Stratford Upon Avon , arrived and I have to say I was underwhelmed. I was expecting a bit more. I dont know why but the place , although steeped in history , just doesn't flow in the same way as other places of the same calibre do .
So after an underwhelming start, in an underwhelming hotel we decided to go out for a meal . I must add , at this point re the underwhelmingness , if there exists such a term and if not I copyright that phrase , the busker playing the guitar at the waterfront as the sun set was an immaculate moment , the kind that sears into the mind . The sound , the light, the surroundings , all seamlessly blend into One another which you are one with , nothing separate , all the dots connect and you realise you are the Whole , enough of this wiseacre and back to the tale at hand
Rang and organised a walk in and the staff seemed friendly on the phone , so I thought let's give it a shot , Hiding my apprehension from the other half as I am used to some super fine dining out curry experiences , originating from the north west of England.
Walked through the door and by the authentic bollywood tune playing in the background I knew straight away that these boys weren't hiding from their roots and sucking up to the "bon ton" types - and they meant business.
Monday night , restaurant packed good sign. Bollywood music , good sign and now the secret of the secrets, I always judge an indian restaurant by how good the poppadoms are . I ordered a full meal from starters to mains and sides and didn't include the poppadoms, at this point , I hasten to add, I was in a very giggly state , which we shan't go into , why ?
The Wifey , who I have to admit has magic in her slender fingers when it comes to cooking ordered the poppadoms. I thought it was my day off but I was wrong , I had to work for this piece of merriment .
Quiet simply, the poppadoms were beautiful. Crispy, not oily , fresh and that certain snap you can only get with quality poppadoms. Yes , the accompaniments , the usual fare of onion salad, mango chutney , mint yogurt thing , glow in the dark red thing could have been polished a bit more BUT the poppadoms were a law unto themselves , requiring nothing else to steal the thunder . Good start
The starter. Wifey was underwhelmed . Her emotional output was underwhelming especially from my vantage - ahem , so I order a prawn puri spice and with a hit of lemon , wifey decided to share. I knew it would be good and I knew she wouldn't be disappointed. Boy was I on the money. The puri was light , not oily and beautiful to eat . Add the prawns which had a hint of lemon, raw little pieces of raw mango and tamarind with a dash of hot spices was like having all the sprinklers in your mouth , that make the mouth water, turn on all at the same time and during a hose pipe ban , as was the impression of stratford upon avon , it certainly was getting down into the roots and I felt myself start to feel nourished . Game on
Then came the mains . Tarka dal , garlic chilli chicken, chips , garlic naan. When visiting a new restaurant , we always opt for the tried and tested. A way to fall back on a sense of familiar comparison, we shan't dissect this any further because I could write a full volume of a psychological thesis and we aren't here for that . We are here to salivate and get the essential.juices flowing , and ultimately leading to a waterfall that bombs down into the sea of tranquil witn its comforting foam and gentle rocking as the river and the sea meet Only downer is that the garlic chilli chicken was a bit too sweet , other than that ... the chips, immaculate . The tarka daal , subtle yet packed a punch , like being punched by a beautiful hand in a velvet glove in the kanckers , each to their own I say . The rice that accompanied the chicken was cooked up by a Master , it had - and I kid you not , little slivers of just about caramelised ginger. Good Lord one hit and you felt as if you just had a ginger nut biscuit , YES Now the crowning glory. The garlic naan . Ran out of characters at
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