International

For my first Bradford Curry Blog post, post festive period, I wanted somewhere familiar and comforting, and not too demanding.  The International ticked the boxes this time, as is one of my favourite Bradford Curry eating establishments.

I think pound for pound International might - and I stress might - be my favourite all rounder, as it's consistently good across the whole menu (the bits I've tried at least)

So here we are.  Sat down in the corner.  Our Thomas strapped in his seat, and popadoms and pickle tray arrive swiftly with the menu.  It really is excellent service...  and soon the waiter arrives.  

Lamb Methi for me, with garlic nann (plain naan/chapatis/rotis are included in the price of a main course).  Lamb Methi isn't on the menu as such - a chicken version is - but I often order it and the waiters never seem phased by a request beyond the listed fare.  To be honest, seen as how a Chicken Methi is listed, I can't imaging it beyond the wit of man to rattle a Lamb Methi up but, yet again, another tick for International.

Amaan's Grill House

Wow wow wow!!  Now that was a curry.  Top draw!  Amaan's Grill House, on Legrams Lane, have just served up a stonker.

The Kashmir Smashing It!!

Trips to The Kashmir are regular occurrences, and these days always top notch, value for money and a jolly good hardcore Bradford Curry.  Also, 'The Kash' always seems to through up splendid photo opportunities.  Below are a few from our last visit:  

Classic Bradford Curry House
Exterior

Popadoms and an iPad kept Izzy happy.  The Onion Bhaji
are one of my all time faves in Bradford.

Lamb and Lentil was top draw

Happy campers exiting The Kash.  The steps
down to the basement cafe is a must do
Bradford Curry eating experience!

International

Recently I was approached (via the Blog) by some friends from out of town who were interested in learning more of the famous Bradford Curry. They asked primarily about the spicy aspect of Bradford Curry... "Is anywhere famous for doing really spicy food", "Where does the spiciest?" They asked.

I had a think, and eventually had to rather sheepishly admit to not knowing?  I couldn't think of anywhere necessarily 'famous' for doing spicy (or hot I guessed was what was being alluded to).  Once I had pondered further, I concluded that Bradford is the best in the country for many reasons, and doesn't need to do the gimmicky/food challenge type of thing at all.  However, I did stress to my friends, that in Bradford most restaurants will tailor their dishes to your tastes.  More often than not one is asked as to preferred spiciness.  You can probably have any dish you prefer as hot as you like!

Having said that, I did reminisce, about the days when me and the Mrs first started going out, and how I used to impressed her with my abilities at eating Vindaloos etc, and how it must have worked because we are still married!  But, more recently, actual taste has taken over as the driving force when it comes to enjoying a curry, rather than the laddy bravado "I can take double anything you can!" Type of thing!

However, I thought I'd best reacquaint myself with the hotter, bog standard, end of the curry scale... And to this end, to the International I went.  I bottled the Vindaloo though!  So instead went for Lamb Madras.  In the early days of my curry eating career, a Madras was my staple, and thought, therefore, a fitting benchmark.

The Lamb Madras was initially hottish, but not too bad. It was, however, a builder, and by end my nose was running and my tongue tender! I was glad of the final mouthful!  It possessed the consistency of loose gravy with chunks of meat swimming about. No determinable elements to the gravy, except for welcomed flecks of herb, and all in all it looked a little bit old fashioned.  The curry sauce did have a sharp peppery taste and the meat was tender, and the two crispy and fresh rotis were ample bread for the dish.  As expected from international it was very good and of high quality.  But is was perhaps a little one dimensional when compared with curries from the Special Menu.

As a post meal treat I sampled an Asian Tea - no 'pink tea' at the International so the recommended Asian Tea would suffice. Visually more like a traditional English tea, it was rich and milky and was gently spiced with cardamon etc.  It was served unsweetened and with a bowl of sugar. A couple of teaspoons of sugar for me made all the difference and the tea really took on a more decadent feel.

So to sum up.  It was good to revisit the Madras, but I feel my taste buds and expectations have moved on somewhat.  The International provided a superb Madras, no question, but I was left feeling like I'd missed out a tad.

Lahore - Bradford

Chocolate Fondue and Belgian Waffle

Lahore, or MyLahore, I'm not quite sure, is a great place, and I cant believe it's been nearly three years since we visited this the original Lahore - here in Bradford. There are now Lahore's in Leeds, Manchester (Which I've visited in the interim) and Birmingham too - by the way - so branching out a bit.

 Birthday Girl Izzy

Our Tommy

Thursday dinner time, and my daughter Izzy's 4th Birthday treat to Lahore, and Lahore is heaving (all four floors!), with people almost queuing at the door!  Very VERY popular!  These trendy cafe style places, although not fully taken over from the original style 'Bradford curry house' are all the rage. Here at Lahore you are treated to trendy decor, with each floor exhibiting a slightly different colour trend, a vibrant atmos, fast and friendly service, and good value for money.

Also, you get treated to a varied menu, definitely leaning towards Asian cuisine, but also including pasta dishes, burgers, steaks, paninis, etc.  AND CAKES!  Yes plenty of cake.

The chairs proved to be the perfect little
girl trap - we did laugh! 

To be honest, today was my little girls Birthday, so I took my John the Bradford Curry Bloogers hat off, and just decided to sit back, relax and enjoy the experience.  However, me being me, I took a few nice photos I thought I'd share... and thought I'd best just add a few words to boot too.

Food wise for me it was Chefs Special Desi Meat Karahi with Garlic Naan, Lynda went for Grilled Paneer on a Naan, and Izzy opted for kiddies smily faces and fish fingers!  Ggrrrr!  But at least it highlights that Lahore caters for everyone - no exceptions.  All arrived promptly and all was very very nice.

Desi Meat Karahi

The Desi Meat Karahi possessed that full bodied and rounded curry flavour.  No additional flavours such as spinach, methi, lime pickle, whatever, added the this karahi to mask the excellent taste.  The Garlic naan was good fresh and fluffy also, and the meal didn't last long!  The paneer on a naan was good too, grilled to perfection, and adding a lovely bbq flavour.  Portion size was perhaps a little more starter than main, but this was reflected in the price. 

This left plenty of room to treat ourselves to a couple of deserts!  Belgian Waffle and Chocolate Fondue.  No desert expert me, but I had no complaints.  I concentrated on the waffle, and it was waffley, ice creamy and chocolatey!  Very good.  The fondue was fun and Izzy enjoyed dipping the various fruits etc in the choc... who wouldn't?

We had an excellent time.  Lahore is bustling and a fun and great place to visit.  Smashing.

Karachi

The Blog is going from strength to strength, and has just passed the 40,000 hits milestone!  Thanks all for reading.

This I decided needed a small celebration, and in order to celebrate properly, a proper 'Old Skool' Bradford Curry was needed.  Therefore, I headed for one of MY - oh and that there Rick Stein guy's too - all time favourites - Karachi's Lamb and Spinach Balti. Quite simply one of the best dishes in Bradford - One of THE all time classics... end of. 

Today, as always, Karachi served their Lamb and Spinach Balti freshly prepared, and sizzling away in a Balti Dish.  It was verging on perfection!  From the first to last mouthful it is perfect in every respect. The seasoning was spot on, as was the amount of heat, and the balance of good quality meat to sauce was spot on too. The flavours of meat were good, and not masked by the sauce. The sauce, by the way, was irony from the spinach, and fresh tasting with coriander. The fresh coriander stalks stirred in at the end added further herby fresh bite. There is also a good tartness balanced with an underlying sweetness, and a lingering garlicness which stayed with me the rest of the day!  The dish looked right, smelt right and tasted right.

Like I say - virtually perfect.

3 included chapatis is all that is needed. Happy days.

Punjab Sweet House & Grill Centre Bradford

Yasmins Samosas

Looks what I spotted at the weekend whilst driving up Listerhills Road?  Yes, Yasmins Samosas.  There is also a Facebook Page here.

I just had to stop, have a nosy, see what was going on and sample some wares.  At the mo, Yasmins Samosas shop seems little more that an outlet for a range fresh/frozen samosas, but a small menu is available (including my favourite Samosa Chaat), and a few tables and chairs are present inside.  However, looking at the website, it appears the cafe side of the business is to be expanded.  Can't wait.

So, I bought four samosas to take away (two meat and two vege).  The Mrs and I ate them later on in the day and all I can say is that they were wonderful.  I'm not a massive samosa expert (I'm not an expert on anything!) but I can say the product was fantastic.  The pastry was light, crispy and not greasy and the fillings were great.  The meat one especially I liked, and had a fair amount of zing!  It didn't skimp on the meat either.  Reading the website suggests Yasmins are priding themselves on quality and it shows.  75p each!  Yes you heard right - 75p each!  Warm and ready to go too...  I will be back very very soon so watch this space.

Punjab Sweet House and Grill

A box of sweets

Quite simply, the Punjab Sweet House and Grills Karahi Gosht Achari (Achari - cooked with pickle) is one of the best dishes I have had in a long time.

Firstly though, it was good to find out that the Punjab is open all day.  I have driven past before in the day, and always thought it to be closed, due to the shady canopies over the windows making it a little dark looking.  Also, as previously discussed here, the lack of websites/Facebook pages/etc makes it difficult - for me at least in this day and age of social media - to find such info (yes I could pick the phone up I guess!).  As such the Punjab Sweet House and Grill firmly places itself in the 'for people in the know' category.

And there were seemingly quite a few people 'in the know' when we arrived at about 13:00.  A couple of large tables of folk are already seated and waiting, and more were to follow.  As such, we did wait a little while for our food, but nothing serious, and to me shows that the food is being prepared properly and freshly, and with care and attention.  Indeed, the Punjabs open kitchen leaves the chefs nowhere to hide, and as we waited, rather dramatic flashes of flame could be seen from the toilers.

Karahi Gosht Achari

Me being excited

The Karahi Gosht Achari was immense.  The scent of lime pickle wafted into the dining room, and announced the imminent arrival of food.  The brimming karahi dish was placed on the table, and the sensory onslaught continued with an even stronger eye watering sour pickle whiff getting right into the nostrils, and also the vibrant glistening colour of the dish.  I could barely contain myself.  All the boxes had already been ticked, and all that was left to do was dive in and hope that the dish tasted as good as the build up would have suggested.  It did!  Initially yes there was a whack of lime pickle - judging from the smells we had already experienced, I would have been disappointed not to have been bowled over by pickle - and then, once the face contortions had eased, a little heat came through (subtle though), before a deep rich sweetly comforting flavour undercurrent flooded through - which I can only assume comes from slowly cooked onions and, what I guess was, ghee.  Now, there was a fair bit of what I thought was ghee, as opposed to oil, but certainly not excessive.  I'm pretty sure it was ghee, as the kind of 'butter on the turn' flavour was in evidence.  Really, really REALLY good.

Tikka Masala left Achari right

Big Tones Chicken Tikka Masala (Asian Style) (CTM) is worthy of note too.  Two CTMs adorn the Punjabs menu - and normal one, and an Asian Style one.  Big Tone went Asian Style, and it again was ace. Like a grown up CTM.  It was dry (no pink soup here) and tasted great with a strong grilled meat flavour from the charred edges of the tikka meat.  Very good.

Simple rotis and garlic naan partnered our meals and they were also good and fresh.

So all in all I really enjoyed the Punjab Grill. Following the meal, and quick visit the the adjacent sweet shop produced a small box of sweets as a treat to my work colleagues.  All at work commented on the quality of the product. 

Also noted Halwa Puri (breakfast) - so will be back very very soon.

Photo courtesy of Curry Heute

Breakfast a Study #3 Amaan's Grill House

Been wanting to re-visit Amaan's Grill House for a good while now, and especially for a Breakfast.  We've tried on the odd occasion mid week, but it's always been shut in the morning.  Closer inspection of the opening hours, however, revealed Amaan's is only really open at Breakfast time at the weekend. DOH!

I understand the guy's who opened Amaan's were once employees of Lumb Lane's Sweet Centre and as such provided a mean Brekkie.  This really needed sampling.

Isabella - my long suffering daughter - and I rocked up to Amaan's at about 11:30am, so was more 'Brunch' time than anything else.  This was good as Izzy could have a bowl of chips without me feeling too guilty, and we'd tell Mother it was lunch!

So chips - again - for Izzy!  I had Chana Aloo, a Partha (no puri's at Amaan's) and a Desi Tea.  We perched on a little bar to the back of the restaurant on high swivel chairs (Izzy's fave) and watched Chef set to in the open kitchen.  It was encouraging to see our paratha being rolled out from fresh dough, and the chana being made from scratch right in front of our eyes.

The Breakfast was very good.  The plentiful bowl of steaming chickpeas and potato was tasty and a little fiery.  The sauce possessed just enough substance to hold the main ingredients in suspension and clingy enough to adhere to chunks of Paratha passed its way.   The Chana was a tad salty if I was to be very critical!  The Paratha was of the plain variety, and was crispy and flakey, and had that comforting fried bread taste.  It worked very well with the very tasty chana and help calm the onslaught of the taste buds.  I didn't miss the lack of puri's at all - as I thought I would - and the paratha was perfect.  I was pelased with my first try of Desi Tea too.  Sweet, milky and slightly spiced tea was more akin to traditional English Tea than the pink Kashmiri Tea I have tried else where.  Went well with the Brakfast solids.

All round excellent.  We are talking £2 for the Chana and £1.50 for the Partha!  These are the unsubstantial sums of money we are taking here.  Worth every single penny.

A Cheeky Kashmir

Eid and Bradford is like a ghost town!

Plan A - The International - shut!

Plan B - The Kashmir... Rest assure it's open. It's always open!  And remember the old saying... "If in doubt go to t'kash."

Onion bhajis are excellent. Love them from here. All twisted shards of crispy battery oniony goodness.  Still my favorite to this day.

Meat Rogan Josh soon follows - this is t'Kash after all - and again is very good. A little bit oily, resulting in a slightly looser curry than I've been seeking out recently, but peppery and meaty. A perfect balance of zing too.

Still good - one of the best - and I will always keep returning to the legendary Kashmir.

Omar's - Another Birthday Treat!

Omar's - home of the Notorious Naan.... oh and darn good curry too?

This trip to drink beer in Bradford's finest drinking establishments, and to eat Bradford Curry, was actually a belated Birthday night out with work friends.  I know it's getting on for a month after my actual Birthday, but you know me, I'm not the kind of guy to grumble at a day out however spurious the reason.  

However, before we get the the nitty gritty of Omar's itself the there is the small matter of a few pubs...

The Sparrow

The plan was to meet around 16:30 at the Shoulder of Mutton on Kirkgate - as I strode in Ngoc Phan and Martin, the evenings drinking buddies (Mary was to join us later), were already sat in the corner enjoying there first drinks. Good start.  T'shoulder is a spit and sawdust Sam Smiths place - pretty traditional with the faint whiff of wet dogs!  However, it possess a good atmos and, of course, there is the value for money Sam Smiths booze on offer.  It is always a good place to start due to it's proximity to the train stations, and is the only place in the absolute city centre I can think of with anything about it?

So, from t'Shoulder, we wandered to the Sparrow Bier Cafe.  Among my Leeds dwelling, and rare visitors to Bradford what so ever drinking buddies, the Sparrow struck a more familiar and happy chord.  It's trendy, vibrant and has a good selection of quality beverages.  I could tell Ngoc Phan and Martin were happy here.  Indeed, it is one of my favorite pubs in Bradford too.  I was tret to a Kwak so was a happy bunny.

Notorious...

Next was The New Bee Hive.  Here didn't go down well at all!  I've always liked t'Hive but statements such as "I think this is the worst pub I have ever been in" suggested to me issues?  The good quality of the beer was commented on, but we didn't dwell and swiftly moved on.  By now, the fourth Bradford Curry eating team member - Mary - had arrived, and was wondering around Centenary Square, so we jogged on down up to Sir Titus Salt for one last pre curry pint.  The Sir Titus Salt is in a spectacular building - a former swimming pool I understand - and is by far the best Wetherspoons I've ever been in.  Sucking of teeth did ensue on the mention of Wethersppons, but this soon diminished once in awe of the premises!  Phew, done. Now just a quick trip to the offy (Omar's is BYO) for some beer and wine and then CCcccuuuuuuuuuuurrrrryyyyyyy!

Notorious...

Omar's was a touch quiet on arrival at about 19:30.  But it was the middle of Ramadan, and the restaurant did fill during our stay.  We munched on popadoms and pickles whilst perusing the menu - much of which was unbelievably tempting - and soon a waiter was at our table ready for orders.  I plumped for Samosa Chaat (lamb) and, after a certain amount of umming and ahhing, lamb Jaipuri Punjabi Special.  Others ordered fish, chops, Acharis etc.  A Notorious Naan was ordered for us all too.  I was very excited.

The starters arrived and we dived in.  All seemed happy, but I found my Samosa Chaat very salty.  Apart from a slight sour tamarind flavour, salt was all I could taste!  A little deflated I hoped my Jaipuri Punjabi Special would be top draw...

The Starters

IT WAS...  Straight from the off, the curry nestling in the bottom of the massive and ace looking balti dish hit me with a wollop of outstanding full bodied flavour, and pretty garlicy - which is good in my book.  A little red in colour but thick and umptious and meaty.  I must admit I enjoyed every single mouthful and was soon mopping around the dish with chunks of Notorious Naan.

Jaipuri Punjabi Special

Ah yes, what of the Notorious Naan.  Well it is truly massive.  Four of us only ate about half of it!  However, it is far from just a gimmick.  It is a fantastic piece of bread.  It was fluffy in the middle, with the trade mark crispy charred bits on the edges.  And was nicely garlicy which, as we know, is brill.  It has to be seen to be believed but rest assured you will be getting a quality product.  I'd love to know how they cook it?

The Notorious Naan

So, Omar's was an excellent experience from start to finish - only the slightly over seasoned Samosa Chaat ever so slightly marred my meal.  Absolutely 10/10.

Ambala

Ambala on Great Horton Road

If you travel up Great Horton Road (GHR), above the University there, you'll spot a little curry house called Ambala.  Blink and you may miss it.

It is a place I have been aware of but never ever really felt like popping in.  However, at a loose end up GHR the other day - and it being about dinner time, I stopped for something to eat.  Small and unassuming, I  actually found Ambala a little daunting to enter - I don't know why?  Probably just because it was to be a totally new experience, and I was alone.  The initial small sweet counter had a few punters clustered around, but the cafe section, off to the right, was deserted.  A quick query to the bloke behind the counter was responded to with a nod, mutter and waving hand inviting me to sit.

Taking pictures of yourself whilst alone in a retaurant
is a little bit of s funny thing to be doing isn't it?

Plain tables and chairs are all that are needed and I was soon joined by more diners, and the waiter arrived and took my order.  Things were livening up.  My order of Lamb Karahi and Tandoori Roti was whisked to the kitchen, and I settled to have a go at the crossword in the paper.  No sooner had I penned the answers to a couple of clues, my dish arrived!  I was impressed and surprised at the speed, it must be said.

Now to the curry.  The bog standard Lamb Karahi was pleasing to the palate,  with refreshing zing from flavours of fresh ginger, chilli and coriander.  Indeed,  abundant coriander stalks and green chilli could be seem as flecks of colour running through the the dark, rich and meat laden Karahi.  Some heat was there - but not too much - certainly a lip tingler though!  

Lamb Karahi

All very nice, and the whole lot was consumed in a matter of minutes!  Few negatives really, but, to be overly critical, it was noted the serving dish was a little cold, which ultimately aided in the Karahi loosing temperature a little quicker than expected.  The Tandoori roti was fine - ideal for mopping up all the juices.

Overall Ambala was fine - good in fact.  Whether it had enough about it for me to rush back though I'm not sure.  You see, many of my favourite haunts are just down the road.  I certainly would not quibble at a return visit and, indeed, as the self proclaimed No1. Bradford Curry Blogger, I have duty to do so... And I will enjoy it too I'm sure.  Breakfast next time.

Karachi

Not been to the Karachi for a while, and I am glad to report all is fine - just as good as always.

A little unusual this visit - we actually got the menus to look at!  I set about with much gusto trawling all the options and thinking I would - should - try something different.  However, although I sure anything I could have picked would have been great, nothing jumped out at me, and I went for my usual Rick Steins Lamb and Spinach.  Yawn - I hear you ermmm... yawn!

No, 'if it in't broke, don't fix it' - as they say round these parts - and I had kind of spent the morning with my heart set on it.  I promise next time I will have something else.

The Lamb and Spinach was without fault in my opinion but, to be ultra fussy, I felt it did have an ever so slight taste of undercooked chilli powder?  However, we are dealing with perfection here, and this small criticism is all I could level at the dish.

As per usual the dish was inclusive of chappatis, and these were indeed... chappatis!  Plain, warm and fresh, they are all that is really required to transport the curry to the mouth.  However, we did get a spoon each...  with which I spilt curry down my front!  Not a drop was lost using the traditional chappati method.  Lesson learned.