Trampy and The Tramp's Glasgow of Curry

Akbar's, Charing Cross
Authentic(?) Curryhouse, Partick
Assam's Cafe, Edinburgh
Shezan, Cathcart Road
Charcoals, City Centre
Cafe Darna, St George's Road
Kama Sutra, Sauchiehall Street

Just One Week Left To Vote In The Scottish Curry Awards 2013!

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 03:51:34 PDT

The Scottish Curry Awards 2013 take place on Monday June 10 at a central Glasgow location – but before that night of a thousand glittering tarka dhals, there's still the important business of helping select the finalists in each category. The closing date for voting in the Scottish Curry Awards – the Scorchas? – is just over a week away; you've only got until Friday May 3 to make your voice heard.

Restaurant of the Year 2012 was won by Rasoi in Lenzie

The 2013 awards contain more categories than ever that are open to public vote, some of them rejigged from years past and some of them brand spanking new. We rounded up the major changes in our announcement post a few weeks back, but here's a list of the categories, starting with perhaps the greatest honour of all ...

Curry Lover of the Year
Team of the Year
Chef of the Year
Takeaway of the Year
Restaurant of the Year
Best of Glasgow
Healthy Curry Provider
Maitre D' of the Year
Best Restaurant Design
Best Marketing Campaign
Lifetime Achievement Award
Curry King or Queen 2013

You can vote in as many or as few categories as you like, and can do it all online by clicking HERE. For more info on the awards in general, visit www.lovecurry.info

SOME OTHER RECENT TATTGOC POSTS
Classic Curry Source: The List Eating And Drinking Guide Hits 20
Mother India: The Movie
A Spicy Bite Before My Bloody Dhalentine
We've Got The Skinny On The Scottish Curry Awards 2013
The Tramps Go Trippin' With Tony Singh
Valentine's Curry: The Vindalook Of Love
Sam Thing's Happening Here ... And Team Tramp Is Cooking Up A Storm

After The Gosht Of Xmas Past, It's The Sunday Post Of Xmas Present!

British Curry Awards 2012: The Results, Yo

Classic Curry Source: The List Eating And Drinking Guide Hits 20

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:01:00 PDT

Here's something that made several veteran Curry Clubbers feel even older – this week saw the launch of The List's 20th edition of their invaluable Eating and Drinking Guide. Since 1994, this standalone supplement has been providing detailed info on the best bars and restaurants in Edinburgh and Glasgow, steadily growing in size and content. The 2013/2014 edition features detailed reviews of over 950 (!) places to eat across the two cities, with Hitlists for different types of cuisine and additional curated selections if there's something in particular you're after, such as "Best For BYOB" or "Best For Taking The Dog". And God bless the hard-working team for taking pity on those establishments suffering during the capital's disruptive snail-crawl toward an integrated transport system – this new edition includes a list of "Best Places To Eat Hidden By The Edinburgh Tramworks". Talk about a sense of civic duty ...

But if there's one thing we love more than transport infrastructure here at TATTGOC Towers, it's curry, and the latest guide is brimming over with the stuff. We asked Jay Thundercliffe, the man responsible for overseeing the Glasgow half of the guide, if he could drop us a few hints about the spicier content of the 2013/2014 edition and he kindly obliged. If you imagine the much-coveted Hitlist in the Indian Restaurant section as being like the pop charts, there are a couple of notable new entries, quite a few non-movers (as you would expect in a city with such an established curry tradition) and a couple of big-name curryhouses that have – perhaps surprisingly – dropped out of the top flight. We could spoil it all for you here, but you should really go out and pick up a copy of the guide yourself, especially as it comes packaged free with this month's issue of The List.

Some of the places that didn't quite make the Hitlist but that still impressed the Glasgow team of reviewers include Yadgar, recent TATTGOC destination Kebabish Grill, the Persian/Indian Koolba (a great beer selection, apparently), The Dakhin and the Banana Leaf on Old Dumbarton Rd. So we asked Thundercliffe: had he spotted any emerging curry trends while collating the various reviews?

There's a common move towards more authentic desi-style, home-cooked dishes, seemingly to appeal to a more affluent and younger Asian diner. Though it's hardly a death knell for the traditional westernised favourites, which aren't disappearing fast from menus

Curry has also started to invade even more sections in the Guide, as more restaurants move toward buffets that pay no heed to international borders or boundaries – think of it as filling up a tectonic plate. Thundercliffe reckons the trend may continue.

Glaswegians still love an Indian buffet and we think we may see a future rise in the "global buffet" style set-ups such as the very popular Cook And Indi's World Buffet (which features in our Round The World section), whose Indian food is particularly strong

The Glasgow outpost of the chain Cook And Indi's World Buffet is on Sauchiehall Street, on the former site of Slumdog. It got us wondering ... would it qualify for an official TATTGOC outing under the (admittedly flexible) Curry Club bylaws? Worth a debate at the next official outing, at least.

Thundercliffe also pointed out the new Guide includes a couple of curry-related Table Talks, including an interview with restaurateur Nasreen Aksi, who oversees various west end Ashokas and the Italian Bistro on Great Western Road. And at the other end of the M8, there's also an interview with Hermann Rodrigues of Suruchi in Edinburgh. Thanks to Jay for taking the time out to give us the skinny.

It's also worth marking the fact that the Guide has reached the milestone of the 20th edition. Editor Donald Reid has written a piece covering notable openings, closings and other events in the Guide's two-decade history. And thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can even travel back in time to read the first Guide from 1994. There are a few Glasgow curryhouses who have achieved the distinction of being featured in both the first and 20th Guides: the Koh-i-Noor and Ashoka West End, as well a couple – Cafe India and Balbir's – that have endured but relocated.

A spotlight on "Scotland's only Balti Bar" from the 1994 Guide

You've got a month to pick it up the Eating And Drinking Guide 2013/2014 alongside the new issue of the List – you'll get both for a very reasonable £3.50 from newsagents, bookshops and supermarkets. If you live outside Scotland and want to pick up one for a friend, or relative you can also get a copy for the RRP of £5.95 from the List's website by clicking HERE.

(You can also read Trampy's List review of the recent Red Dawn remake HERE. Synergy!)

SOME OTHER RECENT TATTGOC POSTS
Mother India: The Movie
A Spicy Bite Before My Bloody Dhalentine
We've Got The Skinny On The Scottish Curry Awards 2013
The Tramps Go Trippin' With Tony Singh
Valentine's Curry: The Vindalook Of Love

Sam Thing's Happening Here ... And Team Tramp Is Cooking Up A Storm

After The Gosht Of Xmas Past, It's The Sunday Post Of Xmas Present!

British Curry Awards 2012: The Results, Yo

Happy 4th Birthday To Us (Now With Added Births)

The Tramps Take Easter Break; Get Caught In Candid Pose

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:44:00 PDT

SOME OTHER RECENT TATTGOC POSTS
Mother India: The Movie
A Spicy Bite Before My Bloody Dhalentine
We've Got The Skinny On The Scottish Curry Awards 2013
The Tramps Go Trippin' With Tony Singh

Sam Thing's Happening Here ... And Team Tramp Is Cooking Up A Storm

After The Gosht Of Xmas Past, It's The Sunday Post Of Xmas Present!

British Curry Awards 2012: The Results, Yo

Happy 4th Birthday To Us (Now With Added Births)

Mother India: The Movie

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:34:51 PDT

Everyone should experience Mother India. It is one of Glasgow's most beloved curryhouses. It also serves as the mothership for the three (amazing) Wee Curry Shops, as well as the adroit tapas of Mother India's Cafe and the handy homeliness of Mother India's Dining In, which is just next door to the cafe. They are all fantastic.

There remains another Mother India, though: the epic 1957 melodrama about a woman who has to struggle with some unbelievable personal circumstances to look out for her family. This ain't no picnic. Previously on TATTGOC, we talked to Monir Mohammed, owner of Mother India, about the movie and some of his other Bollywood favourites. More recently, we saw this poster in an Edinburgh curryhouse. And while yes, it does look like a bazooka, it's not really that kind of film.

Thanks to the internet, it is now possible to watch the original Mother India online, either in the embedded video above or by clicking HERE. It's three hours long, there are no subtitles, and you're probably watching it on a tiny screen ... but there's still something remarkable about the film. (We recommend switching off annotations to get rid of pop-ups, and in the embedded version you can even sneakily jack it up to double speed.)

The bit with the bazooka (it's actually a plough) starts at around 1:03:00, a musical number that starts off quite maudlin but ends up pretty celebratory. Soon after (at around 1:08:00), a storm destroys and floods her village, she's neck-deep in water propping up some planks to keep her kids safe, and then she gets attacked by a water snake ... Mother India has it tough. While it was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1958, Mother India lost out to Fellini's grim streetwalker tale Nights Of Cabiria. This lady just can't catch a break! In any case, Mother India – TATTGOC salutes you.

SOME OTHER RECENT TATTGOC POSTS
A Spicy Bite Before My Bloody Dhalentine
We've Got The Skinny On The Scottish Curry Awards 2013

The Tramps Go Trippin' With Tony Singh

Sam Thing's Happening Here ... And Team Tramp Is Cooking Up A Storm

After The Gosht Of Xmas Past, It's The Sunday Post Of Xmas Present!

British Curry Awards 2012: The Results, Yo

Happy 4th Birthday To Us (Now With Added Births)
Curry Capital 2012 Result: The TATTGOC Breakdown
Screen Queens Keen You Glean Cuisine Means In National Curry Week

A Spicy Bite Before My Bloody Dhalentine

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 02:47:38 PDT

Dakhin, Merchant City

The world's greatest Glasgow-related curry blog has covered most points of the compass on their home turf but in terms of official outings, the Merchant City remains a little under-represented. Although there have been memorable outings to Thali and Cafe India, the upmarket nature of Glasgow's swankiest socialising hub is perhaps not the best fit for Curry Club's humble blend of raucousness, value-hunting and Dexys Midnight Runners cosplay. But for the Tramps, curry-eating is not limited to official outings, and so it was that Trampy found himself in the South Indian kitchen of Dakhin one recent Saturday night, admiring an enormous paper dosa that shared the size and proportions of a bazooka. How on Earth did this come about?

The lamb fillet chunks were absurdly tasty

As usual, there's no easy answer. Trampy and four TATTGOC-affiliated pals – including Lime Pickle – were on the hunt for something to eat that could fit in the relatively short window between a disappointing afternoon of rugby and a potentially organ-damaging evening of weaponised fuzz-rock from revivified purveyors of penetrating feedback My Bloody Valentine. Unusually, curry was not foremost on Trampy's mind – the combination of feeling extremely full while being tossed around in MBV's washing machine of a set didn't seem like a particularly great idea. But after singularly failing to organise anywhere else for his pals to eat on a busy Saturday night, he was relieved when Mrs Lime Pickle managed to snag a table at Dakhin.

The enormodosa, snapped in half for health and safety

Twinned with the nearby Dhabba restaurant, some people struggle to remember which outlet does North Indian cooking and which covers South Indian. The way Trampy remembers it that Dhabba is at street level and Dakhin is up a flight of stairs. So if you think of north being upstairs and south being downstairs – and then, uh, reverse it – you will always remember that Dakhin is the South Indian specialist. Those enormous paper dosas being ferried about are a useful aide-mémoire an all. The upstairs dining room was large, notably busy and pleasingly bustling. This not being an official TATTGOC outing, Trampy could kick back and let others sort themselves out – and with time a slightly pressing issue, it was decided to order up a few mains and dosas and breads and share em round. But first: a round of Kingfishers and some notably authentic-tasting poppadoms.

While the lamb chops looked tempting, Trampy bagsied Varutha Attukari – lamb chunks marinated with ginger, garlic and Tulu masala, with a spicy chettinard sauce on the side. There was more chettinard in the Kozhi Meluga, chicken simmered in the distinctive black pepper sauce. Another couple of lamb dishes – including a spicy Masa Koondhapur – felt like enough to around, and as well as ordering up the Pathram selection of ground rice and lentil pancakes – among them Chinna Dosa, Sanna Uttapam and Appam – there was also a demand for some boiled rice. And, of course, there was no way the table was not ordering one of the incredible, drainpipe-y paper dosas.

Lime Pickle in typically pensive, thoughtful pose

With just one course, Trampy hoped that the food wouldn't be so filling as to cause mobility problems at the gig, and had vowed not to gorge himself. When the dishes arrived though, the aromas were so inviting it was a challenge not to simply guzzle one of the curries in one spicy slurp. The sizzling lamb chunks were unbelievably tasty, deeply marinated and with a pleasing kick of spice. The lamb curries were also delicious, and while the paper dosa was enduring talking point, the practicalities of using it to scoop up saucy curry weren't entirely reliable. The various dishes were passed around politely – no-one wants to be a Greedy Gordon and nick all the food when sharing in these circumstances – but Trampy did his best to make sure "his" lamb chunks didn't progress too far up the table; he just wanted to keep them within arm's reach, is all. With a London visitor noted for his gustatory enjoyment and food-hoovering skills, every morsel was eventually devoured, and while there wasn't the usual crammed feeling of a classic Curry Club, everyone certainly felt sated when it came to tastiness.

With showtime fast approaching, the bill was finalised and it approached around £20 each – more than acceptable considering the range of flavours on display. Trampy made a mental note that there was 50% of the a la carte menu when ordering during certain times; he was sure the Tramp would fancy a bit of this. In April, Dakhin are also gearing up for Vishu, the South Indian New Year in accordance with the Malayalam calendar. So on Sunday April 14, you can head along for a feast of 10 different traditional dishes, served over a three-course thali-style meal, which sounds amazing. And how were My Bloody Valentine? They got five stars too.

Trampy and his entourage visited Dakhin in March 2013

Dakhin
89 Candleriggs, G1 1NP
ph 0141 553 2585
www.dakhin.com

SOME OTHER RECENT TATTGOC POSTS

We've Got The Skinny On The Scottish Curry Awards 2013

The Tramps Go Trippin' With Tony Singh

Sam Thing's Happening Here ... And Team Tramp Is Cooking Up A Storm

After The Gosht Of Xmas Past, It's The Sunday Post Of Xmas Present!

British Curry Awards 2012: The Results, Yo

REVIEW: Twistin' The Night Away

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:08:26 PDT

Masala Twist Tikka And Tapas Bar, Hope Street

Traditions are important – like the metronomic whipcrack that keeps a woodentop spinning, they can stop something from toppling over by regular application alone. They also create the comforting illusion that it's possible to impose some sort of framework or order on the chaos of the universe. And there are few parts of the universe more likely to be chaos-filled than Trampy and the Tramp's Glasgow of Curry. And yet TATTGOC's outings are a strange cocktail of strict traditions and jazzy improvisations. (Actually, scratch that – it's never been that good an idea to introduce cocktails to a Curry Club outing.) One of TATTGOC's long-standing rules has been not to patronise curry restaurants that operate as part of a chain but, increasingly – like fraternal, inbred, idiot kings of a sundowning empire – the Tramps have been approaching things with a "why the hell not?" approach.

Perhaps this was why the Tramps treated themselves to a Tony Singh Roadtrip in February while neglecting to organise an official Glasgow outing – and when they realised that their busy social diaries meant a shrunken window of just one week for the next TATTGOC meet-up, they decided to slightly misunderstand and yet embrace the pop-up example of Tony S by announcing a Curry Club with just a few days' notice rather than the usually plodding fortnight of planning. Not only that, but it would be a visit to what you could nominally describe as a chain – the relatively recently opened city centre outlet of Masala Twist, sister restaurant to the original Masala Twist on Byres Road. Would the rest of the boys rebel at these two stinging slaps in the face of tradition? The Tramps had some sort of cover story prepared – the Hope Street restaurant was slightly different, in that it billed itself as the Masala Twist Tikka And Tapas Bar. See? Totally different.

If the Tramps had any fears of mutiny, they were groundless – not only did a healthy amount of Curry Clubbers respond to the call-to-arms, they also had responses from not one but two special guests from Big London town. Who could they be? Assembling for a quick pint of ale in The Pot Still, the Tramps, The Duke, Rogan Josh Homme, Sir Spicy Lover, Ravi Peshwari and Bobo Balti waited to see who the surprise faces would be. First up was long-time reader, first-time Clubber Kulfi Annan, who just happened to be in Glasgow visiting the in-laws. And second, there was the incredible return of Jalfrezi, one of the founding fathers of TATTGOC, who – along with the Bulldosa – had somehow become even more of a legend after leaving. All these generations of Curry Clubbers, from the extremely old to the brand new, came together to discuss a favourite TATTGOC topic: what they were going to have for their tea.

Always on the lookout for new openings, the Tramps had spotted the Hope Street Masala Twist – a first floor restaurant at the top of Hope Street accessed by stairs next to Jack McPhee – during some sort of shopping sortie. Back then, if memory serves, it didn't have the additional "Tikka And Tapas Bar" tag but that just made it sound even more exciting. The Tramps had gone even more off-piste than usual by organising their bumper nine-man booking through the 5pm.co.uk service, where the restaurant was offering a special £20-a-head deal with two of their (apparently pretty substantial) tapas dishes, sundries and three drinks. The simplified nature of the deal appealed to the Tramps, although explaining it to the troops took a little longer.

The upstairs dining room was spacious and very colourful, although quite dimly lit, which explains the slightly murky nature of the photographs accompanying this report (it's not just some artistic attempt to echo the discombobulating effect of three drinks). A long table for nine had been put together at one end of the restaurant, and there were various other tables of already tucking in. With Kingfisher on tap, the first round of drinks was ordered, as well as a round of poppadoms with mango chutney, spiced onions and, at the canny behest of Ravi Peshwari, lime pickle. Then the menu browsing began, since the "Tapas Twisters" section from which the Clubbers would be expected to order a pair of dishes apiece, was extremely long. The closest thing that Curry Club ever gets to silence descended, punctuated by the occasional sharp karate chop of a poppadom.

The genial manager explained that Masala Twist tapas (at around a fiver each) were probably a little more substantial than you might expect, so two per person was a good fit, even for curry veterans. Starters were also available but the Tramps made the executive decision to focus the troops on the tapas, and they ended up making their minds up relatively quickly. Some recognisable old favourites got multiple orders, such as butter chicken, lamb desi, daal makhani as well as lamb karahi, lamb jallandari and (nominally the hottest of the tapas) south indian chilli garlic chicken. But with two options to go for, the Curry Clubbers had also gone for more unusual dishes too, from the Junghlee Khargosh (rabbit curry) and Zyakedar Hiren (venison curry) to a special Subz Miloni vegetable curry and Choza Tak-A-Tak, a fusion of spiced juliennes of chickens, onions and peppers that was also extremely fun to say out loud. The Tramp, still in the throes of his keema obsession, also ordered the mince and tatties curry. Order placed, the table relaxed, and prepared for their second round of Cobra.

While not an entirely open kitchen, it was still possible to see – and hear – the cooking process taking place behind the bar. There were plenty of staff who all seemed notably relaxed, moving efficiently but not hurriedly, stopping to chat to customers and generally creating a laid-back vibe. Some Curry Clubbers had spotted a special section of the menu devoted to "Scotland's hottest chicken curry", an especially Vesuvian dish that had to be specially ordered. At £20 a pop, it didn't seem appropriate to toss that particular spicy grenade into our tapas feast but as hottest curry experiments go, this one seemed reasonably classy (and had garnered press coverage in the Scottish Daily Mail and Daily Record in the run-up to Christmas 2012). Perhaps the Tramps would one day be able to fulfill their dream of mortal komchaat – where Trampy would tackle a specially-created spiciest curry and The Tramp a chef's considered attempt to create the mildest, to see who would crack first.

A couple of the serving dishes

Before too long, the 18 dishes were ready to be served up. Some came in mini cooking pans while others came in pretty decorative and pleasingly chunky ceramic bowls. As part of the deal, the Tramps could operate a man-to-man marking system when it came to sundries, so they went for an uncommon 4/5 rice/naan equation, with two garlic, two peshwari and a keema naan thrown in. During the operation to fit all of these dishes on the table, it become clear that a plain naan had snuck into the order but the error was quickly rectified. Trampy had really just gone for the rabbit curry in order to have a reason to make jokes about Chas and Dave, but it was pretty good. The venison curry got a thumbs up from Bobo, who had expected it to be more gamey. The daal makhani also got the thumbs up, and considering the speed the keema naan disappeared, the Tramps might consider ordering two the next time they spot it on a menu. The portions of each dish were considerable enough that there were only a few scraps left over at the end of the feast. The nine-man squad was sated ... and there was still the small matter of that third drink, included in the deal. Oh my.

Yep, all these dishes were just for Trampy

A long time ago, there was an early TATTGOC tradition of finishing every meal with a brandy as a digestif. It lasted for about three outings. But since Jalfrezi was back in the bosom of Curry Club, and everyone was pretty stuffed from the food, the Tramps decided to resurrect the tradition for one night only. It was only after they'd ordered nine brandies that they realised they'd ran the place out of Martell – when they engaged with the manager to explain that, really, a few tequilas to make up the numbers would be fine, he revealed he'd already sent a staff member out into the night to restock. Thanks to that kind gesture, all nine Clubbers could raise a glass to welcome back old friends and new. And as the bill was settled – easy enough to work out with that £20 a head deal with just the poppadoms and dips to add – the ever-lovin' Jalfrezi introduced Sir Spicy and Bobo Balti to another TATTGOC tradition that had lain dormant for perhaps too long: the manly cuddle. A tear or two might have been shed ...

TATTGOC visited Masala Twist in March 2013

Masala Twist Tikka And Tapas Bar

261 Hope Street, G2 3PS
ph: 0141 332 6002

SOME OTHER RECENT TATTGOC OUTINGS

Kebabish, Victoria Road

Akbar's, Charing Cross
Authentic(?) Curryhouse, Partick
Assam's Cafe, Edinburgh
Shezan, Cathcart Road
Charcoals, City Centre
Cafe Darna, St George's Road
Kama Sutra, Sauchiehall Street
Yadgar, Govanhill

We've Got The Skinny On The Scottish Curry Awards 2013

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 02:45:13 PDT

The Scottish Rockettes – chai leaders, if you like – were among the entertainers at the 2012 awards

As former winners of the coveted Curry Lover of the Year title at the Scottish Curry Awards, we at TATTGOC Towers always take a keen interest in what's going on at the spicy gongfest, which was successfully rebooted back in 2008. The starting gun has just been fired for the 2013 awards, with confirmation that the big night will take place on Monday June 13 in Glasgow.

The awards have always innovated and there are some interesting additions this year, bringing the total number of prizes to 12. As well as familiar awards such as the Restaurant of the Year and the Curry King or Queen of the Year, there's now a Healthy Curry Provider category "open to all who thrive to give you good food the healthy way". Another new category is Maitre D' of the Year, a title that – considering the notably high standard of service in Scottish curryhouses – promises to be hotly contested. There are also new Best Restaurant Design and Best Marketing Campaign awards too, although the Best Supermarket Curry award has fallen by the wayside. We're glad that The Best of Glasgow award returns for its second year though.

The team from Charcoals, winners of The Best of Glasgow award in 2012

Many of the sponsors are still to be announced but those firms pitching in so far include Bank of Scotland, Goldstar Chefs and the innovative Glasgow-based design studio de:strukt (who worked on the most recent Ultimo brochure so presumably know a thing or two about best to show their support).

To keep an eye on what's happening, visit www.lovecurry.info

As ever, the organisers are determined to get the public involved, and you've got until May 3 to register your votes in the various categories. You can click HERE to nominate online or download a nomination form but don't worry, we'll be periodically reminding you as the big night approaches.

And in non-Scottish Curry Awards 2013-related news, that man Hardeep Singh Kohli is taking over Cafe India in the Merchant City for one night only, commandeering the kitchen for a night of curry and comedy on Thursday March 28. To book your ticket – which includes a welcome drink and a three-course feast – head on over HERE.

SOME OTHER RECENT TATTGOC NEWS POSTS

Sam Thing's Happening Here ... And Team Tramp Is Cooking Up A Storm

After The Gosht Of Xmas Past, It's The Sunday Post Of Xmas Present!

British Curry Awards 2012: The Results, Yo

The Tramps Go Trippin' With Tony Singh

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:30:00 PST

Roadtrip! by The Tramp

Regular TATTGOC readers may be aware that despite being fiercely loyal to Glasgow both Trampy and The Tramp have east coast sympathies – in fact, we spent all of last August putting a spicy spotlight on the capital. So we do try and keep up with all things foodie and/or curry-related in Scotland's second greatest city. One of the standout happenings of 2012 over there was the pop-up sensation Burgher Burger. The brainchild of Aoife Behan (now co-proprietor of Jelly and Gin dining extravaganzas), the Burgher Burger concept saw a murderer's row of high-end chefs rustle up a gourmet burger-based meal at various pop-up locations. The one that most got our curry senses tingling was the tasty-sounding Bhangra Burger evening with Tony Singh but, alas, the tickets were so hot that it sold out in minutes and we missed out.

So, as you can imagine, we were pretty excited to discover a new guerrilla dining collaboration between Aoife and Tony, this time dubbed “McT Singh’s Roadtrip”. The idea was simple – “street food but different. Scottish, Indian and everywhere in between.” How could the Tramps resist?

The first McT Singh’s Roadtrip took place in the comfortably relaxed atmosphere of Freeman’s Coffee Shop in the upscale Edinburgh suburb of Marchmont. Seating was at tables of six and we were lucky enough to be matched up with a lively bunch of pop-up aficionados who were out celebrating a special suprise birthday. The fixed menu was kept secret until arrival so the Tramps went in blind, knowing only that the price of admission also included a free punch (of the drink, not fist, variety). Of the six courses – all of which were excellent – three were of most interest to us from a TATTGOC perspective. So what did we chow down on?

Trampy attacks the Sambar

Goat patties, hot off the outdoor grill

The first course was Tony’s take on a traditional South Indian Sambar – with the addition of pork belly being the fusion twist. It was my first experience of Sambar and it got the thumbs up from me, the tamarind giving it a distinctive almost sweet and sour taste. Delicious. BBQ’d goat patties with lime and onion (mmmm) were then followed by spiced meaty salmon bones to gnaw on.

Then we came to the most unusual and distinctive dish of the night – Black Salt Corn. Black salt, aka Kala Namak, is a North Indian/Pakistani condiment best described as highly sulphurous (read “eggy”) salt. This was presented as a powder to coat our corn-on-the-cob with as you traditionally would use butter. Black salt may sound pretty unappetising to some people (Ravi Peshwari – I’m looking at you), and make no mistake, it requires a slightly adventurous palate. But it definitely worked for me and certainly got the table talking about it.

Black salt corn

Crackin' ... Dem bones

Hot on the heels of the black salt was the dish probably of most interest, and certainly most recognisable, to traditional curry fans. Described on the menu board as mutton and chickpeas, the dish closely resembled a classic biryani with chunks of mutton and whole chickpeas mixed through with rice and coriander, all bound together with rich, tasty cooking juices. It was fantastic and the only quibble is that even after all the preceding courses, us Tramps could’ve done with more! That was a minor quibble, as it left room for a dynamite dessert in the form of vermicelli in a vanilla butter stock with pears.

Mutton with chickpeas

Vermicelli with pears

All in all, it was a top night with great food from Mr Singh who gets a round of applause from the Tramps for combining lots of Indian influences into a nicely varied fusion menu. Before we headed off into the night – a touch flush around the cheeks after our own fusion of gin punch, cocktails and vino – we managed to have a quick word with Tony, and attempted to cajole him into staging an event in Glasgow. The good news is he’s up for it, and hopefully it might happen sooner rather than later.

Trampy and The Tramp visited McT Singh's Roadtrip in February 2013

Roadtrip 2 takes place March 28-30, but you'll have to be quick ... some days are already booked out. For ticket info and to sign up for information on future events head over to www.mctsingh.com or www.jellyandgin.com

SOME OTHER RECENT TATTGOC OUTINGS

Kebabish, Victoria Road

You Had Me At "Halal"

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:20:30 PST

Koh-I-Noor
235 North Street, G3 7DL
ph: 0141 221 1555

TATTGOC visited Koh-I-Noor in November 2009 – maybe we should head back soon?

REVIEW: Bish Bash Nosh

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:23:13 PST

Kebabish, Victoria Road

Trampy might genuinely believe he paints pictures with words, be they written or spoken, but The Tramp is more worldy-wise. He knows that for people to truly know something they need to experience it themselves. Which is why TATTGOC's cannier chieftain trooped into the legendary Titwood Bar on Glasgow's Southside armed with a steaming paper bag filled with Reshmi rolls from the Halal Kebab House on Albert Drive. These beauties had been discussed during episode 11 of Keep Calm And Curry On – the incredible TATTGOC podcast currently on a credible hiatus in preparation for season two – and had captured the imagination of various Curry Clubbers that rather than continue to field questions about these amazing, spicy chicken kebab-y morsels. After fielding various questions about Reshmi rolls since praising them on the internet airwaves, The Tramp had decided to treat those hardy Clubbers who had turned out for the January outing.

And so Ravi Peshwari, Bobo Balti, Rogan Josh Homme, Sir Spicy Lover and – in a rare sighting in the wild – Garlic Bam had their first experience of Reshmi. And if it seemed a little uncouth to bring food into a pub with as storied a history as the Titwood, the question was rapidly made moot by the astonishingly fast consumption of the rolls. They got a big thumbs-up all round, a fine amuse-bouche for TATTGOC's first official outing of 2013. Like every January for the past four years, the destination was a place that did not serve alcohol, although with Men's Health becoming one of the most popular magazines in the UK, there may be more outings that are booze-free in the Curry Club's 2013 timetable.

The target was Kebabish on Victoria Road, a bright, bustling restaurant that almost resembles a US diner, with booths, red banquettes and – perhaps best of all – an enormous grill in full flame as soon as you walk through the door, immediately making the TATTGOC not-so-secret seven ravenous. The place was busy, with staff in matching black uniforms gliding around the interior like spicy ninjas, and master tacticians that they are, the Tramps had neglected to book, but a spacious booth was found and the team squeezed in around the table. No-one in the squad had made it to this particular Kebabish before but the word on the street was that it was very good, and it had placed well in the 2007 Tiffin Cup, an elite parliamentary-sponsored cook-off that The Tramp follows with keen interest. Poppadoms and lassis were ordered up as the team considered the menu.

Despite their (presumable) New Year's resolution to take more control of their daily lives, the assembled team habitually looked to the Tramps to organise the starter order. After establishing that each lamb chop order contained four of the spicy morsels, they ordered two – to cover the seven bodies there, with an extra to argue over – and some pakora to share, eventually landing on one portion of fish and one of mushroom. Even with Burns Night imminent, no-one took the opportunity to make a toast to the lassis, which arrive in two cool jugs. Perhaps the squad was too busy savouring the cooking smells coming from the grill – this, surely, was one of the most appetising restaurants TATTGOC has ever visited, with each new aroma kindling a new gustatory desire. The Tramps exchanged a momentary but significant glance, suddenly confident in the success of the evening.

As ever, the discussion at Curry Club was just as nourishing as the food. Perhaps deciding that raising a baby daughter didn't represent enough of a challenge, The Tramp had recently embarked on a quest to make his own bacon, and there followed an almost judicial cross-examination about curing techniques and glazing methods. While The Tramp insisted he was learning as he went, he gave off the unmistakable air of authority and expertise. Perhaps we won't have to wait long until he literally writes the book on the subject: Pancetta The Devil You Know. The starters arrived soon after, with what looked like a little more than eight chops spread across two dishes. They were as delicious as the thrill of the grill had suggested, and while different from the Shish Mahal's legendary Hasini lamb chops that have acted as TATTGOC's yardstick of quality for two generations, they were still excellent. The conspicuous extra chop was gifted to the TATTGOCer deemed most deserving of the honour, although Masonic traditions prevent their identity from being confirmed in this report. The pakora was pretty good too.

Once the last of the starters had been polished off, discussion turned to the Jack Irish series of television movies, starring Guy Pearce in that rarest of roles: one that requires him to adopt a convincing Australian accent. These feature-length dramas are based on the novels of Peter Temple, and centre around the dubious machinations of a slick lawyer turned skeevy private eye. Screened in the UK on the Fox (formerly FX) network, Trampy liked them as much as some people like making bacon, which is to say, "a lot". Ever the contrarian, Garlic Bam insisted they were nothing special but with two Jack Irishs already in the can and a further two in production for this year, viewers will soon be able to make up their own mind about these superbly textured, impressively acted and powerfully cinematic adventures. (Terrible name, though.)

While many TATTGOCers had clearly been tempted by a mixed grill, they were loyal enough to the concept of Curry Club to chose their main courses from Kebabish's selection of actual curries. Of these, the chicken desi karahi gosht was the most popular, ordered multiple times, while the spicy outliers included chilli garlic chicken and chicken murgh masala. Continuing his recent expedition into the world of mince, The Tramp had ordered a keema karahi; Trampy had fancied the mixed pickle spiciness of a lamb achari. All of these dishes descended onto the table in plentiful portions, alongside three orders of rice and a trifecta of naan (plain, garlic, keema). It was both a visual, and literal, feast.

The food was superb, and while the pace of eating slowed after an initial mad rush – perhaps due to an overindulgence in Resmi rolls and poppadoms – it did not stall until practically every dish was clear. The on-the-bone chicken karahi gosht got the thumbs-up, and The Tramp seemed delighted with his latest keema experience. The chilli garlic chicken, flagged up as one of the spiciest dishes on the menu, could perhaps have been spicier, but was still extremely tasty. After being extremely busy earlier on when the squad arrived at around 8.30pm, the restaurant had thinned out a little but still had an excellent atmosphere, informal and conducive to chat.

While no-one could even contemplate dessert, the team lingered for a while even after the dishes had been cleared away, noting that Kebabish had set a high quality mark for TATTGOC's adventures in 2013 and arguing about whether Guy Pearce is the greatest actor of all time or merely just one of the pantheon of greats. The reasonable bill was settled, and the troupe happily cartwheeled past that impressive grill – in their minds, if not reality – to assemble for the traditional post-curry, five-a-side football team shot of them loitering outside the restaurant. What a promising start to 2013!

TATTGOC visited Kebabish in January 2013

Kebabish

325 Victoria Road, G42 7SA
ph: 0141 424 1879

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Valentine's Curry: The Vindalook Of Love

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:35:59 PST

We are hopeless romantics here at TATTGOC. No, really, ask anyone who has been lucky enough to spend February 14th with a Curry Clubber and they'll tell you: absolutely hopeless. But that's what happens when you try and balance the two great loves of your life. This time last year, the Curry Club managed an epoch-capping first, taking the ladies of TATTGOC – or the Saffrongettes, as they are also known – out for a co-ed curry to Glasgow's most notoriously sexy Indian restaurant, the Kama Sutra on Sauchiehall Street. You can relive that spiciest of TATTGOC adventures HERE.

But what do you get the curry lover in your life? If you were in New Zealand, we would be quick to recommend Love Thy Curry, a range of gourmet, gluten-free curry kits that understand that the first bite is with the eye, even when it comes to packaging – each of the ten kits is beautifully put together, so even though it's essentially a Lego set for delicious curry, it does seem to have some artistry about it. The Moghul Chicken Korma, complete with almonds and bay leaves, looks particularly tantalising although you might struggle to get it all the way from New Zealand to here for Valentine's Day 2013.

Closer to home is the Valentine's Box from The Spicery, which contains all the ingredients to make a south-east Asia-style curry flavoured with spices known for their aphrodisiac qualities, including cardamon, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger. The pitch might not be love poetry, but they know how to turn a word or two when it comes to selling spices as lovebombs: "In ancient Rome the word ‘cinnamon’ was akin to the modern use of ‘sweetheart’, so highly prized were its love-inducing properties. The Arabs and Hindus mention spices such as cloves, cardamon and ginger in their texts on love – spices are thought to enhance the senses and raise the heart rate, mimicking feelings of love. The addition of lime leaves, lemongrass and rose petals in the sauce lighten the curry flavour and add a delicate floral scent. After all it’s not Valentine’s Day without a rose in there somewhere!"

It's letterbox-friendly – but does it include first class male?

Well-played, The Spicery. Well-played. The masterstroke in Valentine's Box – apart from the fact that it comes ready to fit through your letterbox, thereby adding innuendo to the list of potential additional ingredients – is the fact that it comes with a delicious-sounding dessert of Tahitan vanilla pannacota with strawberries and rose petal syrup, and who could resist that after a curry? And they've also thrown in a couple of extras, in teh form of some fennel seeds to "freshen breath and aid digestion" (vital) plus a delicately rose-scented tea they've cheekily called "Rose-Tinted Glasses". All that for just £6.50 and, as previously noted, it's all letterbox-friendly. Definitely one to put on the list for next year.

We're big comics fans at TATTGOC so during the months of work putting together this Valentine's feature we reached out to Marvel godhead Stan Lee (who, while famous for co-creating Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and many other heroes, also wrote his fair share of romance comics in his time). "Valentine's Day is coming up soon, Stan," we said. "What curry would you like to get your hands on?"

"That's an easy one, TATTGOC True Believers," replied the 90-year-old. "Adrianne Curry, every time. Excelsior!"

I guess we can see his point.

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TATTGOC Is Out Of Order, "As Per"

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:19:58 PST

UPDATE: TEMPORARY FIX IN PLACE, STILL WORKING ON PROBLEM

SORRY AGAIN

TRAMPY AND THE TRAMP XX

Kebabish. Late-ish.

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:53:33 PST

If a picture speaks a thousand words, then in this case most of them would be variations of "what the!?" And in what's fast becoming a new TATTGOC feature for 2013, the first proper write-up of the year will arrive next week. #yolo

From Our Foreign Curryspondent ... Dateline: Islay!

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:17:00 PST

(The TATTGOC brotherhood extends around the globe, and we welcome reports of curry expeditions beyond Glasgow – in this very special missive, Trampy his own bad self reports from the wild, wild west of Islay, home of peaty malt whisky and an unexpected curry!)

Taj Mahal Tandoori, Bowmore by Trampy

What better way to detox after the degustatory rigours of the festive season than to head for, um, a Scottish island notoriously famous for its amazing whisky? That was the escape plan of our veteran foreign curryspondents Lord Of The Dansak and Thali Ho – who have previously reported from Barcelona and Bath and were looking for another "B" – and they were kind enough to invite me along for the adventure. It involved not just staying in Bowmore, the Islay town, but also in Bowmore, the famous distillery, in a cottage abutting the facility itself. While the weather may have been dramatically overcast and mostly raining, what better way to encourage visitors to sample as many peaty malt whiskies as possible?

And so it was, after an early morning tasting at the Bowmore distillery itself – also admiring one of the world's most expensive whiskies, the Bowmore 1957, which comes in a bottle that looks like it's been touched by the hand of Dr Victor Fries – our slightly light-headed and malty-breathed squad witnessed a historic FA Cup win by the Seagulls over Newcastle, and then chose to celebrate further by visiting one of the two curryhouses on the island. The closest one. The one literally metres from our door. The Taj Mahal Tandoori!

Early on a Saturday night, the Taj Mahal was hardly bustling, but there seemed to be a regular takeaway trade. The fishtank in the window helped draw attention to the seafood options on the menu, although the bar was a little more deceptive – being unlicensed, it fell upon me to bring a bottle of booze. Not of whisky, I should point out; instead, a deceptively muscular Aussie white to compete with the hopefully spicy curry.

While perusing the menus, we chowed down on poppadoms that came with superior dips, including a tamarind sauce that was lip-smackingly good and a lime pickle that was pretty bracing. Our waiter talked a little about the authenticity of the dishes and revealed that he was just passin' through on Bowmore – his real plan was to open a restaurant in Glasgow. I assured him another curryhouse would be most welcome. We placed our orders, popped the cork on the wine and settled in for dynamite chat and lively eating.

Thali Ho and Lord Of The Dansak get stuck in

While there were no lamb chops on the menu, I managed to talk the guys into going for some lamb tikka to start, although when it arrived it seemed a little obscured by salad. Lord Of The Dansak is a sort of vegetarian, so we rounded out the starters with mushroom pakora, although the kitchen had foregone the Glasgow fast food approach of battering entire mushrooms, opting for a more nuanced minced version. The starters were pretty good, and provided another excuse to spoon into the tamarind and pickle.

Lord Of The Dansak resisted the urge to go for a dansak, and opted for a vegetable bhuna. I was tempted to try some sort of crazy seafood curry, after assuming that an island would have access to some sort of crazy fish that I hadn't even heard of, but the description of the lamb achari won me over – after fighting a cold or perhaps incipient hangover, I was looking for something hot to help unblock my blanketed head and, ideally, my partial deafness in one ear. Ever the adventurer, Thali Ho opted for duck chilli masala and boy oh boy were we keen to see what that was like.

Along with a peshwari naan, some rice and a wee daal on the side, it was starting to look like quite a serious feast. My lamb achari was chewy but had a decent spice kick, and the duck chilli masala worked remarkably well, and allowed me to crack some jokes about the bill. Talk turned to whether whisky would be a good accompaniment for eating curry, which allowed me to wheel out my story about having a whisky-laced curry at the Koh-i-noor which was tasty although it was rather difficult to detect the spirit. Using an Islay malt like Laphroaig or one of the insanely peaty experimental Bruichladdichs would certainly leave its mark on a dish, but perhaps peat and spice should be kept separate. Certainly, some of the several dozen whiskies were sampled during my time on Islay felt like they would work well as a digestif.

Polishing off the feast was a little beyond our abilities, but the extra stuff was doggy-bagged, the bill was settled and the general consensus was that this was a little gem on an amazing island. Sadly, there wasn't time to try the opposition, but in a place that routinely has to endure some full-on weather, having spicy options must feel like a godsend. And thanks to Lord Of The Dansak and Thali Ho for having me a long for a couple of days – frankly, I'm amazed they survived the experience. When I saw them at the end of the week, I asked, a little incredulously, whether they'd had a full-on whisky tasting every day for a week. "Oh no," replied Thali Ho. "We had one day off."

"So what did you do that day?"

"Oh, there's a brewery on the island ..."

LEGENDS.

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On Holiday ...

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 03:43:30 PST

Sam Thing's Happenin' Here ... And Team Tramp Is Cooking Up A Storm

trampyandthetramp@trampyandthetramp.com — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 01:30:33 PST

Contrary to popular legend, Trampy and The Tramp are not in fact joined at the hip like some demented, curry-obsessed version of Ultimate X-Men character Syndicate. Although frequently to be found together at both the dining table (and more often propping up the bar) my esteemed colleague Trampy and I do both lead separate lives. In my spare time I like nothing more than dabbling in the alchemistic world of curry cookery while I can only hazard a guess at what Trampy does – most likely reading Ultimate X-Men comics while cradling our Curry Lover(s) Of The Year memorial plate, which has suspiciously stayed at his house since 2010. And so it was that Mumbai Me A Pony and I recently found ourselves offering to prepare a celebratory Indian feast for the 30th birthday of long-time friend, TATTGOC supporter and co-founder of the British Tech Network's Gamer Show podcast Mr Sam Whiteley (a.k.a Roald Dhal). I had the pleasure of returning to the Gamer Show recently to take part in their Christmas quiz.

"You have come third in a booty contest?"

Being a milestone birthday Dhal’s long-suffering girlfriend Tiny Temper saw fit to hire out an awesome converted farmhouse in deep in the Kingdom of Fife where a crack squad of seasoned party animals could make merry, eat well and, as it turns out, play a lot of games – including a feisty session on a custom made version of Monopoly dubbed "Samopoly". (Little did they know that intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic regarded the current range of Monopoly pieces with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against them.)

The cooking was to be done in turns with Dhal and Tiny Temper offering to cook up a Lamb Patia for all 11 guests on the Saturday night. Had Friday night been slightly less boozy the team may have been quicker off the blocks the next day but, after Bede (creator of that spectacular Samopoly board) put in a heroic shift of rustling up French toast and bacon for everyone, the general consensus was that a stroll on the beach was required and that the cooking could wait.

At this point it was also realised that there wasn’t enough lamb to go round. “Never fear!” cried Mumbai Me A Pony, who went on to suggest knocking up some side dishes to bolster the line-up – not only that, we’d also team up to cook it. So, while the others headed off to the beach at Elie we donned our pinnies and hit up the kitchen.

In the end we managed to rustle up a tasty dhal and an aloo gobi to accompany the lamb patia, the recipe for which had been provided by the hosts. Despite some initial worries that The Tramp may have veered dangerously close to making the dhal too hot, in the end it all went down well and, I think, received a general thumbs up from the assembled squad. Hunger sated and stomachs lined the rest of the evening was free to be spent back in the lounge for more boardgames and Halo 4 deathmatch sessions.

All in all, it was a cracking weekend away. And happy 30th Sam from the entire TATTGOC brotherhood!

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