Breakfast a Study #4 - Cafe Regal

Cafe Regal like to do things a little differently - and at the weekend put on a Curry Breakfast Buffet!  Nice. I understand the cafe to be open all week doing brekkie, but from what I gather the buffet is only for the weekend.

So what do you get?

Cafe Regal.  Sweets on left - Restaurant on right

On a Bradford Curry Breakfast Mission

Well, for £4.50 (I think it was - something like that??), you get three puris, a cup of tea (normal or pink), which are both prepared fresh per order, and brought to the table, and then as many visits to the breakfast buffet as you can muster! The buffet comprised wet or dry chana (chickpeas), halwa (sweet) and roast potatoes.

Once the bread arrived I ventured up.  The bowls are small, but it doesn't really matter as you can refill as much as you like.  So I went for the familiar wet chana, topped with roast potatoes and drizzled in mint/yoghurt sauce, and a second bowl of halwa! 

With three puris the breakfast is very filling.  The puris were pretty dry, when compared to others I have sampled, were very flacky, and had a rather subtle flavour.  

Chana, Halwa and Puris - a perfect match 

I slipped up topping my chana with the roasted spuds... I managed to mask the flavour of the chana with the a little bit of a... well roasted potato taste!  The chana itself  was good, but was a little middle of the road.  It didn't posses the fire of the Sweet Centre nor the sourness of Mughals.  I don't often bother with the sweet Halwa when breakfasting but couldn't really say now, what with a big vat sat there.  I'm always happy when I do, however, and Cafe Regal's halwa was one of the finest I've tasted.  Lovely sweet semolina based bowl of loveliness to break up the savoury Chana and Puris.  Great. 

Pink tea is great

This was all washed down with pink tea.  I nice little touch I thought to include in the single priced breakfast.  Pink tea is ace, and nice and sweet and spicy.  Very refreshing.  

After this little lot, however, I just couldn't face a second second visit to the buffet!  So settled up and got off. On reflection Cafe Regal's breakfast was excellent, and the included pink tea made it all the better. I'll definitely be visiting again, but will avoid smothering my Chana with the roasties!

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.

K2

K2 on the left

So to the he recently refurbished K2 Restaurant on Lumb Lane I go.... Coolio.

Now under new management and apparently serving 'simply the best curry in Britain' according to the sign outside that is!  Well we'll see.

Nice inside now with high backed leatherette chairs, laminate flooring, magnolia walls and dark wood tables. Pictures on the walls offer vistas of the mountain K2, perhaps a little unsurprisingly, and the Eiffel Tower!  Once seated looking out of the large front window, the view isn't exactly pretty - instead looking directly at the side of an old mill... "Well, may I ask what you expected to see out of a Bradford Curry House window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically!"  However, I do find a certain something inspiring about the past grandeur of Bradford industrial landscape.

K2 is still a modestly sized restaurant - well compared to the noisy neighbour - seating no more than 30 diners I'd say, and has a little kitchen to the back.

The view from K2s window

K2 was totally empty at noon - inc. the staff! A bloke eventually wandered down the stairs and greeted me, and seemed genuinely surprised! A quick piny over the t-shirt and he was ready to go though!  Balti Gosht from the specials was ordered - off an otherwise pretty standard sort of menu - and a garlic naan (chapatis not included here).  No popadoms or anything were brought to the table either, but a small onion side salad and pickle tray did appear with the Balti itself.

My meal sounded to be being freshly prepared and I was asked how hot I wanted my dish too. Rattling of pots and pans and the slapping of dough could be heard over my shoulder, although I resisted peeping and being too nosy!

Balti Gosht

The curry was well seasoned for me and my medium heat request was bang on. A deep underlying sweetness was much in evidence.  A little oily/gheey but was dense with meat and with little sauce in the classic Bradford Curry way.  Chunks of tomato added a fresh dimension. Garlic  naan was nice and fresh and... well... garlicky - surprisingly!

Last mouthful and the residual garlic and ghee flavours mingle with the mild zingy heat. Very Good.

£11.60 "but call it a tenner to you Sir" seemed a bit steep for a £7.60 Balti and Naan?  Something must have gone a little astray there I thought.  I didn't mention it however.  More than happy at £10.  Fresh, unique  food (as in not microwaved mass market stuff), prepared expertly and with care is always is always worth the money.

So, perfectly brilliant Bradford Curry. A little pricier than the norm perhaps, what with having to buy bread separately, but still worth ever penny for the freshly prepared food that makes Bradford famous. I'll be back for more of that.

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

FiFi's Caribbean Delights, Morley

So Morley...

Errrr?  Ummm?  A town on the outskirts of Leeds, actually probably considered more of a suburb these days... and is famous for... errr... its Town Hall for one...

Oh and a Wilson's Pies Award Winning Pie Shop*...

And then there's Ernie Wise...

And now hopefully soon - well in my eye's any road - Curried Goat with Rice and Peas, courtesy of FiFi's Caribbean Delights.  (A full Caribbean menu is available)

The Curry Goat was scooped from one of a range of massive pans adorning the ranges of the open kitchen behind the counter.  The lady was working hard and had a mass of food prep on the go.  No reason to think my dish was anything other than fresh. The Curry Goat did as Curry Goat does - it was fairly mild, but rich and full tasting with the slightly fatty meat and coconut milk. Some bones but not many were present. The inclusion of chunky potato and carrot was a nice touch and added dimension.  This was a good Curry Goat.

I heard the pin of a microwave - which I assumed was the Rice and Peas - but they tasted good too.  Rice smooth tasting and well seasoned. Fresh and moist also. Good.

FiFi's itself was pleasant enough.  A few green plastic tables and chairs filled the edges of the space.  Not really a cafe cafe as such, but my food was served on a plate with cutlery etc - but did need a nudge to the proprietor who initially went to put my Curry Goat in a polystyrene container.  Nice decor too with good pictures of the Caribbean Islands and flags.

It's good to know these place are about, where you can get a decent, quick and cheap fill of some tasty fodder and I will go back when in the vicinity.

*Very good they are too

Spotted in Guiseley Train Station

Pretty Sweet

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.

NEW Pakeezah Food2Go Cafe

From the ashes of the recently fire damaged Ingleby Road branch of the Pakeezah Supermarket, rises a mighty Phoenix in the form of the Food2Go Cafeteria on Manningham Lane.

We first became aware of the Pakeezah Food2Go concept first simply through word of mouth, then through visiting the in-store eateries.  Although kind of glorified supermarket cafes, the Pakeezah Food2Go ones were excellent.  Pre-made curry heated up, but with fresh bread and grilled stuff.  An excellent idea.

Curry Deli Counter

So, now, the new Food2Go cafe is now open on Manningham Lane, and has taken the original supermarket cafe a step further... basically by ditching the supermarket bit!  On entering, a large deli style counter greats you immediately, and is stuffed full of say twenty ready made chilled curries!  These can be either bought and taken home or heated and eaten in.  Great stuff.  Then behind are the tandors and grill etc.  At one end (see picture above) are a few chiller and freezer cabinets with other stuff such as lassi, dips, chutneys, etc.  No sweet counter though I noticed?

Samosa Chat

For this, our what I'm sure is going to be the first of many visits, we popped in for a basic nosy and a quick dinner, so rather than one of the tasty looking full blown curries, me and the Mrs went for our favorite Samosa Chat.  It was fantastic here as it always was - not that was any reason it wouldn't be.  Now presented on trendy rectangular platters, it remained the same very tasty crushed samosas smothered in chickpea and potato curry, yogurt and sour tamarind.  I went for hot - so in addition had a generous scattering of chili and raw onion, and BANG!  It was hot!  Brilliant.  We also had lassi and a Falooda.  Izzy had chips.  TUT!

So if you've not ever been to the Pakeezah cafes in the supermarkets before, then now there is no excuse. They really are worth a go.  Not a  restaurant experience, but very good quality, plenty of variety, and brilliant value for money.  You can eat your dinner then take home another meal for your tea!  Double bonus.

Sheesh Mahal - Bradford

As my recent Blogs account, actual, real, Bradford Curry has been a bit thin on the ground for me lately - and I am The Bradford Curry Blogger??  This seriously needed addressing so,  with a hunger for some serious Bradford Curry action, I recruited the long suffering Big Tone and made a date at the excellent Sheesh Mahal.

With much excitement, I opted for the Mutton Dhansak - a dish I regarded as 'the best Dhansak I'd ever had' (here) - was teamed with rotis.  Big Tone went for Mutton Rogan Josh with chapattis (bread is included as is with many places in Bradford).  We shared Onion Bhajis.

A couple of complimentary poppadoms with some yogurt sauce and lime pickle soon arrived with a jug of water.  The Onion Bhajis soon followed.  Now, Sheesh Mahals Onion Bhajis are not my favorite version served in Bradford, but they are still good.  More thin and crispy batter coating quite large chunks of onion.  They are quite plain tasting to be honest but good textually, and when accompanied with the included pickles make for a good starter.

To the Dhansak - supposedly the 'best I have ever tasted'... but not today I'm afraid to say.  a bit bland on this occasion.  Still thick with plenty of meat, but lacked a touch of seasoning and heat, but was sweet.  Just lacked a bit of balance.  It leached a little oil too, witch is unusual for the mighty Sheesh??  Just a little off day for some reason?

Big Tones Rogan Josh was proper Sheesh Mahal fodder and seemed very tasty from the little I sampled.  So not all was lost.  Still a very very good curry eating experience.

Bundobust Stalking

Bundobust are getting themselves about a bit and getting their name out there.  Latest news seems to be that they are hoping to be open before Christmas somewhere down by Leeds Train Station.

However, today it's another Pop Up to celebrate the opening of the new music venue in the city - Belgrave Music Hall.  Billed as more of an evening do, with bands and several food stalls booked for a bit of a street festival, it did seem a it quiet when Izzy and me rocked up mid afternoon.  Thankfully Bundobust were ready to roll, and Masala Dosa was on the menu today.

Yip Skip Jump - one of my all time favorite dishes.  Vege, of course, masala wrapped in a crispy Dosa, made from a slightly fermented batter.  It's a great dish.  Bundobusts (as with Prashads) Dosa is fantastic. The Dosa  is slightly sour tasting, thin and crispy.  The Masala is perfectly seasoned and spiced.  Not too hot, but the thin sauce/soup (sambar??) ladled over the top packed a bit of a wallop.  All was cooled y a little coconut chutney over the top and a few herbs.

All was soon finished off, and because not much else seemed to about to kick off anytime soon, we wandered off.  Until next time...

Good times in Leeds are just around the corner.  I can't wait.

Cabin Caribbean Cuisine - Leeds

Well great stuff.  A quick Google search revealed this little place - Cabin Caribbean Cuisine - to be just up the road from my work.  Amazing what crops up sometimes - I never knew it was there.  And remember my old adage for not only curry based Leeds fodder, but also from my experience, most Leeds based fodder options - when in Leeds go Caribbean.  Although getting better recently, Leeds is still awash with chain/franchise eateries and, for me, generally offers little dinning interest.  However, a few miles north of the city centre, in the Chapeltown and Harehills areas, Leeds becomes alive with the sounds and smells of the Caribbean, and a number of such establishments exist. 

No kebabs/burgers/pizzas here.  Just
Caribbean classics.  Pumping tunes and a
BBQ outside too!

I am actually happier than I look.  Always a
bit weird sitting and eating alone and
photographing yourself!  I'm not a weirdo
I promise.

This small cafe is perhaps a little bit more take away than proper sit in kind of place, but there was a single table with four seats, and a small bar with stools around the window.  The table was presented with a table cloth and a few condiments, so felt fairly civilised.

Curry Goat, it just had to be.  £5 for a small portion (£6.50 for a big, but to be honest the small was massive), and served with rice, Rice and Peas or Hard Food(??).  The dish promptly arrived, and slightly took my breath away with it's size!

The classic Curry Goat with Rice and Peas.

Great flavour from the curry itself.  The goat was 'on the bone' but had been cooked to such an extent it had come away.  The goat was fantasticly meaty in flavour and high quality.  It melted in the mouth and had little to no grisly bits.  Lovely.  The sauce was of fairly thin consistency which mixed well with the Rice and Peas, and had chunky potato and carrot added also.  Spice wise it was just right.  Not too hot and had the lovely undercurrent of the mellow coconut milk to keep everything in check.  Hot clilli sauce was a table dwelling condiment if the need to spice things further was deemed appropriate - it wasn't on this occasion.  The Rice and Peas, were good too.  Perhaps a little on the salty side but once all mixed up, this was not an issue.

A great little place and is going to be a regular from now on I can tell you.

Bradford Curry Crowned Best in the Country

Bradford - Curry Capital of Great Britain 2013.

Photo courtesy of Akbar's

Congratulations to Bradford who have, for the third year on the bounce, been crowned Curry Capital of Great Britain.

Apparently a close competition this year with Bradford narrowly pipping the excellent Glasgow to second place.  Wolverhampton completed the podium.

Well done to all involved.

The Prince of India - Peebles

We ride... AGAIN... So we can eat MORE curry

I'll set the scene - A weekend mountain biking in the Scottish Boarders, and two very hungry Bradford Curry loving Brothers stumble into Peebles looking for a few cheeky pints and a curry.  The pints came without problem, but soon the rumbling tummies could no longer be quashed with Guinness, and the inevitable curry time beckoned.

Having been to Peebles cycling before I was aware of the end of the High Street sited Prince of India, and had indeed dined there previously.  I remember being pleased with my meal, and was the obvious place to head on this evening too. To be honest I'm not sure Peebles even has another sit down curry restaurant? We weren't prepared to look!

We entered a modestly sized but bustling restaurant - I think we were lucky to get a table.  However, it was getting late, and the punters soon thinned.  Immediately, BOOM... straight facing the door, we spotted a framed certificate declaring The Prince of India to be the winner of Restaurant of the Year at the Scottish Curry Awards 2013*.   WOW!  We'd we'd dropped on here - this was going to be interesting...  Two of Bradford's greatest curry eating aficionados pop out in Peebles for a swift curry, and end up in an award winning restaurant! Hmmm...  but how would it compare to Bradford, and more importantly Shimal Spice - Winner of Best in Yorkshire and Best in England too at England's equivalent awards ceremony?    

The menu was comprehensive and included many of the familiar dishes we know and love, along with mouthwatering Specials etc.  However, it was the prices that immediately caught the eye, and brought the proverbial tear forth to us short armed/deep pocketed Yorkshire men.  I've noticed in the past that curry in Scotland seems comparatively dear, and  I think the Prince of India is generally in line with this mark up.  

Ben and framed Scottish Curry Awards 2013 certificate.

But, for example, non-vege starters were just short of £5, most mains just short of £10 (unless you wanted king prawns in which case £15!), chapatis £1.55 (yes £1.55! Each!) and naan about £3.50. Now, I am always going to be biased but, in our beloved Bradford, and more specifically Shimla Spice, used here for comparison only due to recently winning the same Curry Award, starters are ~£3, mains ~£7 (£10 for prawns), chapatis 50p (and remember other places in Bradford chapatis are included) and naan £2.30! 

That's a vast difference.  But lets face it, it's all academic really, and essentially nonsense!  Folk of Peebles aren't exactly going to suddenly jump in their cars and drive a special 400 mile round trip just because the curry is a little cheaper in Bradford.  So fair do's, Prince of India is dearer - but it's all relative.  But ultimately how does the food compare to the best in Bradford?

I recall for starters I had Mixed Pakura (chicken, vegetable and cauliflower) and followed it with the North Indian Chilli Garlic Chicken (sounded suitably Bradfordian), and a Garlic Naan.  Ben had Lamb Sheek Kebab and Chicken Rogan Josh, plus Chapatis.

Well, the starters were ok.  I rather enjoyed the cauliflower pakura element of my mixed dish, which was crunchy, well al dente I guess is the preferred culinary term,  and provided the perfect transport to carry the delicate spices in the batter.  Ben's kebabs passed without note I'm afraid.  Mains... the North Indian Chilli Garlic was ok to good.  It was certainly lighter in colour, looser and saucier than a Bradford curry.  It had a sharp spike of heat in what was otherwise a fairly thin tasting sauce.  Strangely, Ben's Rogan Josh was exactly the same - could've come straight out of the same pan!  Hhhhmmmm??

Prince of India probably thought they had a couple of slightly tipsy mountain bikers here and they wouldn't notice if served the same dish!  Saves dirtying two pans I suppose.  So an otherwise satisfactory meal was a little marred a little by an apparent laziness.  But who knows? Perhaps the North Indian Chilli Garlic and the Rogan Josh were just too alike - but at the same time slightly different - and we simply missed subtle differences?

Overall though it was an decent enough dining experience - but not Bradford... obviously - and next time I am in Peebles I will be back in the Prince of India like a shot. 

*This was diluted somewhat when reading more closely, because the award is regional  Prince of India was winner of the southeastern region.  No matter, it is a prestigious award non the less.  

Leeds Cultural Curry Festival 2013

Lovely weather brought the crowds

Another Curry Festival!  This time in Leeds, and titled Leeds Cultural Curry Festival.  It catered for curry from around the world and included a few Thai outlets too.  Certainly varied.  Big too!  A lovely sunny day brought out the crowds and Millennium Square was stuffed.  Along with all the stalls, a stage provided cooking demo's and other entertainment such as music and dancing.  A small fair was present for the kiddies too.  A good family day out.

Bundobust Pav Bhaji

Although my best intentions were to sample some new and interesting food, the strong garlic whiff from Bundobusts Pav Bhaji pop up stall was overwhelming, and first port of call was here.  Although only a week previous I'd sampled this dish, it is so good I couldn't resist.  Bundobust is creating quite a stir about these parts - and definitely stood out from the crowd here at this festival.  I pressed again regarding any info on a venue yet but, understandably, they didn't want to give too much away.

Bundobust Pav Bhaji

Fish Pakora on Naan

Many of the other stalls were basically serving curry/kebabs on a naan - and this is what Lynda opted for.  Fish Pakora on a naan with salad.  Lynda is well through a pregnancy at the moment, so fancied something mild and not too demading. Her choice fitted the bill.  The fish was mildly battered and the salad and dressing were refreshing.  The naan was fresh, fluffy and warm. It was noted that many of the outlets had portable tandor ovens and were cooking naans fresh.  Very impressive.

Loads of curry everywhere you looked!

Later in the afternoon, once our initial meals had settled, we decided to share a second curry!  We liked the look of this stall (here on the right) and went for the dish simply entitled Meat Masala - on a naan of course.  It was ok - middle of the road and nothing special.  The stall certainly looked the part with the large hot plates all piled high with curry, but seemingly catering for a mass market - and who can blame them.  The Meat Masala didn't set my taste buts alight, and if I had had room for a third curry of the day would have gone elsewhere.

The Leeds Cultural Curry Festival 2013 offered a great family day out.  My only gripe is the same as with the Bradford Festival a few weeks ago, and that is that most of the meals were in the £5-£7 bracket, and offered a substantial meal.  Good value, but one is enough!  I'd personally like to trawl a good few stalls sampling bits and bobs at a reduced price en route.  Also, rather than everyone just serving curry/kebab on a naan, perhaps some more of this would be good?