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