[karuna]

Please give your recommendations for a good Indian meal near you!


It's my birthday soon and I've been scouring the net for vegetarian restaurants in Cardiff (that's Cardiff, Wales, not Cardiff, anywhere else) and I came across this place:

http://www.vegetaria...uk/default.html

Plus several pages of people recommending it. I've not been to India yet, I so hope it's like this....my mouth is watering. I will post a review once I've eaten there. Any other Cardiffians been there?

Edited by karuna, 31 August 2006 - 02:28 PM.

[john.sw]

Unfortunately, most of the "Indian" restaurants in my part of West Yorkshire are, in fact, Pakistani.

We found the "Goa Restaurant" and gave it a try.  Disgusting, overpriced and not Indian at all.  

Apparently there are some good Indian restaurants in Bradford, but I don't venture out much.

We cook Indian food at home from time to time using authentic recipes and ingredients, but I get enough Indian food in India and resent paying £20 for what would normally cost me Rs.20/-

I can't say about Cardiff... the last meal I had there was about 25 years ago in an Italian restaurant where we were served by a gay waiter on roller skates (presumably to distract us from the mediocre food!)  

[vinayverma]

After living in Londo for 2 years, I've found most of the so called 'Indian restaurants' have either bangaldeshi/ pakistani/Indian chefs or cooks. So it hardly matters as long as you walk in with confidence and order as if you are odering in pahargunj. you'll be fine.
from my first hand expeience:
London and nearby: Southall: good for Chola-bhatura (noone else can do it the right way in london), Jalebi(same reason), rajma and dal makhani.
Wembley: for Dokla and snacks. south Indian basics, there are amny sri lankan Tamil restaurants who are good for decent curry and rice plus free SunTV.
Leistercity is good for north Indian punjabi food.
Hong Kong: if looking for Samosa and Ladoo go for the Chungking Mansion in TST (HK guys would know that is for Tshim Sha Tui). Other areas are Veda in Central and Kowloon Hyatt and the gujrati place near kowloon hyatt (sorry forgot the name)
more later on Indian places in Japan, France, Canada and Carribean.

[sego]

In Toronto, Canada Indian food can be eaten in almost every major intersection. My favorites is Brar's in Brampton and Preets Sweets at Albion/Islington.

[karuna]

I've now been to the Vegetarian Food Studio. It's fine, the food isn't bad and there are some lovely looking sweets, but what really made me smile was the number of staff hanging around reading newspapers or chatting. It was just like what people say India is like. This tiny little restaurant had about 4 waiters, none of whom did anything the entire time we were there! Marvellous. It really whetted my appetite to get out there and see this breed of lacklustre staff in their natural environment.

One other thing I noticed, which waiters in Turkey are famous for, the kind of reeeaallly slllooow putting down of food on your table. Is this an Indian thing too? They walk up normally, and then very slowly, as if with ceremony, place your plate down. It reminded me of Istanbul, where it sometimes feels like you've briefly entered a timewarp.

[StellaP]

karuna, on Aug 31 2006, 09:57 AM, said:

Any other Cardiffians been there?

Not been there but, try heading west to Swansea, cracking place called Mumbai in Blackpill off Oystermouth Road between Swansea & Mumbles.

Not veggie but do a cracking Matar Paneer, - cheese, garden peas, split peas, spinach onion and a lovely creamy masala

really worth the trip

[iwanttogoback]

i've not been to cardiff, but i've discovered a great Indian restaurant here in perth (oz) - maya masala.

the thalis are great, and the lime pickle absolutely divine and the samosas just superb!

i'm checking out another restaurant this friday, i've heard they do a wicked lime pickle.

[neeleem]

Hi,

This is my first post on this board. So Hi to all.

I noticed the OP asked a question about Cardiff. I am from Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire.  I don't know of any veggie places in Cardiff but one veggie place that gets me going to it everytime I am in London is Jashan in Wembley. Their food is among the best I have tasted in the UK. The Chilli Paneer is superb at £4.75 for a huge portion. On weekdays they have a buffet lunch for £4.99 including breads which again is a good deal.

Also for people in London who like S.Indian food, there is a place called Everest run by a Sri Lankan Tamil family run as a café (not the posh restaurant kind) in Lewisham. Food is all freshly pre-cooked and on display and heated for you. They have everything: Chicken, Lamb, King Fish, Prawns, Squid, Biriyanis, Veg Curries. You can have a great fill for about £5-7 over there. Not the ideal place to go for an anniversary but surely a place to have a delicious cheap meal.

[iwanttogoback]

hi neeleem, welcome to the tree, good to see another foodie here!

[neeleem]

Thanks for the welcome   .

Yes big time foodie here! We (my wife and me) love trying out new recipes too. The recipe section here is very interesting. Might try out the Chicken 65 soon!

[iwanttogoback]

try the masoor dhal, probably the best thing I have cooked from here. ate it four days in a row, and it just got better!

hope to see some of your favourites posted here soon.

[kullukid]

john.sw, on Aug 31 2006, 07:36 PM, said:

Unfortunately, most of the "Indian" restaurants in my part of West Yorkshire are, in fact, Pakistani.

Fortunately for me I live at the otherside of the hills from John, in Leeds & work in Bradford, so i'm absolutely surrounded by quality Indian restaurants although like John says most are run/owned by Pakistani's, but why John says this is unfortunate i'm not sure, some of the best curries i've had in U.K. were Pakistani ones, they seem to make them a lot richer with more spices. Here's a list of my faves John, so you've no excuse not to treat Ruth sometime In fact let me know & we'll join you i'm sure Judi & Ian would be into it. Akbars is top of the list they have 1 in Bradford & 2 in Leeds. Kiplings at Greengates in Bradford is excellent, i've known the Pakistani chef there for 20 odd yrs & followed him around the different restaurants he's worked at. My favourite in Leeds is Tasty's corner kebab house on Roundhay Road (pakistani). Second favourite & 1 i've been visiting for about 25yrs is Bobbys on Roundhay Road owned by an Hindu family from Delhi, I used to have a business straight across the road from them, so was in there virtually every dinnertime for 2-3yrs their Pakora & Channa Massala are better than any i've tasted in India, about 10yrs ago they invited me to 1 of the sons weddings, what a feast!
Amazingly though there is only 1 restaurant in the whole of Leeds & Bradford that makes Massala Dhosa & it's strictly vegetarian a rare thing over here its called Prashad.
I run my own business & last year I moved from Leeds to Bradford into a shared warehouse owned by some Seikh friends of mine, imagine my delight when I walked into the canteen to find a Seikh guy originally from Delhi, sat on the floor stirring a big pot of lamb curry that was sat on a gas ring on the floor with a big calor gas bottled attached, i've never looked back since & I definitely can't look down my bellys too big! The other week he made egg curry & for the base he liquidised 3lb of onions, STRONG STUFF! Then just recently another Indian came to work here, who as just arrived from Mumbai but was originally from Chennai. He's in charge of breakfast ommlette with plenty green chillie & onions, last week he made a dish called budgie which is sort of a scrambled egg mixed with onion chillies & spices. I'm sorry but I have to go eat now! KK

[iwanttogoback]

Quote

last week he made a dish called budgie which is sort of a scrambled egg mixed with onion chillies & spices. I'm sorry but I have to go eat now!

ooh, that is soooo good for brekkie, had it in Mumbai. I thought there was a recipe for it here, but I can't find it. basically, I thinks it's an omelette with chili, onion, ginger and/or garlic.

[kullukid]

iwanttogoback, on Oct 13 2006, 02:37 PM, said:

ooh, that is soooo good for brekkie, had it in Mumbai. I thought there was a recipe for it here, but I can't find it. basically, I thinks it's an omelette with chili, onion, ginger and/or garlic.

I've just asked him how it's made:
Fry some onions until soft add salt, garam massala, tumeric & green chillies then mix in the egg & keep stirring.    KK

[Judi]

Drool, Drool

Yep, count us in for another Indian meal (and soooooon, please!).

[iwanttogoback]

I knew there was a recipe here!! thanks kk, it is a great start to the day.

[Somerset]

Gaylord's, Ghiradelli Square, San Francisco, had the best Indian food I've found in the US. Hope it is still good. Better than any on 6th St in Manhattan. Some good S. Indian restaurants in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY. The ones on Devon St., Chicago, also couldn't really compare with Gaylords.

Outside of that, best Indian food in SE US is at my house or our neighbors. Perhaps a bit of bias at work here.

[gautam]

As for the spiced-up scrambled eggs, please also refer to the Parsi style, with fried potaoes. There is an excellent recipe posted in eGullet in the India thread by PercyN. Not knowing the propriety of copying recipes and posting them here, I refrained. But the Parsi versions should be available in many cookbooks. Then, the Parsis also make a fry of chicken gizzard and hearts, called aleti-paleti. I believe a breakfast of the two together would please many a British/Britain-descended person with a tradition of a hearty egg dish with a meaty side ( maybe with parathas doing the work of a fried slice!!) but good with toast or that infamous fried slice itself!

[WonderWomanUSA]

Somerset, on Oct 13 2006, 08:11 AM, said:

Gaylord's, Ghiradelli Square, San Francisco, had the best Indian food I've found in the US. Hope it is still good. Better than any on 6th St in Manhattan.

Gaylord's has been gone from Ghirardelli Square for some time now; their restaurant in Embarcadero Center is still there, and punishes us with savory fragrances while on our way up the escalator to the nearby cinema.  It's awfully pricey, however.

[jyotirmoy]

Gautam are you refering to Anda Akoori?