Dreams of curry rice - Al-Jilani Restaurant, 127 Bencoolen Street, Singapore

Long before we moved to Asia, my husband had already begun imagining how nice it would be if we could have curry rice sitting by a roadside in the warm weather on an (almost) daily basis.

That, to him, was the epitome of Asian living, and, I'm convinced, the reason he wants to come to Asia. Anyhow, since we'd been dining in the mall for the last week or so, having pretty much the same Japanese and Korean food all the time, we decided it was time to have some of the stuff he likes so much.



On the way from our hotel apartment to Bugis (amazing shopping where everything is $10), there is this Indian restaurant which we've been going by quite frequently. Everytime we're there, the place has been quite busy, and the food eaten by the diners there looked quite good too.

I wasn't sure if the waiters here spoke English or Malay as over in Malaysia, you're pretty much OK speaking Malay to just about anyone. Gingerly, I tried a little English and when that succeeded, I got a little braver.

This restaurant has a little rice/dishes counter where I guess you're meant to choose your dishes from. Thing is, all the time we were there, I didn't see anyone standing at the counter choosing anything. Plates of rice with dishes on them just kept getting brought out to the table by the waiters - but anyway, doing things the Malaysian way, we stood at the counter and picked out what we wanted to have.

Plus, that way, you can kinda ask for more.

Roti telur (eggy bread)

We ordered this mainly to compare this place to the ones we're familiar with (Kanna Curry House) and found it to be a little tough in comparison. Maybe it had been made earlier on and been sitting there for a bit, but taste-wise it was nice. Curry sauce was tasty, can't say too much else about this/

Briyani rice with curry chicken

Surprisingly flavourful. I say surprisingly because having tasted the roti telur above, I wasn't that confident about how the rice would be. Served lukewarm (party my fault since I spent about 5 minutes taking pictures), the rice was perfectly seasoned. The curry sauce was delicate and just about right in the spicy department, while the chicken remained very tender and fell apart at a mere push with the fork.

The whole meal including a S$2 packet of takeaway vegetables came up to S$12.40. Is that cheap? Is that expensive? Not a clue. Enjoyable, though, and we continued our evening having a stroll around the neighbourhood.

Needoo Grill, 87 New Road, Whitechapel, E1 1HH, London

Where did we usually go for curry? Easy peasy. It if it was Southern Indian, then we went to Suvai or Chennai Dosa in East Ham. Otherwise, we'd usually go to Lahore Kebab House, Mirch Masala or New Tayyabs, all located in the Whitechapel area. So, when a family friend suggested we go try out Needo, I was fairly sceptical.



How glad I am now though that we went to try it out. It is my new favourite, and I'll make it my objective to try everything here at least once.

Apparently, the former manager of Tayyab's is now running this place. I'm not sure how that affects the cooking here, unless the manager's also the chef, but I can tell you for a fact that the food here is definitely pleasing. We ordered numerous items from the menu, and all of them delivered. Not only was the service fast and efficient, but the waiting staff managed to put up with our very loud group, and also excessive photo-taking from my part.



Also, this is perhaps the first curry restaurant I've been to where they offered to change my plates in between courses.

Because we were there at the invitation of our family friend, Uncle T, I'm not sure what was ordered - only that plate after plate of food kept coming to the table all through the meal. Every time I finished photographing one plate, another one would turn up (husband was kept very happy at the thought of all this continuous flow of food, can't blame him). So, if descriptions and names are kept vague, it's because I'm not sure what it was.

(UPDATE: They have a website, so now I have dish names, hooray)



Pakoras / Onion bhaji £1.20 per portion

I'm not sure if I had this ... I might have. Either way, everything else was good so I'm sure this would have been to. Must make a point of trying this next time I go there.



Shami kebab £0.80 each

These patties are made from a mixture of minced meat and chickpeas. There is something very similar to it in Malaysia, and you can find it at the 'nasi campur' (economy rice) stalls. Usually made with mashed potatoes and minced meat, the little patties are coated in a batter and then deep fried. Eating this is similar to eating a hash brown, but with minced meat in it, and also slightly thicker and fluffier. This one was nice, though I only had half of one (I didn't know when the plates would stop coming, so thought I'd better slow it down a little).



Grilled meats (Seekh kebab £0.80 each, lamb chops £4 for 6 pieces, chicken tikka £3 for 5 pieces) or you could get Needo's Mixed Grill for £10 (combination of the meats)

The usual suspects - seekh kebab (minced lamb), chicken kebab, and some other form of grilled lamb (come on, don't pretend you've never had this before). As it was brought to the table, with the little sizzling spits and fanfare, there were lots of ooohs and aaahs from the diners at the table. As more and more plates of this came out, slight worry started to set in (for me, anyway).

My mom though, ate on happily, thinking that those items were the main course.



How does this compare to Lahore's grilled meats? Well, and this is my opinion alone, I thought that in terms of the lamb chops, both places had similar standards - both textures and tastes were good. I probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart in a taste test.



In terms of the other stuff, the grilled chicken and seekh kebab at Needo's was more juicy and tender compared to the ones at Lahore. I'm not sure why this is so, but the ones we've had at Lahore have been quite dry and almost hard to chew on. A quick check around the table confirmed my opinion, so I guess we'll be coming back here for grilled meats next time.

Chilli paneer £3 for 5 pieces

This was the first time I'd had grilled paneer, and while there was nothing particularly surprising about the texture of it (unless you've never had paneer before, then, SURPRISE!) but as you can see, there's some sort of chilli marinade around the cheese, which brought out a nice, slightly tangy, smoky flavour to it.

Texture-wise, it was similar to that of grilled halloumi, in that it squeaked a little when chewed on. I love how halloumi squeaks. Makes me feel as though my molars are nice and clean. I'm sure that's not the case.

Sauces sitting pretty in a row - chilli, yoghurt and mint, mango chutney

The naan bread here (couldn't find the plain naan price on the menu, but I reckon it's about £2) is one of the nicest I've had. Not only is it soft and fluffy, but they use something here to make it one of the most fragrant naans I've had. Tasted like butter, perhaps it was ghee? Each soft and chewy mouthful was absolutely wonderful, I didn't need any curry sauces to spice it up, the naan bread alone was tasty enough.

OK now we get to the REALLY vague bits - the curries. When we were ordering, there was something about 'What do you wanna have?' going around the table. We suggested bhindi gosht (because we're boring like that and order the same thing everywhere we go) and also fish curry of some sort, but there were 5 curries brought to the table.

Somewhere along the table, I'm sure I heard the words 'chickpea curry' being mentioned, so I'm sure this balti above is that. I mean, it certainly looks like it, doesn't it? I remember what it tastes like though, so don't you go jumping off to another more reputable, interesting blog just yet ... It tasted nice. There. OK OK, the chickpeas were cooked perfectly - al dante - and the spices were just right to bring out the best of the chickpeas.

After this, I can't even pretend to know what was what, so let's just say - I enjoyed every one of those curries very much. Not only were they tasty, and the meat tender without being stringy, but there was a pleasant lack of grease in the curries so for that alone, it scores extra points.



We really enjoyed ourselves here. The waiting staff were more than happy to accommodate our strange requests (to take lots of pics in a curry restaurant), they didn't mind the fact that we were making lots of noise, the service was quick and efficient, and for you footie fans out there, they have a flat screen TV (which was showing Man U and some other team at the time) so if the conversation runs dry, there's always the telly to cheer you up.

On the way out, we then discovered the whole array of grilled items by the counter which we completely missed on the way in, in our haste to meet our friends.



The chef dude standing at the counter actually asked me to keep him in the photo while I was busy snapping away, and since there's nothing better than the backdrop of a guy waving behind samosas, here is the picture.



We're definitely making another visit to this place. Lots of other stuff we haven't tried.

Lahore Kebab House (Review no. 3), 2 Umberston Street, London, E1 1PY

The other reviews of this restaurant are here and here (pictures of the exterior and interior of the restaurant are there also).

We were dining with some friends this time, and it was very cold so I didn’t stop to take any pictures of the outside of the place. When we got in, my ‘get food’ mode jumped start into action and I spent the time trying to get the table instead of doing what I should have done, which was to take pictures of the place.

No dedication at all, I say.

Now, the menu is here really quite small, as in, the laminated menu takes up 2 sides of an A4 paper, and is folded in half, with the first page just being the logo and information. If you come here quite often, like we do, it’s possible to try almost every dish on the menu within the first few visits.

But we still stick with the same tried and tested dishes. When you’re hungry, the last thing you wanna do is mess the order up.

Chicken and seekh kebabs, £1 each

Ordered mainly because it was one of the cheapest items on the menu, but they turned out surprisingly nice. There was a slight grilled taste to it, and the spices in the meat were well balanced.

Service was quite slow when we were here, mainly because the restaurant was full and with big groups of diners. The first bit of our starter arrived about half an hour after we ordered it, with the lamb chops nowhere to be seen.

The waiter then came back and said that the lamb chops would be another 10 minutes, so would we like the main meal first?

Er, yes, whatever you have is good for us.

The lamb chops then curiously appeared a minute after the guy left. What was going on in the kitchen, I don’t know.

Grilled lamb chops, £7.50

This is one of the most popular items on the menu. From the first time we came (when someone recommended it to us) up to now, we’re still ordering this dish and it’s oh so niiiiice.

Not big enough portions by any means, but the ickle pieces of lamb are spiced just right, meat just tender enough, and I really really like holding the little chops by the bone and nibbling on the bits of meat that absolutely refuse to budge.

It’s so satisfying when that last little bit of meat comes off the bone.

Cheese naan, £2

The cheeses used in Indian cuisine is very different from the ones used in Western cuisine. Well, it’s called paneer, for one. I’m sure Wikipedia has lots of interesting information about the differences between the cheeses, but I wasn’t interested in copying and pasting, so I’ll tell you what my opinion is instead.

Paneer tastes more creamy than say, Cheddar which is slightly sharper in taste. Texture-wise, it is almost like halloumi with a slight squeak to it when chewed, and it’s almost plasticky.

When used in naan, it made the naan more dense and just that little bit more milky than it would have been with another type of cheese.

Sag paneer £5.50

Nice green gooey spinach with cubes of paneer. Still unsure if the cheese and grease negates the goodness of the spinach, but will not question it at this point in time. Best not to in the middle of a curry meal anyway.

Mixed vegetable curry £5.50

We ordered this because lots of people from the other tables seemed to be ordering it. As they say, no time like this time to be sheep-like. Nice, but not ‘wow-I-never-knew-vegetables-could-taste-like-this’ nice. More like ‘I-kinda-would-have-thought-vegetables-mixed-in-curry-would-have-been-like-this’ nice.

Lots of potatoes in here. Huge, shouting and singing potatoes.

Fish curry £7

The bf had this when he came here the last time with his friends, and couldn’t stop going on about it. So we just HAD to order this, and it didn’t disappoint. Generous pieces of white flaky fish, in a nice delicately flavoured curry.

Methi gosht £7

Originally meant to be bhindi gosht (okra with lamb). The waiter came by after all the dishes had been served, and said that they didn’t have any okra left, so we ordered the most similar thing to it, which was this. It tasted almost like bhindi gosht, just without the okra. Can’t describe curry, try as I might. Just that it was really nice, quite comforting and warming, and the meat absorbed the flavour well.

Would I recommend this restaurant? I’ll say outright that I do recommend it, and although it doesn’t have too many dishes on the menu, they do most of the dishes excellently, and it’s worth giving them a try.

Nearest tube station: Aldgate East

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Lahore Kebab House, 2 Umberston Street, Whitechapel, London

It’s not often that people have their company dinners in a kebab house, and lots of groups seem to do that here, so you know this place is good.

I’ve been here before, and like how the menu is basically an A4 laminated paper instead of some Yellow Pages style wedge.

Lamb chop £7 (you have to try this one out)

This is such a fantastic dish, I don’t really want anyone to know about it, but hey, call me generous (and buy me dinner). Recommended to us by a friend who knows his stuff, this is one dish we order each time we’re here, despite it being one of the pricier items, and there isn’t much of it either on the plate.

When it arrives at the table, you’d better beat the other diners to it. Even if you have to hold it caveman-style, while tearing at the meat with your gnashers, it’s worth the effort.

Marinated in some of the most delicious spices (so delicious I don’t know what it is), these little chops are grilled till just cooked, so that they’re not chewy but incredibly soft and tender to the bite.

Chicken tikka curry £5.50

Very often, the curries with the vague names (ie medium meat curry) turn out to be the best dishes in the meal. I’m not saying that chicken tikka curry is not specific enough (after all, you know it’s chicken which is a starting point) but I guess the type of curry it is, is to be determined. Not that I know the difference anyway between one spicy-looking orange dish from another.

Taste-wise, it was curry-ish. With such obvious talent for describing food, I’d place bets on myself becoming one of the most successful food bloggers soon (as in, I’d place the bets soon, not become successful soon).

Sag paneer £5.50

When my friend asked if we could order this, she almost apologetically implied that it would be quite a gooey dish, thus an acquired taste for most. Thing is, I have eaten other versions of this dish elsewhere before, and quite like the gooey-ness, although it does get a bit much after a few mouthfuls. I’m all up for green cheesey spinach, but there’s only so much of that one can take.

Thus it was almost quite disappointing when this dish arrived at the table, goo-free. It seems the type of cheese, or paneer, they use here is quite different from the ones used in other places. The ones here stay cube-like, goo-free, and taste like tofu. Not necessarily a bad thing as I quite like tofu, and overall, this meant that the dish maintained its green, fresh taste without being blanded out by the cheese.

Quail curry £7

Not often do you see quail curry on a menu. Not often do you see quail anything, actually. Since a quail is less than half the size of the balti dish, that kind of half poultry looking thing on the left of the picture is the quail. Not much meat on it, to be honest, and if the prices for both chicken and quail curries are the same, you get more value for money with the chicken. I know they don’t give you the WHOLE chicken, but it’s still more than what you get from the quail.

Fish curry £5.50

This place gets their fish curry just right; not too cooked but just to the perfect texture. It doesn’t specify what fish it was, but it was flaky and lovely, with quite a few pieces in the dish too. Taste-wise, I couldn’t really tell the curries apart, besides what meat was used in it, so I won’t even try to describe it here. Spicy, perhaps.

Would I recommend this place? Most definitely, I wouldn’t have reviewed it twice otherwise.

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This’n’That, 3 Soap Street, Manchester (Review no. 2)

Check the first one out here. Like I said before, why try something new when you know what you like (this joke’s getting pretty used by now, so I’ll stop here).

When we were in Manchester some weeks ago, we knew what we HAD to have for lunch. Previously, This’n’That had small windows in the day when they were open, so it was kind of a 50:50 whether it was opened when you got there or not. They’ve extended their opening hours now, and are open Sundays, so there’s no need to bring along some sustenance in case it’s shut.

Most of the reviews on this place mention something about what it looks like, something along the lines of ‘moderately furnished’. Seeing as I’m not a person who can describe things very well, I figured I’d take a picture of it instead.

Picnic chairs and tables is as descriptive as I can get. But don’t let this fool you. Behind these plastic chairs and tables are some of the nicest curry dishes you can find in Manchester.

It’s an easy concept, really. You don’t pay for their high-street rent, so the food is cheap. The restaurant’s been there for years, so they’ve had plenty of practice at what they do.

Their menu is certainly quite tiny, and stuck on the wall with little squares for different days. Organisational skills - so much easier for the customer.

This nice man puts whatever you point to onto the plate, and he doesn’t skimp on it either. Whatever you point to, he heaps onto the plate.

With such an easy ordering process, it takes alot of effort not to point at everything. This is what I had (cost about £4 per plate). Cabbage of some sort, spinach and lamb curry, and potatoes at the top of the plate.

The potatoes were fluffy and not too spicy, the spinach was so tender and cooked so well with the lamb, and the cabbage was slightly soft but flavourful, with some spices used in the cooking.

The best thing on the plate was the rice. Don’t get me wrong, everything else was just so tasty, but the rice was even tastier than its friends. It must have been cooked in some stock or something, which made each bit of rice fluffy and tasty, even when eaten on its own.

This is why you should control that finger, and not let it point at everything.

As I look at this mountain, my head starts bobbing to the tunes of ‘You Can’t Touch This’, by MC Hammer. But, I’m not the kind to be easily defeated by a plate of food, so with rolled-up sleeves, utensils in both hands, and the song still going, I set off on the plate.

As a friend says, ‘If everyone has a few mouthfuls, it’s all gone.’

(No one’s having a few mouthfuls of this)

A similar-looking plate, but this one was my friend’s. She, too, set off looking determined to defeat the plate, although the soundtrack was probably something different, something more current perhaps.

To prove that the pics weren’t of the same plate of food, this one has some keema curry on it, pretty much minced meat curry. The little green chillies you see on the plate above were consumed by my friend, who then sweated quite profusely.

Would I come back to this place? Definitely, every time we’re in Manchester. The thing is, it’s quite a small place so I don’t reckon I want to share this with too many people.

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