as being delicious.  Simon opted for Chicken Rezala, chicken roasted in a tandoori oven, cooked with minced meat with a touch of garlic - medium spiced.  Served with naan and mushroom and plain rice.  Simon and Lee made sure that the washing up was minimised by using the naan to clean their dishes and plates, Tony opting to keep some of his for lunch the following day.  Lee and Simon gave 10s for their meal, Tony a 9.5 - excellent food.

Mains done, time for dessert.  Simon and Lee opted for a Fantastica and Tony went for a Pina Colada which finished the meal off nicely.

Service excellent throughout the meal - no problem with bringing in our own pickles - a well deserved 10 scored

Complimentary drinks followed, bill arrived for £48 so good value for money.

Excellent food, good VFM and attentive service - one which should be visited when in Bedford.

75 Tavistock Street

Bedford

MK40 2RR

Tel: 01234 346634

Khans, Luton (4th January 2013)

Simon's solo outing, the first in 2013, took him to a hidden away curry house in Luton, Khans, with a few work colleagues, recommneded by Asif.

Simon went for panneer shashlik, which was a bit of a disappointment, quite bland and lacking in a lot of flavour.  Mains followed, recommended by Asif's wife, Murgh Lahori Karahi, a chicken dish which had a rich dry spicy sauce.  Sauce was a medium heat and very tasty, served with a Nan.

Desert followed - a big piece of chocolate cake which Simon and Asia shared as it was too big for both.

All in all not a bad restaurant, starter disappointing but mains very full of flavour.

215 Selbourne Road,

Luton.

Tel: 01582 848888

Indigo Fusion, Aldridge (29th December 2012)

Lee's latest curry outing was to celebrate his father-in-law's 70th birthday at a new restaurant in Aldridge called Indigo, a Bengali fusion restaurant.

Lee started with chilli paneer, always a good start! Then followed with veg balti madras. In hindsight Lee would have gone Vinda as the madras wasn't quite hot enough but the extra green chilli helped. The cheese nan was like a pizza, lovely!

Everybody commented how much flavoursome the food was! The 2 additional highlights were a) the restaurant is unlicensed so you can take your own booze and b) my father-in-law paid!

If you are in the area, well worth a stop-by.

39 Anchor Road
Aldridge
West Midlands


Tel: 01922 744 444

Cinnamon Club, London (29th November 2012)

Lee's latest outing was to the MP's favourite the Cinnamon Club in Westminster. 

Proceedings started with a Cobra and canapé of lentil balls with saffron mayonnaise.

Starter of deep fried baby corn and onion in a spicy coating with salad and more saffron mayo. Second starter of baby aubergine with a spicy cashew topping served on a spicy lentil soup.

Main was a chickpea kofta served on a bed of spicy sauce accompanied with steamed rice, a selection of nan breads, daal and fried mushroom and spinach.

For desert, a cardamon creme brûlée and an espresso (no after 8's though ....)

A lovely experience, pleasant surroundings, good quality food and as it was a work thing, free of charge.

The Old Westminster Library,
30-32 Great Smith Street,
London
SW1P 3BU

Tel: 020 7222 2555
Website: http://www.cinnamonclub.com/

Shabs, Bedford (26th November 2012)

Lee's latest outing was with the wife to Shabs on Tavistock Street, Bedford. Lee was immediately attracted to the 50% off food sign outside the restaurant!

Popodoms and some quality chutneys to start, mango chutney, red onion, onion salad and a thick mint sauce.

For Starters, Lee had a favourite vegetable chat on puree with green chilli and salad whilst Emma had Shimla Mirch (stuffed pepper).

For mains Lee went veg balti madras with cheese nan, sag paneer and a portion of chips! Emma going for lamb balti and a plain nan.

Overall, very good, with the food having some spice. Lee had a little take away for his lunch and the bill came to less than twenty quid!

77 Tavistock Street
Bedford.
MK40 2RR

Tel: 01234 343347

Bombay Blue, Tenerife (30th September 2012)

Score: 7.534
Price: €30-35

RECOMMENDED

The boys took a trip to Bombay Blue for their final evening in Tenerife (Simon's choice). The first impressions were extremely impressive,  aesthetically very grand, in an upstairs food court in a new shopping centre, a few hundred yards from the beach. The restaurant was full throughout the evening so is a very popular choice.

Popodoms were again adequate, 3 chutneys so getting the obligatory 6 points.

Starters included paneer tikka to allow for consistent scoring and did well achieving a 9.

 

Tony opted for more paneer tikka with his main, going for paneer tikka massala with a side of Bombay aloo which was 'absolutely gorgeous'. Simon decided he'd had enough egg this holiday, having consumed around the dozen, opting for chicken dupiaza, which Simon felt was a little lacking in flavour and a little greasy so summed up as 'rather disappointing'. Lee going for the more standard veggie balti and nan bread, which had a bit of spice and was full of fresh vegetables.

The boys all complemented the restaurant for the portion size; there was no scrimping by the Bombay Blue. The fourth musketeer on this trip, Ian, was abstaining from food this evening as was feeling unwell and decided a mineral water was sufficient then an early taxi back to the apartments.

As a special treat to celebrate the end of the holiday the boys decided to treat themselves to a dessert, Tony opted for lemon sorbet as his favourite pineapple ice-cream wasn't on the menu, Lee choosing his favourite cheesecake which turned out to be very disappointing and Simon going for his all time favourite, gulab jamun, a hot dish which Simon under estimated but summed up as 'very good, always a 10’.

Value for money was a concerning area as the Bombay Blue seemed a little more on the expensive side compared to the other restaurants and with just cause, price was highest of the trip per head and the VFM scores reflected this at just 6.5

Overall, a good restaurant in nice surrounding if a little on the expensive side.

The Plaza

Safari Centre

Adeje

Tenerife

Spain

Tel: 922 797 190

Star of Bengal, Tenerife (29th September 2012)

Score: 7.266

Price: €20-25

NOT RECOMMENDED

Night 3 meant curry 3, precipitated with a day in the pub watching football, seeing Arsenal lose and Tottenham win; Ian thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon being a Spurs fan and consuming 10 pints!  This evening was a little more laid back and chilled out than the previous two.

The usual popodoms with 4 pickles started the evening, onion salad, mint sauce, mango chutney and mixed pickle, which was on the fiery side.

Starters was nearly a clean sweep of paneer tikka again, but Tony mixed it up with a prawn puree. The paneer was served sizzling with peppers and onions. Lee and Ian preferred the more flavoursome version served at the Gandhi the previous evening but Simon really enjoyed tonights version scoring a 9. Starters scored an overall of 8.334.

For mains, egg stole the show, with Simon and Ian going for egg and paneer madras, however a poached egg failed to match up to the more usual boiled egg, Lee going for veg curry with egg and Tony mixing it up again going for chicken korahi.  The curries left a tingle, but were not overly hot this evening. An adequate curry which was reflected with a combined score of 7.334.

Overall the Star of Bengal scored 7.266, so a little below average this evening

C/Juan Reveron Sierra
Edificio Bahia
Los Cristianos
Tenerife
Spain 

Tel: 922 796 975

Gandhi, Tenerife (28th September 2012)

Score: 7.733

Price:  €15-20

RECOMMENDED

Lee's choice on the second night, he opted for the Gandhi, which Abdul promoted very well the previous evening where he explained the special offers in great detail.  The boys went Al a Carte, well being on holiday they shouldn't scrimp or compromise on their choice of food.

Popodoms to start as usual, with the obligatory 3 chutneys, mint sauce, onion salad and mango chutney, nothing special scoring just 6.

Starters were a full house of Paneer Tikka's all round. A sizzling dish full of onions, peppers and tomatoes which went down very well. Scores reflected the full flavour at 8.833.

Tony's main was vegetable and paneer curry, ideally spiced to provide the perfect heat, Lee selecting a veg balti, controversially with chips and nan, Ian chose chicken tikka madras keeping the heat consistent for comparable scoring with the previous evenings curry; Ian commented that tonights offering was "tremendous".  Simon going off menu again with egg and paneer curry, which lacked a little bit of flavour. 

Accompaniments of mushroom rice, which Tony thought was probably the best mushroom rice he's ever had, vegetable rice and nan bread. As always, the lads ordered too much food so Ian was looking at places to conceal a nan bread for a snack later. Mains scored 8.167.

Service was mixed, Ian and Tony didn't take to the waiter but Abdul the owner came out to say hello and the chaps had a photo with the owner and PR legend Abdul.

Overall, scores were a little below par at 7.733, placing the Gandhi 21st in the league table.   Tomorrow is Tony's choice the Star of Bengal in Los Christianos.

Juan Reveron Sierra 3
Playa de las Americas
Tenerife

Telephone: 0034 922 751 632

Bombay Babu, Tenerife (27th September 2012)

Score: 9.004

Price: €27

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

For the first night the boys had a little stroll to build up their appetites after an afternoon of beer, cocktails, crisps and relaxing by the pool. They stumbled upon the Bombay Babu where Steve from Bradford enticed the boys in with a promise of top quality food from a chef who has worked at Michelin starred restaurants along side Raymond Blanc!

A fellow patron popped over to congratulate the club on their choice which the lads took as a good omen!

Popodoms included onion salad, mint sauce and fiery mango chilli chutney, which was the star pickle. Scoring was only 7 which could be improved by greater choice and greater quantity as dished needed replenished 3 times.

Starters, Lee and Ian shared paneer pakora and paneer tikka, with the latter packing a punch of flavour. Simon and tony had the Bombay Babu special starter, recommended by Steve and the waiters. The starter consisted of 8 different bite size spicy morsels, chicken, sausage, and onion bhajis. Scoring reflected the quality and quantity of the starters at 9.667.

Mains were equally as tasty, Simon going for veggie paneer madras which packed quite a punch, even Lee would find hot. Ian went chicken balti madras again packing some heat, Tony chose chicken balti mild and lee went for an eye ball sweating veggie balti vinda. All were fully enjoyed accompanied by mushroom room and plain nan. Scoring wise, mains scored full marks 10/10 for only the second time!

The general thoughts from the lads was 'exceptional'.

Service was tremendous, well Steve had his reputation to deliver against, but he didn't fail! All the staff were friendly, helpful and courteous. A well deserved 10/10 was awarded, again for only the second time!

Value for money has caused some consternation amongst the boys. Overall price-wise the score of 8.333 was comparable to other restaurants, however simon's point that the quality of food was superior meant that the score should be higher, however this is a moot point as the boys take care of their individual scores, so score what each thinks! Simon was at risk of flouncing off but just threw his pen in a girly strop and got over it.

If in Tenerife, this restaurant is well worth a visit!

Centro Comercial La Nina Planta 3

Local 62 Torviscas Playa Costa Adeje

38670 Tenerife – Spain – Cannary Islands

Tel: (+34) 922 71 94 63

Website: http://www.bombay-babu.com/

The Vindaloo, Paignton (16th August 2012)

Tonight’s review is from a takeaway from Lee's trip to Paignton from a small place called The Vindaloo (Editor: we can see why Lee was drawn there!)

The children went for what is becoming their usual of Vegetable Biriani and Gobi Aloo, Emma went for a new dish, and Balti Navtalan mixed vegetable, a delicious blend of chick peas, spinach, sweetcorn, cauliflower and tomato! Lee felt a veg vinda was in order from a place so aptly named. An extra dish of veg bhuna was ordered for good measure.

The vinda lived up to its reputation been probably one of the hottest dishes Lee has had this year. All the other dishes were well spiced and full of flavour with the Nan breads cooked fresh.

Overall, a fantastic takeaway and enough left over to repeat tomorrow!

The Vindaloo

52 Torquay Road

Paignton

Devon

TQ3 3AA

Tel: 01803 558886

Website: http://www.thevindaloo.com/

Himal Tandoori, Torquay (8th August 2012)

Today’s outing for Lee was with the family whilst on holiday in Torquay. The restaurant of choice was Torquay’s highest rated Indian on Trip Advisor, The Himal Tandoori.

Popodoms started the feast with a creamy mint sauce, fresh onion salad, spicy mixed pickle and tasty mango chutney with sesame seeds.

Starters included onion bhaji, Chana Aloo puri, mixed kebab and Aloo chat with green chilli. The Aloo chat packed some heat from the chillies and had plenty of flavour. Lucy enjoyed the Chana Aloo and Caitlyn’s Onion Bhajee didn't touch the sides....

For mains, Caitlyn chose veg biriani, one for a larger appetite, Lee had the usual veggie vinda, packed with plenty of fresh veg, the radishes made a very pleasant contribution not experienced before, and Lucy’s school girl error of over doing the popodoms and large starter meant the lion’s share of her Gobi Aloo is ready for Daddy's tea tomorrow! Emma's Nepalese sweet and sour Lamb Tikka was fruity with a little kick and a resounding winner. Ben let the side down a little bit with nuggets and chips, but some Mutter Paneer and rice added the Indian twist.

Overall very good, I think the reviews on Trip Advisor are well justified and give the right rating, so well worth a visit when in Torquay or surroundings!

330 Torquay Road

Paignton

Devon

TQ3 2DZ

Tel: 01803 524949

Website: http://www.himaltandoori.com/index.html.

The Ruby, Hertford (4th August 2012)

Simon's next solo trip was to continue the celebrations for his brothers 50th birthday.  A trip to Hertford to try the cuisine at the Ruby, as recommended by Alistair, Sean's friend!

Arrived on time, and ordered the papadoms to start the meal off, four pickles and a mint sauce.  Basic error made by Alistair (kept the spoon from the pickles on his plate), school boy error from Sean (overloading poppadom once, and dropping a piece of poppadom in the mint sauce twice).  Fundamental errors by inexperienced curry eaters.

Ordered the Prawn Puri to start (no salad) but a tasty starter which rated as just average in comparisoon to other restaurants.  Went for a main course of Vegetable Madras with Paneer, caused a raised eyebrow from the waiter who said he would have to check with the chef if it was possible to add this to the dish.  Main arrived - paneer included - sauce not as hot as I would have liked - nicely spiced but needed a bit of a kick.  Had Mutter Paneer as a side dish - very sweet with lots of coconut so not one I would recommned.

Overall an average meal which would have scored between 6-7 on an official visit.  Much banter from the table regarding the SLT Curry CLub (jealousy me thinks) and a good time.

Not one I would recommend to visit.

The Ruby
51 St Andrew Street
Hertford
SG14 1HZ

Tel: 01902 504 504

Website: http://rubyhertford.com/

 

The Gandhi, Sandy (1st August 2012)

Todays solo trip for Lee was to the Gandhi in Sandy with his 13 year old daughter Caitlyn.  Lee taking advantage of the wife being away took Caitlyn to his favourite curry house.

The obligatory popodoms started, Caitlyn's preference was for mango chutney whilst Lee favoured the onion salad and lime pickle.

Mains followed with veg biryani for Caitlyn, veg vinda for Lee and veg saag and nan to share. Food was lovely as always and Caitlyn had a Fantastica for pud which Dad seemed to want to share.

All around another good offering by the Gandhi in Sandy.

37 High Street

Sandy
Bedfordshire
SG19 1AG

Tel: 01767 680283

Turan, Hatfield (29th July 2012)

Score: 8.958
Price: £15-20

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Todays outing was to one of Lee's favourite lunchtime places, the Turan in Hatfield, joined by SLT  web designer Richard and Liz!

After an interesting conversation about Lee's potential new car and a slighty less interesting conversation from Simon about eggs (!!!), the boys ordered starters choosing chilli paneer for Lee with extra heat, Simon having it regular and tony going for vegetable manchurian. Overall the Turan did very well scoring 9.667, a 10 from Lee and Simon, tony scoring a very respectable 9. Richard and Liz had chilli mushroom and aloo bhaji respectively.

For main, tony had chicken korai with a little bit of heat, Lee had veg vinda with paneer and Simon was beside himself as the Turan is one of the few restaurants visited to have his favourite, Egg curry, on the menu (ordered with extra paneer!). All served with rice and nan and a mutter paneer side dish. All scored well, achieving 9.167 overall. Liz and Richard both choosing chicken Tikka masala.

Puddings followed, cheese cake and chocolate cake on the menu along with Gajar ka Halida (a carrott based dish) Mr Codd having extra chocolate sauce on his chocolate cake! A nice finish to a great meal.

3 courses for £12.95 making very good value too.  When in Hatfield or travelling down the A1, well worth a stop off!

2 Parkhurst Square
Hatfield
Hertfordshire
AL10 9RQ

Tel: 01707 272 721

Essence of Asia (24th July 2012)

Simon's solo trip to a local curry house in Luton with colleagues from work can only be described as the worst customer service ever received!

Our arrival was greeted with abject disdain, even a look of surprise from the waiter that we had troubled him for a table, almost looked startled that someone wanted to eat there.  Shown to the table without a smile, setting the tone for the service levels to be expected. 

The restaurant offers a banquet night on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesdays, £9.50 for starter, main, rice or nan and side - so excellent value as the food was tasty - not exceptional but adequate.  Decided on chicken chatt to start, followed by chicken dhansak with boiled rice and bombay aloo.  Waiter arrived to take our order, after some time, no smile.

Poppadoms somewhat soft and not great, although had 5 pickles, starter and main courses delivered, still no smile, waiter was so unhelpful and just looked as though he wanted to be elsewhere.

Overall, food average, service dreadful, do not visit!  Plenty of other better restaurants around in Luton - go to those.

25 High Street

Leagrave

Luton

LU4 9JU

Sagar, Covent Garden (13th July 2012)

Harry had travelled down from Birmingham to meet up with the fellow members of the SLT curry club for a cultural pub crawl around London town.  Starting just off the Strand, moving into Covent Garden, Holborn and then the Kings Cross area the boys visited a total of 10 pubs, some of the party able to deal with the alcohol better than others - no names eh Tony!

After approximately 5 or 6, we decided to visit Sagar, a veggie paradise recommended by Lee as his local venue for a quick curry.  The boys all went for the Theatre Menu Vegetable Thali, an excellent choice of quality food, all for £6.

The meal consisted of a Biryani, Tarka Dhall, Channa Massala, Raita, Paratha and a dry Aloo dish.  The Thali also came with a rice desert.  Green chillies for Lee and Tony added the required heat to spice up the dishes, Simon ate his full Thali and then looked for left overs from others. 

No alcohol in the restaurant but a pub next door allowed the party to have a pre meal drink, service was quick and friendly, with really authentic and tasty dishes.

This is a no-frills Indian restaurant producing wonderfully flavoured dishes. Each one is beautifully spiced and balanced.  Everyone really enjoyed the meal, excellent food and exceptional value meant that this is a must visit restaurant.

Difficult to score the meal as it did not follow the traditional format the club are used to, but has to be up there with the best that we have visited.

31 Catherine Street

Covent Garden

London

WC2B 5JS

Tel: 020 7836 6377

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

Saffrons, Bedford (8th July 2012)

After seeing the Olympic torch in Cotton End Bedfordshire, Lee, accompanied with the family, visited Saffrons on Tavistock St, Bedford for the Sunday buffet lunch.

Some popodoms and chutneys were followed by a selection of veg bhajis and tandoori chicken, which Emma described as "amazing". Then a choice of 3 meat and 3 veg main meals with rice and nan. Lee and Lucy had a good portion of the mixed vegetable curry, chana massala and Bombay aloo. Caitlyn and Emma enjoyed the chicken balti and chicken Korma along with a Lamb Rogan. Benny enjoyed his popodom, veg bhajis, nan bread and rice!

At 7.95 for adults and 5.95 for kids, proved good value! Lucy summed up the outing as "very good food, nice and yummy"

64 Tavistock Street
Bedford
MK40 2RG

Tel: 01234 325665

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

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/