… is what Angelica says, pretty much every time I make her a curry, which is two or three times a week.
When I told her I’d made another sag aloo today but let it slip that it was slightly different to the last one, she was nearly in tears. It had fine beans in it. But it was also her favourite curry in the whole world.
What’s yours?
Oh yes. From Papa Js in Luton.
from a café run by a refuge for sex workers, opposite the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore
It’s a strong bid, early in the thread
Papa Js another place I used to love, twenty years ago.
It's supposedly Not As Good As It Used To Be, but I had many excellent lunches there when I was working in Luton. The A1 Dosa House, up in Bury Park, was always a safe bet too.
Shimla Pinks in Birmingham, and Green Delight from Kardamon in Stony Stratford. No idea if they are still there though. I love a good curry.
#12 the Ravi Shankhar on Drummond St. Very good vegetarian dhosas.
Also good are the Pakistani grill houses around East London. Lahore Kebab or Needoo Grill near Whitechapel high st are both v good.
The Drummond Street ones always used to bill themselves as bhelpuri houses, which felt like an odd selling point (they never restricted themselves to it).
Oddly, one of the best bhelpuris I've had was in the domestic departures area of Kolkata airport (Dum Dum).
New Tayyabs was good, too, until its reputation went to its head. Ambala, nearby on Brick Lane, used to deliver huge batches of excellent samosas to our office.
From a little street food place I know. You wouldn't have been there, it was years before they'd even serve me.
#23: I think that business of the waiter delivering cocaine to your table did for Shimla Pinks.
It was a very fun place while it lasted.
There's still Shimla Pinks in Leicester. Their fish dishes are good.
There's a place called Kayal, again in Leicester, who do a great mixed fish curry with a lemon-scented rice. And their seafood starter is a lovely 'sharing platter'.
But if it's not for you, McP, each to their own.
Restaurant Curry =lamb jalfrezi
Homemade = Ghoan fish curry
You will, you will, you will, you will?
Heh.
King prawn dhansak, garlic naan.
There was a Jamaican takeaway in Hither Green that did curried goat that was beyond perfection.
I was never a fan of the fish curry but two dishes swayed me. Firstly the sliced haddock at Mother India in Glasgow and then the tandoori halibut in Amaya in Toronto which is still in the top 10 of best things I’ve eaten.
There was a fab sweet centre in Sparkbrook called the Milan. Hope it's still there. Not only their sweets but the curries, breads and saviouries were terrific.
Buying in places like Sparkbrook I always loved masala dhosas more than anything. I bought some there on the day my daughter was born, 1.7.77, with much celebration from the cooks. I really miss places like that. Doesn't seem to be anything like that in Merseyside or Wigan, and curry mile is all bog standard baltis etc. Chiz.