After a 2 month hiatus, a
la Paul Newman in Colour of Money, The Curry Club ‘Is Back!’. No-one is
sadder than the members that we’ve been away for so long, but honeymoons, stag
do’s and weddings meant that it was tough to get everyone together. There was
even a last minute postponement on the cards as our resident blog writer and
lothario Dan advised us that he couldn’t make it. The rumour mill was in full
working order since we were clueless to his none attendance. We’ve since
learned he was calling the bingo at a local community centre as part of his
community service, great work Dan, great work.
So, it was over to TTT as Chair for this month’s club,
initially siting a place in Harehills for the meal itself. For reasons unclear
this was altered to the more familiar and traditional Leeds City centre, your
writer suspects a lack of body armour and grenades was the more likely of any
explanation.
Our usual course to the venue takes us to a number of pubs
and bars, on this occasion however we just propped up the bar at Wrens, a good
boozer. Real ale, Guinness and conversation were in full flow. The only thing
missing was Vinny, who by all accounts (his), was busy securing victory for
his cricket team.
AM Kitchen, Leeds centre.
AM Kitchen, Leeds centre.
After about 6 pints of our favourite libation it was time to
head to the venue, AM Kitchen, which feels like an old friend and is usually a
main stay on the Curry Club rotation. ‘Table
for 8!’ was the request at the top of Tony’s lungs and although the place was
pretty quiet, they sat us directly next to a lone diner. If this man was in a
good mood then we felt sure this would alter in the next 90 minutes.
Drinks ordered, it was time for the food. After the usual
attempted 'upsell' by the maître d', we settled for 5 mixed starters to share. In
fairness these were not the best they’ve produced, a varied selection and
perfectly fine – but firmly in the average column.
In-between courses the conversation moved from ‘Do pineapple
and fried egg belong on a pizza?’ to ‘Should Britain remain in the EU?’. With the referendum a week away there were
strong arguments from both socialists and capitalists alike. Never let it be
said that The Club doesn’t push the
boundaries, as this type of conversation is unprecedented. The main reason for
this seemed to be Dan’s absence as it seems he’s the one that steers the
conversation to toilet humour and ladies’ parts.
As the mains arrived our lone diner on the adjacent table toddled
off to pay his bill and I’m sure negotiate a discount for having to be near
such a monstrous rabble. Broadly speaking the main courses were below par.
Those sticking to the more traditional option seemed to be rewarded, while
those selecting some type of special were disappointed. No-one was interested
in taking what was left home, which tells it’s own story in many ways. The bill
was fair at approximately £20 per head but it is safe to say that AM Kitchen usually
produces much better food and we are sure that this experience will be the
exception rather than the rule.
Once the plates were cleared it was back to the hot topics
of the moon landings, 9/11 and the EU debate. While most were dealing in
opinion and dressing it up as fact, it was much nicer to experience healthy
debate at the end of a curry club. Although I do take exception to being told
‘You can all vote how you like, but if you vote LEAVE then you are wrong!’. All
these opinions did muddy the waters for poor old Tony though, as he still
thinks Brexit is something that McVities make.
MaTTy BurTon
