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.

Prashad 30/12/2010 AGM

Attendees: Drew, Ben, Win, Fran, Claire, Freya, Jenny, Pete, Rob, Lynda, Izzy and John

Well how things have changed in the space of a year. This time last year Prashad was a small café style restaurant and deli, serving up excellent quality vegetarian cuisine, tucked down a side street in Bradford. However, after their rollercoaster ride of reaching the final of Gordon Ramsay’s Best Restaurant TV competition, Prashad has now reached dizzying heights of popularity.

Our Prashad experience started the week prior to our visit, whilst booking the table. Even though our scheduled visit was a Thursday afternoon, I thought it would be best to book, or at least warn them of our impending arrival. I was surprised to be told that they were struggling for space but should be able to accommodate our 16 person party (14 adults and 2 babies – which seems like a lot of detail at the moment but will all become apparent). A further surprise was to be asked to pay a £5/head deposit – due to the size of the party – and that the deposit would be lost if any of the party dropped out!!! Not a brilliant start on the customer service front I thought – I have never been asked anywhere to leave a deposit before?? It became apparent during our conversation that the restaurant had been extended (into the deli it later turns out) and that we were effectively booking the full room. So £80 (16 people) paid up front.

So the day of our visit arrived and we all started to congregate at the restaurant. Prashad has also expanded across the road with the recent Prashad Lounge – a small room with, ‘front of house’ style counter, leather sofas and Gordon Ramsay’s TV programme on a loop. The poor boy working there said the constant airing of the telly programme was sending him mad – I can sympathise!! The Lounge is also decorated in News Paper cutting etc for you to read as you wait for your table.

Once your table is ready you are ushered across the road towards the restaurant. We were actually seated in the main (I say main but it is tiny) restaurant on two separate tables, as opposed to the large single table and own room as promised on the phone - but, nah to worry, we had lost some and gained some people from our party so ended up with twelve.

The food, as discussed here previously, was excellent. The Pethis (or ‘Award Winning Pethis’ as we were corrected by our waiter) were yummy and Lynda and I shared the Monster Dosa. It was massive – it must have been 1m long - and had to be carried out spanning two plates and positioned on an adjacent table. Not that size is everything mind, and dosa was well yummy.

On receipt of the bill we had prepared ourselves to loose £20 from the deposit for the people who’d dropped out, and only see a £60 deduction on the bill. But I thought some lee way would be accommodated and, considering we still brought a party of twelve and with the supposed ‘good customer service’ Prashad pride themselves on, I thought the full deposit would be honoured. How wrong I was, and I we were shocked to see only £50 of the deposit was deducted from the bill (6No. people less that the original booking)?? According to the waiter, no deposit would have been taken for the babies and, therefore, we were effectively six people down on the original booking. I explained what deposit I had paid, and it was a total, i.e. per head, etc, and asked to speak to the manager. The waiter disappeared into the back but returned with the same argument. Not one for confrontation myself, I simply shrugged it off. It was £10 (well £30!!) on a hefty bill - a total of nearly £200!! Although generally generous, no tip was left on this occasion, however, it didn’t seam appropriate.

So all in all the food is good but we did leave with a sour taste in our mouths and feeling rather ripped off to the tune of £30.

I would like to think I would return one day because the grub is so good, but I feel we received pretty bad service, bordering on day light robbery, and I think my hard earned cash is better spent elsewhere.

Mumtaz 5/12/2010

Attendees: Gill, Rob, Izzy, Lynda and John

“Mumtaz has a little bit of a soft spot for Lynda and me - not 'coz of the quality of the food or anything - but because it was the location of one of our first dates. Years (and years....) ago, before Mumtaz wa the mega bling curry empire we see today, it was famous for having a menu where you bought your curry in either 1/2lb or 1lb portion sizes. Because of this we decided to visit. However, being poor students we didn't really consider the prices and, although not expensive, was still more than we could really afford, and, after reading the menu for 5 mins, had to make our excuses and sneak out. A bit embarrassing!! We popped down the road to the Kashmir instead.....Happy days.”

Well how times of change. Mumtaz is now massive – spread over two floors - and has all the usual glass frontage and stainless steel associated with the posher end of the Bradford curry schene. And even has a snazzy revolving sign outside and large Mumtaz engraved rock greeting you near the entrance. The vestibule houses a sweet counter and fridges/shelves stacked with all the Mumtaz branded ready meals, lassi, baby food, etc.

For what is, I guess, classed as a top end Bradford curry house, I thought the service was found slightly lacking. Although attentive to Izzy - she got a Mumtaz balloon, our waiter was a tad surly and forgot to bring requested water and also sort of threw cutlery into the middle of the table when asked for extras.

The pickle tray comes on a stainless tray with a sheet of paper identifying all the different cutneys. Novell I suppose, until it dawns on you that it is so you can make sure you buy a jar of your favourite on your way out!! The Plum chutney is pretty nice though it has to be said – really clovey.

Now onto the starter – Masala Fish – the best in the business I reckon, and is the only thing on the menu still sold by weight. Pricey but worth every penny. The vestibule area, mentioned above, also has a chilled fish counter with all the raw marinated fish on ice to veiw. I could eat it all day long and is probably only beaten by Kashmirs onion bahji – now that’s saying something.

My dopiaza main course was a little bit of a let-down. Although you can specify mild/medium/hot, and my medium was nicely spiced, it was very oily – both to look at and taste - and generally a little bland. My garlic naan was nothing special and probably came out of one of the fridges in the entrance rather than from a raging tandoor??

So, I don’t think Mumtaz is ‘all that’. The branding can get a little tiresome, but the Masala Fish is a redeeming feature. As of yet they haven’t managed to stick it in a Mumtaz box and sell it to Morrison’s!!! And, until, they do, it will remain, for me, one of the best starters in Bradford.

Bharat 30/12/2009

Attendees: Jeff, Jess, Fran, Claire, Ben, Win, Jaz, Lynda and John

At last – Bharat - worth the wait? The 3 to 4 month wait? I think so.

Barat is a small restaurant, decorated in the ‘flock wall paper’ style, and is tucked away, way up Great Horton Road.

I booked a table over a week prior to visiting, and I half expected (not unreasonably I thought) our table to be ready on arrival. Unfortunately this was not the case, probably due to the restaurant being packet to the rafters with people that appeared not to be any kind of rush. This was not a problem because Bharat is licenced, and it is amazing how quickly time passes with a pint of larger in the hand. We eventually sat down about 1/2hr later.

No poppadoms were offered immediately upon being seated, but were duly ordered, but strangely the ‘pickle tray’ that arrived only included onion salad?? We had more or less finished our poppadoms before somebody asked for mango Chuckey. The starter’s proper compried a wide variety of fare spread across the table. No mixed grill option, so I settled on kebabs. No complaints from me there. The pick of the starters, for me, was called ‘pastee’ or ‘patisse’ or something or something like that I think, and was a kind of spicy potato ball. It tasted strongly of coriander and was a unique and tasty alternative to the norm.

My Jalfrazi main course was ace – possible the pick of the mains around the table from what I tasted – and was a little different to what I’ve experienced before. Visually, the dish would probably not look too out of place in a Chinese restaurant, I suppose, what with oval plate stacked up with strips of chicken and peppers, and a loose, but good strong tasting sauce, over the top. The dish was slightly different to a normal Bradford Jalfrazi and well worth a try. My garlic naan was quite small and just cut into quarters on a side plate. I say small but that is when compared to the continental quilt sized naan breads, seen hanging from scaffolds around Bradford.

The service was pretty god and the lady – who seemed to be the top dog – was very friendly and accommodating. I like to see women working in Bradford restaurants – it’s a pretty rare sight.

So yes, Bharat was worth the wait and I think the Indian heritage of some of the food was evident, and made an interesting alternative. I will defo return.

Anam's 21/11/1009

Attendees: Gill, Rob, Lynda, Pauline, Tony and John

Well, the evening got off to a little bit of a dodgy start. We were supposed to be eating at Bharat’s, but me neglecting to book a table, and my lack of appreciation of the restaurants size, meant it was full!! Therefore, the decision was made to move onto the ‘next on list’, and go down the road to Anam’s

Unfortunately for Anam’s, the above episode had put me into a little bit of a bad mood, and Anam’s would have to be top notch to score decently. Unfortunately, Anam’s didn’t quite hit the mark, as far as I was concerned. No booze for a start – pox. I am not sure whether there was a BYO option. I got the impression it was completely dry.

Our waiter, bless him, was a little bit of doylum, and was a little slow, and also asked questions like “do the people who haven’t ordered starters, want their main courses during the starter course?”???. I thought it was a little odd to ask.

We had to order, and wait, for popadoms, which, with only a glass of water to while away the time, seems a little unreasonable – the popadoms were a little stale too I thought? On the plus side, the mixed grill started was pretty good – but not outstanding - and there was plenty too.

My main was pretty nice – chicken zera. Normal kind of tomato based curry thing really. It must have been pretty forgettable, as I can’t really remember enough about it to write anything?? My garlic nann was a little stale also – not ‘straight out of the tandor’ freshness and quality we’ve come to expect from Bradford??

On the plus side, the decor was pretty spectacular with massive fish pond, including giant carp and little bridge, and a massive stained glass roof ‘thingy’.

Overall, Anam’s was nice enough, but nothing special. If I lived next door, and there was nothing else around, I would probably be a regular. As it stands Anams didn’t offer anything to me to make to make me want to return.

Prashad 19/9/2009

Attendees: Win, Ben and John

And now for something completely different.......

Prashad is a little off the beaten track, being located in a residential area off GHR, and serves up totally vegetarian Indian (as opposed to Kashmiri) based menu.

The set up is a little corner shop, selling bread and snacks, and a little cafe, done out simply with plain tables and leatherette chairs. Don’t get me wrong though, it is pretty stylish and not at all ‘traditional’.

Much of the menu seems unfamiliar – good for a change – and lacks the usual korma, vindaloo, madras, etc of many of the restaurants we visit, and has a special section called Roadside Snacks. Intriguing?

No booze – but it was 11am anyway when we visited – so it was lassi all round. We shared a couple of dishes off the ‘Road Side Snacks’ menu for starters, and they were pretty tasty – kind of like an Indian version of nachos. In all fairness, although we ordered two dishes, taste wise it was difficult to distinguish – and they were served cold. They were supposed to be cold however!! Suffice to say that if the quality of all Indian Road Side Snacks is as tasty as these, then why are we not living in India?


For my main course I had Massala Dosa – like a kind of stuffed crispy pancake. It was filled with spicy potato – like a samosa – and served with a very thin sauce. Although nice I would probably order another dish next time. Like Bens Chana Massala (type thing). Yummy.

We visited looking for ‘Chickpea Curry Breakfast,’ which they didn’t serve as such, but were very impressed all the same, and I didn’t miss meat either!!! The food seemed lighter and fresher, and healthier almost?? The vege contingent, of the Glasgow contingent, of the BCC, was please to see a full menu of vege – rather than being restricted to one or two dishes as per normal - and I think they may be tempted to visit again, instead of the Kashmir.

The Prashad is defo worth a trip for a light lunch or something.

John