"I'll be back!" said the curry club in June, and
true to its word - it was back with a vengeance for August's new season opener.
Host Liam decided on the out of town destination Farsley, as we welcomed new members Danny 'Grimmers' Grimes and Tony 'Quadruple T'
Tanner to the club.
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| You gotta have faith |
As the village of Farsley is an old stomping ground for
myself, I decided to bring a disguise to help avoid any potential run ins
with the ex-girlfriend. And the George Michael wig came into action within 10
seconds of walking into the first bar - The Village - with the aforementioned ex enjoying a
glass of vino 5 yards away (much to the amusement of my fellow members), but
thankfully this didn’t end up over my head as I successfully remained incognito.
Swiftly drinking our pints, we moved across the road to the New Inn to enjoy a
danger-free pint. Wig still firmly in place, the banter flowed amongst the
group and we were impressed by the New Inn's professional poker table for its
regulars. Up the cobbled streets to the Old Hall, which is a lovely
establishment, the merriment continued in nice surroundings, only let down by
the guy hogging the dart board, whose steely determination could only mean he
was in training for a big match up with Eric Bristow or Bobby George. The final
pre-curry drinks were held in The Bay Horse, where the group enjoyed a seat and
managed to subliminally persuade Matty to decide on a slow boat to 'the Dam'
for his forthcoming stag destination. Schlovely. On to Deeva for the main
event.
Deeva - Farsley near Pudsey.
The first thing to strike the group was how aesthetically
pleasing the restaurant is. Once at the top of the stone steps, Deeva
looks very inviting with its modern décor encapsulated within a
lovely old building. Escorted to our table by the manager, the club was pleased
to have the main man attend to its needs and fuel our sense of self importance.
With great banter, the manager has the group laughing as he takes our drink
order, threatening extra chillies for Temple when he changed his mind - a
drinks order which included new blood TTTT ordering a bottle of Shiraz by the
way #comfyearly. Talk about chalk and cheese for the new members, with Grimes
politely waiting to see if we order popadoms and TTTT swigging his Shiraz as he
bellows 'five more minutes' when the waiter comes to take our order. Mixed platters
ordered for starters, much to the confusion of TTTT, the mains were then ordered next -
the Hyderabadi a popular choice, in several guises with the manager very
accommodating to allow a mixture of meats tailored to each members wishes.
Other dishes included a Madras (oh Matty, will you ever learn!), Handi, Chicken and
keema Karahi, Chicken balti and lamb balti.
Before the starters appear, there
was time for Lister to wander upstairs thinking there was a toilet up there,
which the waiter found amusing so didn’t redirect him. The mixed
platter starters arrive and although tasty, perhaps not quite enough to stick in the
memory as a 'great'. The tender lamb chops a highlight but Temple reported his prawn puree
was under par. However, redemption was just around the corner as the mains came smartly presented by the manager's assistant, who's service
unfortunately didn’t emulate the high levels of his manager. A slight main mix up was soon
a distant memory as the curries were truly delicious. The Hyderabadi having the
perfect balance of spice and flavours without stinging the senses - which
judging by Matty's watering eyes and sweaty upper lip, the same could not be said
for the Madras in that respect. But the whole group thoroughly enjoyed their
dishes, with some 'best curry I've had' comments floated about and a
full house of empty dishes
The sides were a little less gratifying than the
curries, with too much garlic butter on the naan and the bombay aloo nowhere to
be seen, but all in all a fine curry establishment which will not disappoint
any of its future diners I'm sure. Coming in at a respectful £221 for 10
diners, its good value for great food.
Waiting to leave, there was plenty of cricket chat with the
manager, who was great throughout the whole evening it has to be said, and as
taxis arrived, TTTT's exit was worthy of note as he kissed me on the cheek and
left Listep's hand hanging for 5 minutes #snubbed. Perhaps the Shiraz was a
bridge too far for the new recruit. Mixed reviews on the gas factor front, with
some reports of clean, solid 'deliveries', and others not so lucky. But for the
curry club, as the late Paul Newman once said, 'Hey……….I'm
BACK!'.
Cheers
Danny
