AM Kitchen, Leeds (April 16...although held in June. Apologies!)

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.

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