: Mon Jan 29, 2007 1:47 pm  

First curry? Don't have a clue, I imagine I've been eating them ever since I moved onto proper food!

I do remember the first curry I had in a restaurant outside Bradford though, it was in Hull and was without doubt the worst thing I'd ever tasted, it didn't look like any curry I'd had before or have had since.

: Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:06 pm  

Agent Provocateur wrote:

Yep... I thought it was fantastic at the time but it was poop really.

It was called The Islamabad opposite Leeds University (main building where the steps are) on Woodhouse Lane. This will have been in the late 70's and I can even remember what I had.

Onion Bhaji starter.
Meat Curry... that's right... meat curry
Three chappatis.
My mate had tomato soup for his starter

Other places I went to not long after that were Nafees (at Woodhouse) who sold naan's which were microwaved pitta breads and Chakwal a few doors up from there... Kaghan Valley and Rajput at Headingley (both utter crap) and Corner Cafe at Sheepscar. Then there was the Taj Mahal near the Hyde Park pub. Tripti in Leeds city centre between Vicar Lane and New Briggate wasn't too bad, nor was one place next door to that Bowls place outside Merrion Centre, but I wouldn't set foot in places like that these days. Then there was Naseeb's at Armley and another close by on Carr Crofts... oh dear... didn't mind at the time though as I was usually p1ssed anyway and starving

Went to a fair few in Nottingham when I was at Uni down there too (Dilshad at Hyson Green and one on Mansfield Road spring to mind) though none of them were much to write home about.

Also consumed a fair few Balti's in Birmingham (Balsall Heath area) in the early 80's in the days when nobody outside Birmingham had even heard of Balti's.

I'm going for a curry in Bradford tomorrow night (Monday) with a mate of mine..... not sure where yet though.

I remember the microwaved pitta breads in Nafees. Once got head butted in there, and ruined a GB shirt in the process.

Remember going in the Islamabad and trying to get out of paying by saying I was writing a review for a made up magazine. (I'd gone in pissed on my own at about 7pm on a weekday night).

Mate got beat up in the Kaghan Valley by the waiters after complaining that his hand got burned on a balti dish. Wasn't there but from witnesses I gather it was unwarranted.

Used to go to the rajput for a gristle and cauliflower curry if I'd been on the lash in Headingley.

Once bought a bottle of Dutch (yes, Dutch) wine from Chakwal. Its the only thing they'd sell us as take out.

Tripti and the place at the back of the Merrion centre were regular jaunts in the mid 90s. Worked with a couple of lads who had a feud over which place was best. They both ate biryani and the feud revolved around whether it was better to have hard boiled egg on the curry (a la Tripti) or an omlette (a la the MC place). It got quite heated at times.

Other Leeds ones I used to go to were the Corner Cafe down on Burley Road where the novelty was that you could buy a pint of Tetleys over the road at the Queen and take it in with you when you had a curry. The barman would pop in regularly to get the empties. The Golden Gate in Horsforth (which I liked) and the Last Viceroy (which I didn't).

Only one we used to go to in Bradford (I'm talking late 80s) was Pakeeza on Leeds Road, though we did once go to one just up the hill and over the road from the Midland Hotel and that was feckin dire.

Did once go out for a curry in Hemsworth. That was an experience. It was like the bar scene from Star Wars in there - people with webbed hands and everything.

First ever curry out was in Nuneaton in the mid 70s. All I can remember is that it seemed really sophisticated and posh (then again I only 'ate out' at that time at fish and chip restaurants or the cafe in BHS/Debenhams). I remember having a biryani and a poppadom with it. I think we all had the same. My brother was convinced the chicken was cat as thats what 'their sort' did My dad wouldn't go as to him anything spicier than brown sauce was the devil's work (ironically he discovered he loved chilli/curry/garlic after he retired and now eats curry a couple of times a week and adds chilli sauce to just about anything).

With hindsight it was about as posh as Jade Goody's mam. Nuneaton being the social, economic and cultural equivalent of Cas (another whitey pit town) by the 1980s the place regularly had its window put through and I remember that when I was at senior school it was a regular occurence for kids to have a wazz through the letter box. Classy place, classy people.

: Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:07 pm  

Asim wrote:

First curry? Don't have a clue, I imagine I've been eating them ever since I moved onto proper food!

I do remember the first curry I had in a restaurant outside Bradford though, it was in Hull and was without doubt the worst thing I'd ever tasted, it didn't look like any curry I'd had before or have had since.

Reminds me of the one me and AP had on Anlaby Road. Without doubt the worst place I've ever been. The locals seemed to love it though.

: Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:27 pm  

Agent Provocateur wrote: Well I'll have to assume it has improved significantly from the days when I went there. http://website.lineone.net/~bradfordcur ... sweetc.htm Someone needs to do a new Bradford Curry Guide, that site is ridiculously out of date in just about every respect. It's 2007 and the latest reviews for a lot of them were done in '99 and 2000. The Sweet Centre one is five years old. I bet they've had ten chefs since then.

Agent Provocateur wrote: Well I'll have to assume it has improved significantly from the days when I went there. http://website.lineone.net/~bradfordcur ... sweetc.htm Someone needs to do a new Bradford Curry Guide, that site is ridiculously out of date in just about every respect. It's 2007 and the latest reviews for a lot of them were done in '99 and 2000. The Sweet Centre one is five years old. I bet they've had ten chefs since then.

: Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:49 pm  

vbfg wrote:

Someone needs to do a new Bradford Curry Guide, that site is ridiculously out of date in just about every respect. It's 2007 and the latest reviews for a lot of them were done in '99 and 2000. The Sweet Centre one is five years old. I bet they've had ten chefs since then.

Not to mention giving 5 stars to the Nawaab, which IMHO is the whiteyist, rippoffest curry house with mediocre food and pi$$ poor service...

Ahem

: Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:45 pm  

First proper curry I had was at the Sheesh Mahal on Kirkstall Road in about 1998/99 when I was 14 or 15.

The worst I had was one of the most recent was here in Guisborough, the blandest curry ever. Can't wait to go to Bradford or even Manchester for a proper curry.

: Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:48 pm  

Just been to Mumtaz for a 'business appointment'. The suits I was with think it's the business, I just don't feel comfortable in there. Immaculately clean, more like Harvey Nicks than a restaurant. It wasn't very busy, we were about the only whiteys in there, the others were Asian businessmen.

We had pops, pickle tray & mango lassi while we studies the menu (I refused any of the jam in the pickle so AP wouldn't ridicule me & stuck the lime & onion pickles). I had a veg biryani which was ok, but came with a raita rather than a sauce which was disappointing, about 6/10.

The suits had a dahl which looked good, a veg korma which looked good but would have been too sickly after a couple of mouthfulls & a chicken jalfrezi which loked like a bowlful of chicken chunks. The latter caused consternation as it wasn't on the menu & the waiter didn't know what the suit was ordering. They had rotis & naans with theirs. 2 used forks. None of the suits commented on their dishes. If I'd have paid I would have been disappointed.

: Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:55 pm  

Someone needs to do a new Bradford Curry Guide, that site is ridiculously out of date in just about every respect. It's 2007 and the latest reviews for a lot of them were done in '99 and 2000. The Sweet Centre one is five years old. I bet they've had ten chefs since then.

If i knew how to do it i would give it a go...but until then this thread has become the new Bradford curry guide...to me anyway.

: Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:58 pm  

tigertot wrote:

Just been to Mumtaz for a 'business appointment'. The suits I was with think it's the business, I just don't feel comfortable in there. Immaculately clean, more like Harvey Nicks than a restaurant. It wasn't very busy, we were about the only whiteys in there, the others were Asian businessmen.

We had pops, pickle tray & mango lassi while we studies the menu (I refused any of the jam in the pickle so AP wouldn't ridicule me & stuck the lime & onion pickles). I had a veg biryani which was ok, but came with a raita rather than a sauce which was disappointing, about 6/10.

The suits had a dahl which looked good, a veg korma which looked good but would have been too sickly after a couple of mouthfulls & a chicken jalfrezi which loked like a bowlful of chicken chunks. The latter caused consternation as it wasn't on the menu & the waiter didn't know what the suit was ordering. They had rotis & naans with theirs. 2 used forks. None of the suits commented on their dishes. If I'd have paid I would have been disappointed.

Disgusting.

The pickles there are probably the best bit - especially the one that consists purely of cloves of garlic in mustard oil.

I reckon the food at Mumtaz is ok but its pricey and the place always seems a bit sterile since its latest rebuilding.

: Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:05 pm  

smiffythebull wrote:

Someone needs to do a new Bradford Curry Guide, that site is ridiculously out of date in just about every respect. It's 2007 and the latest reviews for a lot of them were done in '99 and 2000. The Sweet Centre one is five years old. I bet they've had ten chefs since then.

If i knew how to do it i would give it a go...but until then this thread has become the new Bradford curry guide...to me anyway.

I've thought about it myself. As I see it the two main problems are wanting a decent curry, and not wanting to go anywhere I know is going to be poor just to get a review of the place, and also the prospect of adding a stone a month to my weight.