A. Butt, Food Editor for Asian Guys Magazine writing in the Lifestyle Section in Issue No. 2 With chilli's stuffed in his pockets, A. Butt sets off in search of the perfect curry. If you want to eat a good Indian meal, find out where the Asian population dines out as the saying goes. Chances are few leave their own kitchens or friends because there is nothing like home cooking. For someone that has been brought up on Asian food three times a day, venturing out into the world of Indian Restaurants can be a tasteless experience. Anyone with access to a local Asian population will bound to find a few gems around but venture out to the provinces and the formidable 'stock curry sauce' is spread as thick as roadwork's on a motorway. So with a handful of fresh chilli's I set off into deepest England to sample it's Asian delights. The bustling seaside town of St Ives, Cornwall, with its plentiful supply of fresh fish, found no way into the Asha, in Tregenna Place. My travelling companions, sticking to their faith of only eating Halal meat, requested from the waiter whether the flesh being served was Halal. "Everything is halal, meat halal, vegetable halal". We could not have looked more Asian if we tried, repeating the question, the Sri Lankian delivered the same statement again. By this time I was doubting whether halal livestock had every passed Bristol but took the chance and tucked into a Cornish Chicken Tikka. Thankfully the addition of fresh chilli from my pocket saved the dish from its dull dreary state. My companions who had suddenly turned vegetarian, waded through lentil soup followed by lentil curry, somehow the two tasted remarkably the same. Well, you can always fall back on the nan as a stomach fuller, but the hard pressed waiter rushing to our table with a handful of torn up stiff nans, suggesting that we may prefer the defrosted pitta bread instead. Negotiating huge discounts from the final bill, we staggered into the street in search of fish and chips. Curry lovers in St Ives may care to visit their Celtic cousins in Dublin, where thankfully the freshly made nan bread is some of the best I have tasted this side of Pershaw. The European decor of the Shalimar in the centre of Dublin did nothing for the treat that our taste buds were about to experience. With the slight rumblings of Indian music, the staff flooded our table with their home-made papadums, containers of freshly prepared chutneys and ground spices, match stick slices of onions dotted with fresh coriander. My companion's vegetable curry had never been near a freezer, perfectly cut assorted vegetables graced the plate floating in a thick spicy sauce. I doubt whether halal had reached Dublin either and wasn't going to attempt to try and find out and plunged straight into beef with red, green and yellow peppers. A most unusual combination, as chunks of pepper have as much flavour as a slice of white bread. Here the pepper had been well fried producing a sweet crystallised flavour. This was impressive food and judging by the packed clientele, I think some of regulars at the Lahore Kebab House would feel at home here. Here's an interesting idea; arrive from Lahore, create a typical restaurant from back home, provide quick, cheap food, set up where fellow Lahories live. That's just what this enterprising restaurant has done in London's east end district. So popular has this place become, that rival enterprises have opened up complete with the same name. I wouldn't waste a day in setting up a franchise chain and reap the rewards. If reading an Indian restaurant menu in akin to reading Sundays edition of the New York Times, have no fears here, the dozen or so dishes are marked up on the blackboard and displayed at the counter. The atmosphere here is pure Lahore, loads of staff shouting, joking, laughing, great flames shooting out of the clay oven, customers rushing in for take- a-ways, whole families taking over several tables, the presence of ambassadors, film stars, the occasional appearance of Imran Khan. Decked out in marble floors and Pakistani tables that would not look out of place in Park Lane, this place is as authentic as you will find. The dahl is exceptionally good here, with each pulse still holding its firm texture whilst floating on a stream of golden oil. The succulent meats and chicken, halal naturally, soak in the spices and flavour so typical of Lahore, whilst the fresh abundant supply of roti, reminds me so much of home cooking. My only slight disappointment was the vegetable curry, great chunks of potato and pepper work so much better finally chopped, but the rich dark red hot sauce belted out the flavour. What the sauce will be like at Zujuma's is anyone's guess, this is a new chain of Indian restaurants serving "up-market non curry", dreamed up by the food and drinks giant Whitbread. With around 100 branches opening soon, I'm eager to know what a non curry can taste like and how up-market can a curry get, and where did a name like Zujuma's come from, if anyone knows what this means, please let me know.... Happy eating. Asha, Tregenna Place, St Ives, Cornwall, UK (01736 795944) Shalimar, 17 South Great George's St, Dublin 2, Eire (677 9922) Lahore Kebab House, 2 Umberston St, London, E1, UK (0171 481 9738) ASIAN GUYS MAGAZINE IS A EROTIC ASIAN MALE TITLE FOR ADULTS ONLY. FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MAGAZINE IS AVAILABLE AT http://www.globalmags.co.uk THE SITE IS FOR ADULTS ONLY.
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