: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:40 am
I went to the Silver Jubilee on Oak Lane earlier this evening. This is a place I haven't been to since the early 90's. I always rated the food there very highly back then so I was very optimistic that I wouldn't be disappointed. Unfortunately, that optimism was way off the mark
Decided to go veggie for the starter and ordered a Mixed Bhaji which was supposed to consist of a mixture of Onion, Potato and Mushroom Bhaji. They either ran out of mushrooms or simply forgot to supply any on my plate. The Onion Bhaji was OK but no more than that... similar in style to what you get at the Karachi but not nearly as good. As for the Potato Bhaji, they were just like potato scallops you can get from any fish and chip shop but smaller... no spices and no taste at all. I should have asked for some salt and vinegar and tomato sauce to go with them FFS! The side salad that came with the starter was good though... a healthy portion of freshly sliced cucumber, onions and tomatoes, but it's saying a lot when you enjoyed the salad items far more than the actual starters. Very disappointing, and I am being generous in scoring the Mixed Bhaji with 3/10.
For the main course, I ordered their Special Chicken with Spinach and my mate ordered a straight Chicken Balti. Mine wasn't a total disaster... it was tasty-ish, quite dry and not overburdened with too much *OO... but nothing to write home about. The quality of the chicken was so-and-so... some pieces of *HROB's and *HJGL's included at no extra charge... and the chicken was definitely boiled then just added to the sauce. I had a taste of my mate's Balti... this dish was even more disappointing than mine and reminded me of a bog-standard curry from Morrisons you would warm up at home in the microwave. It was served in a small, spotlessly clean and shiny karahi dish but the contents hadn't been cooked in there... just poured in. I'd rate my Chicken/Spinach at no more than 4/10 and my mates Balti at 3/10.
I ordered two Roti's with mine and my mate ordered a Naan. The Roti's were huge and I could only eat one of them but they weren't very good at all. Too thick, too doughey and undercooked on the inside. The Naan was a complete joke... it was just another Roti but bigger. I'd have been happier with warmed-up Pitta Bread in the microwave... yeah, it was that bad.
It has occurred to me that the standard of food there might be as good as it was in the early 90's when I last visited the place and liked it, but the general quality of curries these days have improved markedly since back in those days. Clearly the Silver Jubilee hasn't moved on.......... nah, bollox!.......... I'm being too generous. The place has gone backwards and it's nowhere near as good as I remember it. It was awful and I won't be going there again.
The only thing I can say is that if I was given a choice between eating a curry there and eating at that gawd damn awful place on Anlaby Rd in Hull, whatever it's called, I'd choose the Silver Jubilee. But that's hardly a glowing recommendation is it? It's not even as good as the Westgate and that was pretty naff.
My advice is to avoid the Silver Jubilee. I should have taken the hint when I walked through the doors anyway... it was empty and it remained empty, apart from me and my mate. Wish I'd gone to the smaller place next door (Shiraz) instead now, though there weren't many customers in there either... half a dozen maybe.
KEY:
*OO = Orange Oil
*HJGL's = Horrid Jelly Gristle Lumps.
*HROB's = Horrid Rubbery Offal Bits.
