Hasan's, Kirkstall Road (December 2013)

As the end of 2013 draws near, it was over to Matty for the Christmas instalment of the club. In keeping with tradition, Kirkstall Road bowling alley was the destination for some pre-curry competitions and beers. After an age had past to get served by Bilbo Baggins' cousin, it was off to the lane to commence the first competition of the night - bowling. We soon discovered a 7 man lane was slow going, especially when technical difficulties hindered the flow of the game frequently. Queue the technician - Bilbo Baggins' cousin again who turned out to be just as useless a technician as he was a barman. Still, we did manage to complete 1 game, which was taken by Gled, before abandoning the lane once it had died completely. Negotiations for compensation went well, with a free voucher for another game the result - it’s a shame Matty lost it somewhere between drinks and 17 attempts to win a Despicable Me character from the rigged grab machine.

On to the second competition of the night, shooting some 'hoops', which Lee proved victorious with some last gasp 3 pointers. The game was not without corruption though as some members decided to play keepy-uppy with one of the balls during play - poor form! As the 2p slot machines got caned, Vinny & Broady gave themselves a fright with some 4D zombie arcade - steady on lads. On to the Cardigan Arms for final beers and darts. Once we acclimatised to the smell of farts, the 'homely' fire was lit, killer rules chalked it was time to throw. Corruption reigned once more in a surprisingly injury free game, but Matty was victorious once we had concluded the impossibility of Broady scoring 432 with 3 darts. Time to move next door for tonight's meal - Hasan's.

Hasan's - Kirkstall Road, Leeds.

Greeted at the door in reasonably busy, modern looking surroundings, the club was seated next to a table consisting of the Leeds Judo & Aikido Team - still dressed in fighting attire (no idea why), so it was a best behaviour policy for our members. Drinks ordered and poppadoms consumed, it was time to place the order. Our waiter showed fine knowledge of the cuisine produced in the kitchen as he explained wonderfully the speciality dish for Lee and informed Vinny & myself that the Lamb & Chicken Handi dishes were served 'on the bone'. The mixed seafood and meat starters arrived in good time and was met with a good reception from the club members, with the fish pakora, chicken tikka and samosas very tasty indeed.  On to the mains and again, the club was a happy bunch, with all enjoying their dishes - the Chicken Keema Aloo Balti a particular highlight. Unlike the lamb Handi, the chicken handi on the bone felt strange to have, but the sauce surrounding the meat was certainly tasty enough to make up for its oddity. With excellently cooked sundries, the club was more than satisfied with the meal and whole experience. Once Lee had figured out the pre-hot water towel was not a mint - it was time for Matty to pay the bill, and he had clearly raided his savings mattress as a large roll of cash was handed over. Cash is king afterall.

A fine, festive edition of the club was enjoyed but unfortunately the chink in Hasan's armour has proven to be in the next days 'gas factor' stakes - during the 'windy' journey to work the following day I had to check I hadn't burnt a hole in my jeans, something no man should ever feel it necessary to do. Season's greetings from all at the curry club and see you in 2014!

Thanks

Danny

Akbars, Eastgate Leeds (November 2013)

After a month long hiatus, involving a curry 'away day' to Reds True Bbq (which is a must for all meat lovers by the way!), the club was back for another season with founding member Liam 'Glen' Gledhill at the helm for the opening round - ding ding. And it was back with a vengeance, hosted on a Saturday night thanks to busy diaries ruling out the usual Thursday's. Club member Vinny Vine was still an absentee however, which left the door open for a special guest appearance from Andy 'G' Graham (again I hear you cry - when is he going to be bite the bullet and become a member!).

The 'top end' of Leeds centre was the destination for the night, where premium ales and beers are king - ask for a Carling and you shall be laughed away by the trendy sorts. The strong beers flowed well, along with the laughs, and Matty certainly enjoyed the rotation system on the comfy lounger at the back of North Bar! 

With the Froch/Groves bout in our minds we headed for our final stop for pre-curry drinks. Establishments with a screen are rare in those parts so choice was limited - but not so limited that we only stayed in one urine scented hole for 20 seconds. All was not lost as The Templar catered for our needs and had the bonus of a mean Right Said Fred working behind the bar, but I wouldn’t have said that to their faces…..Broady! One controversial decision later and it was off for our own main event - curry time.

Akbars - Eastgate, Leeds

The Eastgate branch of Admiral Akbars was Glen's choice - "our tongues can't repel flavours of that magnitude!" - and it was certainly busy with diners despite our later than usual arrival, but pleasingly this did not deter a friendly welcome by the staff. Drinks ordered, with a determined Broady wishing to add some romance to the event via a bottle of Shiraz, it was then time to select our food. Lamb Chops & Fish Masala starters, Lamb Paneer & Akbar e-balti mains proved popular choices but perhaps the best order for some time by a curry club member was Broady's oxymoron selection of Korma with a side of chopped chillies. Disappointingly, the 'Chef's Challenge' was left alone. The starters arrived swiftly and the full cod sized Fish Masala was very tasty indeed. Between courses it was noted an adjacent table had birthday celebrations which got them a free ice-cream sundae - and so of course prompted us to celebrate my fictional birthday in hope of the same result. With our fraudulent dessert plan underway, the mains arrived and again the food was tasty, although the 3 gents eating the Lamb Paneer all agreed it was a tad on the spicy side. That being said, the table was full with satisfied diners when finished including Broady, who had somehow managed to throw his chilli-filled korma all over his body. Curry done, Shiraz gone, beers supped, we sat back and watched our deception come to fruition as the waiters served a large ice-cream sundae to a chorus of happy birthday - back of the net! Or so we thought as Glen tells me they charged him £5 for it. Still, with a bill coming to £158 for 8 diners, beers, a bottle of Shiraz and a gilded dessert - the value for money was quite good.

All in all, a messy affair (literally in one members case) but highly enjoyable evening and no signs or reports of a bad 'gas factor'....but a few sore heads I imagine. Until next time…

Thanks

Danny

Aagrah, Chapel Allerton (September 2013)

September's club took its members to Chapel Allerton for Vinny's (aka. Vinoir, aka V Man, aka Vin Tage) debut instalment. Early indicators pointed towards a debut reminiscent of Jonathan Woodgate's for Real Madrid, with the original choice of venue - Arti's - turning into a Chinese restaurant, and the set meeting place of The Hummingbird being closed down. Still, good 'prep' from the host had the venue changed to Aagrah and pre-curry drinks began in the Mustard Pot. Fine ales and banter flowed with ease, with the penultimate destination providing some excellent 'scenery'.

Aagrah - Chapel Allerton

On arrival at the venue - slightly later than some desired (booooo) - the group was welcomed at the door and shown our table - small beers ordered all round. None of us were prepared for the intense forearm workout that was to follow as we attempted to tackle the brand new leather backed menus - "feel 'da pump"! Food was ordered swiftly due to the prompt service - which excelled throughout - with a variety of dishes chosen, but a few opted for the Hyderabadi (Hydra-Baddy). Poppadoms and pickle trays a plenty, the starters arrived consisting of Mixed Grill and Seafood sharing platters. Wow. These starters were extremely tasty and had just the right amount of volume for 2 to share so not to overfill before the main. The mains arrive, served by the chef who dealt with our request for a Curry-Vogue style photo-shoot in good spirits. Double wow. The food was met with rave reviews from its diners - it truly was delicious. And with enough left over to 'bag it up' (no diggity, no doubt) to enjoy the next day, the club was more than satisfied. Only a few weeks ago some voiced that Aagrah fell into the 'generic' category of curry - but when the food tastes this good - who gives a shit! Speaking of which…………..the next days 'gas factor' was mixed. I've certainly smelt better and was in the bathroom pre 9.30am for an extended visit, but with no signs of curry finger and curry breath thanks to the warm towels and mint imperials, I think it balanced out. Price wise, it came in at approx. £165 I believe, which is within the normal boundaries of an instalment. Overall, a great club perhaps only marred by the horrendous journey home involving 5 seats, 6 men and Kate Bush.


The club would like to take this opportunity to congratulate founding member Liam on the new arrival of his baby girl Winny. As a result of him dealing with nappies filled with sights akin to a Karachi main, October sees a 'sabbatical' for the club and so next review will be from November as the season re-opens once again.

Thanks


Danny

Karachi - Bradford (August 2013)

August's club not only spilled into September, but it also took us out of the LS postcode area as we delved into Bradford for Temple's instalment, to sample what 'the 2nd home of the curry' had to offer. Early indicators for pre-curry drinks led us to the conclusion that only Wetherspoons & hardcore Belgian trance nightclubs are open on Thursday nights in the city centre. No bad thing though when its only £1.50 a pint in the former! After witnessing a young lady in a wheelchair wheel herself to the bar, only to then stand up ("It's a miracle!") to neck her Strongbow, it was time for us to head to Karachi.

Karachi - Bradford

Having read that Rick Stein had championed this restaurant, good things were expected from the group. A Guardian review from 2009 said the food was excellent but the restaurant itself was a shocker. And upon arrival, it was clear they hadn't updated the décor since then, with our surroundings somewhat resembling a living room…..a shit living room…..with shit furniture. Still, I'm one for authenticity and don’t care if the décor is poor, as long as the food is good then that overrides all. As we sat at our table, the vin rouge began to flow - albeit from tumblers - and anticipation was high as we perused the plastic takeaway style menu. Not the best start as we had to shout the waiter from the kitchen to take our order as he was too engrossed in the cricket conversation with his chef. Anyway, he was a friendly chap and adopted the service with a smile approach. Looking at the menu, it was clear that the value for money was certainly a plus here - with 3 chapattis included with every main. Order taken with Rick Steins chicken & spinach dish proving a popular choice. Poppadoms ahoy with cauldron size pickle trays - nice. Starters arrive and the cutlery doesn’t - looks like we're dining with our mits. No bother. The mixed starter of onion & mushroom bhajis, pakora etc was tasty enough but nothing to shout about. Broady & Tosh Lynes' chicken tikka arrived as a full size breast - daunting! Still, you can't fault the volume of food in the starters and it was reasonably tasty. The mains arrive and chapattis come in some sort of plastic mini wash basket. Time to dine - but we need cutlery to tackle a curry please waiter! Cutlery piled in the middle of the table - cheers waiter. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that the food was a let down, with Rick Stein's dish a little bit bland and watery. Temple & Andre (guest FONO appearance) both enjoyed their dishes but the overriding feeling was one of disappointment, encapsulated by Tosh's refusal to 'bag up' the remains - unheard of. A tense mood of unsatisfied diners vs club host taking the food dissatisfaction personally concluded a relatively disappointing meal, but overall an enjoyable evening. Temple's cloak and dagger technique with the bill means I can't comment on cost and value. The following days gas'o'meter seems to be a positive one, with deathly smells and uncomfortable toilet visits nowhere to be found. Roll on Septembers club.

Thanks

Danny

The Curry Club is Born

Welcome all to our first blog. Stay posted for and link to our feed for all curry related news and reviews.