Curry Club at Bay Leaf in April

 

April Meeting: Wed 13th, 7:30 pm

The table is booked!  We’re going to Bay Leaf again this month by popular request after a very successful and well attended March meeting at Malabon in Petersfield.  

Aperitifs will be at the Fox and Pelican (front bar) from about 6:30 pm and then dinner is at 7:30.  Please note - earlier time!

We always enjoy ourselves at the Bay Leaf and in February, Bishnu laid on some off-menu treats. For many members, it's the favourite venue.  Here's another great opportunity for you to invite a friend or partner meet our Curry Club as we get going after a long break.

Please let me know as soon as possible whether you expect to be there, either using the feedback page of the web site or in answer to the meeting notice e-mail sent to members of our mailing list.  To make sure we book enough places, please respond as early as possible, ideally by 8 p.m. on Monday 11th.  Looking forward to a great evening!

October meeting - Chill Nights - Tuesday 8th

It's October (well it will be tomorrow) and it's time to visit Chilli Nights, Wey Hill, Haslemere.  The table is booked for our October meeting which will take place on Tuesday 8th.  As usual when we're in this neck of the woods, we'll meet for aperitifs at the restaurant from 19:30-ish.  Dinner is booked for 20:30.

Please let me know either using the feedback form on the web site or in response to the e-mail notice to members whether or not you expect to be there.  I'd like to know as soon as possible but definitely by Monday morning (7th) please, so that we can adjust the booking if necessary.

Chilli Nights always looks after us well, but we couldn't assemble enough members to meet there as planned in June and a few of us went to Gurkha Durbar instead.  Coincidentally something similar happened last year.  Let's hope we can do better this time and have a great evening on 8th October - hope to see you there!

Location and Parking

Weyhill, Haslemere GU27 1HN
Google map: https://goo.gl/maps/RJPD3mTk2ex
There is free parking (if available) on the street outside, round St Christopher's Green and in the 'fairground' car park reached from the turning past Shahanaz.

Malabon - Wednesday 14th August

The table is booked!  Our next meeting will be at Malabon in Petersfield, on Wednesday 14th August.  Aperitifs will be at the Red Lion from about 7.30, and then dinner is at 8.30.

Ouch - we're well into the summer holidays and the Christmas chocolate is already on sale in the shops! The year seems to be running away, but we can cheer ourselves up with a beer and a curry, and maybe there'll even be a chance to congratulate the newly weds, if they're not celebrating in some exotic place.

The restaurant have a busy Wednesday night and space is limited - it may be difficult or impossible to accommodate extra people at the last moment.  We need to let them know numbers on Monday evening so please let me know through the feedback page on the web site or in response to the e-mail to members whether you expect to make it or not.

The cooking's always good there, so let's hope we have a great turnout! 

Bay Leaf, Wednesday 10th July

The table is booked!  We're looking forward to a visit to the Bay Leaf in Grayshott on Wednesday 10th July.  Aperitifs will be at the Fox and Pelican (front bar) from about 7:30 and then dinner is at 8:30.

We always enjoy ourselves at the Bay Leaf - for many members, it's their favourite venue. 

Please let me know as soon as possible whether you expect to be there, either using the feedback page of the web site or in answer to the meeting notice e-mail which will be sent to members shortly.  To make sure we have enough places, please respond as early as possible, ideally by 8 p.m. on Monday.  Looking forward to a great evening!

Malabon - Tuesday 12th March

The table is booked!  Our March meeting will be at Malabon in Petersfield, on Tuesday 12th.  Aperitifs will be at the Red Lion from about 7.30, and then dinner is at 8.30. 

The restaurant have a busy Tuesday night and space is limited.  We need to let them know numbers on Monday evening so please let me know through the feedback page on the web site or in response to the e-mail to members whether you expect to make it or not. 

The cooking's always good there, so let's look forward to a great curry evening. 

Bay Leaf, Tue 12th Feb

The table is booked!  We're looking forward to a visit to the Bay Leaf in Grayshott on Tuesday 12th February.  Aperitifs will be at the Fox and Pelican (front bar) from about 7:30 and then dinner is at 8:30.

We always enjoy ourselves at the Bay Leaf - for many members, it's their favourite venue.  Hard luck to those who are away in the Caribbean next week, but I expect that the sunshine, rum and some goat curry will help to make up for what you're missing.

Please let me know as soon as possible whether you expect to be there, either using the feedback page of the web site or in answer to the meeting notice e-mail which will be sent to members shortly.  Looking forward to a great evening!

Come on England!

England's FIFA World Cup semi-final against Croatia is perfectly timed (7.00 pm BST on Wednesday 11th July)  to clash with our planned Curry Club meeting.  There's no doubt; most of us, even the most dedicated Rugby fans, will be somewhere near a television.  We'll all be hoping that England can repeat their performance against Sweden and win without needing penalties to decide the tie.

So no formal Curry Club meeting, but members are welcome to join me at the Fox and Pelican on Tuesday at 7.30 pm for a beer which we'll follow with a curry at one of Grayshott's restaurants.  If you plan to be there (or not), please let me know.  Please use the feedback page on the website or reply to the mail that is shortly to be sent to members so that I can make a booking.

Normal service to be reserved in August - I hope!

Bay Leaf - a most enjoyable evening

We chose Bay Leaf for our Curry Club meeting in August and arrived to find the place full apart from the table we'd reserved for 14 (though in the end only 12 of us made it due to a problem at air traffic control). As usual we asked the restaurant to make the choices for us; they did extremely well, featuring some times that were new to their regular menu along with some favourites.

A mixed starter included vegetable samosas, chicken tikka and mushroom kauchari (garlic crisp fried mushroom). Main courses were lamb garlic chilli masala, chilli chicken and Lawsuni Rawas (salmon cooked in the tandoor and then a thick tomato-y spicy sauce), accompanied by various dhals, rice and naans, along with an aubergine bhaji.  

Little was left - no doggy bags tonight - and the verdict of our members was "excellent food, great service considering the restaurant was so busy". We paid £28 a head including tip, and the drinks part of that was over £10 a head. So really good value too. A most enjoyable evening.

This review was originally posted on Trip Advisor, while watching Rugby 7s in the Olympic Games.  Re-posting it here has given me an opportunity to iron out the auto-correct whoopsies. 

November 2015 report

We visited Chilli Night in Weyhill, Haslemere, for our November meeting.  Few of the southern contingent were able to make the journey, but we found the usual warm welcome and enjoyed a very good evening.  Once again, we experimented with a Tuesday evening rather than Wednesday and a slightly earlier start, dining at 20:00 rather than 20:30.  Due to the shortage of decent pubs in the Weyhill area, we met at the restaurant for pre-dinner aperitifs. 

As usual, we asked the restaurant to choose the menu for us.  They did well, and while the main courses were all medium-hot rather than hot-hot, there was masses of flavour and the food delighted us.  The mixed starter included fish tikka, shamee kebab with spinach, onion bhaji and a mixed chat and puree - delicious flavours and a great start to the evening.

The main courses included Chicken Manchuria (sweet and sour sauce), Murghi Massala (includes some mince meat in the sauce), Chicken Tikka Moricha (cooked with chilli pickle)
Lamb Shatkora (lamb with limes).   Side dishes were good too - tomato and aubergine was unusual and tasty, three types of naan, dhal and three types of rice.  It was a very good meal, with contrasting flavours, and enjoyed by us all. 

Next door to Chilli Night is something we haven't seen in Haslemere before - a brand new 'Indian'  shop with a range of unusual pickles, spices and ingredients.  It's also a general convenience store, offering newspapers, drinks and conventional groceries. 

The Christmas meeting will be held in Petersfield, and should be on Tuesday 8th subject to table availability.

Great Tuesday evening

Instead of sticking rigidly to our 'second Wednesday 20:30' schedule, we've decided to experiment with some meetings on Tuesdays and different starting times.  July's Curry Club meeting was the first time that we tried this,  and we chose the Malabon in Petersfield as our venue.   


We were welcomed warmly and then enjoyed papadums with pickles, followed by a mixed starter of chicken chat, onion bhaji and dhal puri. As usual, we left the choice of dishes to the restaurant. After all, they're the experts and know what tastes best. They didn't disappoint.

Main courses included

• Ghosht lajawal (mild lamb curry)
• Panch mela (five vegetables)
• Rajeshwari chicken (medium hot)
• Madras suba (mixed vegetable curry)
• Chicken Naga: a subtle naga chilli taste made for a delicious curry without uncomfortable burn to the tongue
• Ghosht Katter, a fairly spicy lamb and chana dhal dish, was served as an additional main course and greatly enjoyed

The side dishes were plain and garlic naans, and pilau and mushroom rice. This was a very good meal which really suited our members - nothing bland, plenty of assertive flavours without uncomfortable heat. Even our hot chilli expert was satisfied, and that's a sign that Malabon is producing some brilliant flavours. We'll go again soon.

The plan for the summer is to try 19:00 aperitifs and 20:00 dinner for both of the next two meetings:

• August: Wednesday 12th at Paradise Balti (aperitifs at the Drum if the refurbishment is complete, otherwise at the George) 
• September: Tuesday 8th at Bay Leaf, Grayshott (aperitifs at the Fox and Pelican)

(Parts of this review have also been submitted to TripAdvisor)

Chilli Night(s) - not so chilly

We returned to Chilli Night(s) in Haslemere for our January meeting.  This was the first Curry Club visit since 2008, as we failed to raise a quorum in November 2013; in the interim, I've been there on several occasions after beer-related activities, and it's never failed to please me.   We changed our routine this time to have our pre-dinner drinks at the restaurant, rather than one of the local pubs, and everyone agreed that this was a good decision.  The restaurant gave us a friendly welcome, and we had plenty of time to relax without the need for a long trek just before dinner.   Turnout was lower than average, probably due to the distance from Petersfield. 

As is our custom, the choice of dishes was left to the restaurant.  We weren't disappointed.  Starters were unusual off-menu items: spicy tandoor-cooked ayre fish, a spicy lentil patty similar in shape to a small burger, and a small puri made with naan flour and filled with spiced kofta-like minced meat.  All were delicious, and because we hadn't filled up first on papadums, we had plenty of appetite for the main courses that followed.

The main courses were more familiar but still very good: two sauced main dishes and two served with salad.  A rich lamb dhansak and a chicken bhuna were both extremely tasty, well-spiced and appreciated by all.  The garlic chilli chicken was lively - one of us needed emergency water and lager after encountering some of the chilli in the dish.  There also seemed to be a hint of Scotch Bonnet or naga-type chillis.  The final main dish was comprised breaded chicken strips - looked a little like octopus.  For me this was the least exciting of the four, probably because I didn't spot the sauce in a dish at the middle of the salver.  But I did enjoy the dhal, the naans - plain, garlic and keema, and the pilau and spinach rice that were served as side dishes.  Kingfisher on draught, Cobra in bottles, and a decent red wine were appreciated by all (except the drivers).
 
Going by the menu, the drinks list, the bill and the phone book, it's Chilli Night.  It's only Chilli Nights on the sign outside.   But whatever you call it, we had a great evening and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  Those that couldn't make it up the A3 missed a good one.  

Address: 64 Weyhill, Haslemere, Surrey GU27 1HN
Phone: 01428 644288

Malabon - good last meeting of 2013

 

In 2013, we had 11 meetings, and 29 people attended at least one of these; the average attendance was 10. 

This wasn't our best year; in 2007, we held 12 meetings, with 32 individuals attending at least one, and an average attendance of 11.6 per meeting.  But, at least, it's above the historical average of 9.5, and maybe we can hope that the worst effects of the recession are starting to ease. 

Our most visited restaurant was Malabon, where we went three times, including last night.  This was the biggest turnout of the year, and we were met with a warm welcome and a great selection of dishes.  The menu was chosen for us by the restaurant as usual, and included king prawn rogan josh (we thought this was delicious), handi lamb (dry-ish lamb dish with red chillies), rajeshwari chicken (saucy and medium hot), gosht lajawaab (saucy and mild), and Goan green curry which tasted good even though it looks rather dark.  Accompaniments were a good selection of rice, naan and vegetable side dishes, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 

It was a good way to finish the year, and in January we plan to go to Dhanmondi in Whitehill.  Best wishes for a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Madhuban - 11th September

Considering that many of our regulars were away on holidays in various warmer parts of the world, we had an excellent turnout, on a wet and windy evening, for our second visit to Madhuban of 2013.  

Papadums always seem better with a choice of spicy pickles as well as milder chutneys, and we weren't disappointed - both lime and hot mango pickle were on offer for those that like them.  As usual, we asked the restaurant to select the dishes for the evening.  

First, we had a mixed starter of salmon tikka pakora, onion bhaji, shish kebab, huseini (chicken) kebab and chana aloo chat.  This gave a great selection of various flavours and was a great appetizer before the main courses.

After a milder selection last time, we asked the restaurant to warm things up a little.  They certainly did!  Main dishes were Chicken Korma Mirchwangan - medium hot dish in a deep red sauce - the red comes from various ingrdients including beetroot, tomato, red peppers and spices, Jungli Lamb - Madras hot, quite dry with red chilli, and Methi Lamb.  Vegetable dishes were Madras Sambar - South Indian hot and spicy vegetable and lentil curry with exotic curry leaf, and Panch mela (a dish of five vegetables).  All of these were accompanied by pilau rice, plain and garlic naans. This was a great selection of hot food, but maybe left one or two members behind in terms of heat and intensity. 

Madhuban continues to offer fine cooking accompanied by a warm welcome, and we had a thoroughly good evening.  Our plans for the rest of this year are as follows:

9th October - Paradise Balti, Petersfield
13th November - Chilli Night(s), Haslemere
11th December - Malabon, Petersfield

Malabon - August 2013

Despite the fact that this is the middle of the summer holidays, we had a good turnout for Malabon on Wednesday 14th.  We decided to move the rendezvous from the Old Drum to the Red Lion, to help our less mobile members, and so it was just a short walk from aperitifs to a warm welcome at the restaurant.  

After papadums with a good selection of pickles, hot as well as mild, the starters were an interesting and unusual selection.  Panner (curd cheese) tikka, aloo chana chat (potato and chick-pea), deep-fried keema mushroom and onion bhaji were all tasty, and quite different to the usual selection - and almost exclusively vegetarian.

The main courses were exactly what we wished for - a great combination of medium to hot dishes, including king prawn jalfrezi, garlic chili chicken massala, handi lamb (dry Madras-hot), and Darjeeling chicken (mint-marinated in a tomato-based sauce).  Several other main dishes as well as rice, naans, and vegetable side dishes made for a feast that we struggled to finish - one of our number had a takeaway for next day's lunch.  

We're also glad to say that no-one kidnapped an ornamental camel, though one of our members was eyeing up the possibilities, to general hilarity. All in all, we had a great evening and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

We decided that Madhuban should be the venue for September.

Malabon details: 

14 Dragon St,  Petersfield GU31 4JJ

01730 265493

Bay Leaf - June meeting report

This should be flaming June, but in fact it was a filthy rain- and wind-swept evening more like October. In the circumstances, and maybe driving up from Petersfield on such a bad night wasn't an attractive idea, fewer members showed up than expected. However, the gallant few that braved the weather were rewarded with some really good food.

Starters were very tasty and varied: fish pakora, lamb pakora, chicken sadeko* - seemed like spicy chicken with a little soy in the marinade - and momo lamb, served with plenty of salad and some interesting dips, from mild to hot. After that, the main courses were a great selection: chicken jalfrezi, lamb pathia and a chicken special curry were served first. These were accompanied by naans: keema, garlic and a Bay Leaf special. Vegetable dishes were a channa (chick pea) massala, black dahl and sag paneer, together with Bay Leaf's special rice. Then the centrepiece of the meal was - if I've spelled it right - lamb massala bharta, lamb leg steaks cooked in a rich tomato and onion sauce. Really delicious, and not on the regular menu, so this was a real treat. We did our best, but they'd clearly cooked for a few more than arrived. Where's Will Parkes when you need him?

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening for those that made it, rewarded with delicious food, beautifully presented and well served. Keep korma and curry on!

Web: http://www.bay-leaf.co.uk
Phone: 01428 608030 for bookings and takeaway

Next month: Spice Lounge, Petersfield

* Here's a clip from YouTube showing a way to prepare Chicken Sadeko: http://youtu.be/f9_OF5TZpLY

Gurkha Chautari, Liphook - 8th May

Richly-sauced lamb curry, sizzling chicken and beautiful spicy potatoes were three of the highlights of our visit to Liphook tonight.  Gurkha Chautari is now under new management, but has lost none of its ability to produce great food with subtle tastes and the occasional kick of chilli.

Address: Station Road, Liphook
Phone: 01428 729355
Web: Has a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/gurkhachautari -  but this page may be under the editorship of the former management, which runs the Gurkha Durbar in Grayshott.

Next dates

Bay Leaf (Grayshott) 12th June
Spice Lounge (Petersfield) 10th July

Malabon - Petersfield

It was a wet rather than a cold evening, and despite the fact that the meeting was in Petersfield, we had a smaller turnout than usual. There was a variety of reasons for this, including thespian ones.

Leading local theatre group, The Winton Players, presents its comedy The Farmer's Wife tonight (11th April) until Saturday 13th, and we hear that at least one of our regulars is involved!

After aperitifs at the Old Drum, where we sampled some of its fine selection of real ales, we made our way through the rain down to Dragon Street and a warm welcome.

As usual, we asked the restaurant to select the menu with a set price per head for food.    The menu that Malabon chose for us was a great combination of good flavours, with plenty of variety - very well judged.

After papadums, pickles and a mixed starter, we enjoyed Rajeshwari Chicken Curry (fairly hot dish with tomatoes, garlic and chilli), Gosht Lajawaab (lamb with coriander and cinnamon), Goan Green Chicken Curry, and a King Prawn chef's special.  Side dishes included Muj Mela (a mix of five vegetables in a tasty sauce), Bombay Aloo, pilau rice, plain and peshwari naans.

Chilli was more evident than garlic, but the underlying tastes of the food came through and we really enjoyed the cooking. One comment was "lovely, very flavourful food", and the fact that very little was left at the end was strong evidence that we all agreed.   It all added up to a very convivial evening which we thoroughly enjoyed.


Address: Malabon Restaurant, 14 Dragon Street, Petersfield, GU31 4JJ.
Telephone: 01730 268352 / 01730 265493
E-mail: info@malabonrestaurant.co.uk
Web: www.malabonrestaurant.co.uk

Our plan for future meetings is:
May: Gurkha Chautari, Liphook
June: Bay Leaf, Grayshott

Dhanmondi - meeting report - 13th Feb

Our visit to Whitehill took place on a coolish February evening, but the welcome was warm and the food was hot.  Once again we had a great turnout, with at least one very interesting dish to excite the palate. 

The main dishes included a house special murgh massala, podina gusht (lamb), and a chicken tikka massala to the chef's own recipe; maybe we'd had too many papadums, but the feedback from members on these was neutral rather than brilliant.   For me the highlight of the evening was the 'authentic naga chicken', a chilli dish which had a tremendous kick but no burning mouth after-effect. Quite remarkable, and for the chilli-mad amongst us, there were a couple of takeaway containers at the end of the evening.  It tasted very good for lunch the next day, with a little plain rice.  

We enjoyed a very convivial evening, and decided that in March we'll go to Petersfield.  On 13th March, dinner will be at Paradise Balti and aperitifs will be at the Old Square Brewery.  A notice will be posted when the booking is made.

Dhanmondi details:
1-3 Petersfield Road, Whitehill, Bordon, GU35 9AR
Telephone: 01420 477666
Web: Dhanmondi

Madhuban, 9th January

Happy New Year to all our members, and to start really well, what better place could we pick than the Madhuban, recently listed in the Michelin Guide for 2013?

We met at the Spreadeagle for a beer or two by the log fire, before making our way to the restaurant.  Despite the time of year, the weather was dry, so no problem for those of us on foot.  The restaurant was welcoming as ever, and after the first drinks and papadums had been served, came up with a delicious mixed starter that included chicken tikka, stuffed mushrooms, hussaini (chicken) kebab, sheek kebab, and onion bhaji.  I particularly like the fact that Madhuban serves a choice of spicy pickles with it papadums, and the stuffed mushrooms were delicious. 

There were three main meat courses.  The first, chicken korma Mirchwangan includes beetroot and so had a deep red sauce. Chicken tikka Darjeeling is made with a green marinade and is a favourite of many club members.  Finally a lamb with apricot (darjali ?) dish had deep and subtle flavours.  Vegetables included panch mela - five (or more?) mixed vegetables and sag aloo.

We thought the cooking was great.  It would have been good to have at least one hotter dish, but that's my fault.  All in all, it was a fine evening, and enjoyed by a record turnout for January.  

The chosen venue for February is Dhanmondi, in Whitehill.  That's on Wednesday 13th, so at least we don't have a direct clash with Valentine's Day!

December meeting - Spice Lounge!

Petersfield Curry Club's December meeting took place at the Spice Lounge, on Wednesday 12th. We had our best turnout of the year for the occasion.  The group enjoyed several beers or glasses of wine at The Old Square Brewery, before taking the short walk to the restaurant, just as the pub's evening enterntainment was doing its sound check and conversation became difficult.

Spice Lounge is clearly doing well at the moment, because the place was full.  There was another full long table next to ours in the extra (overflow) room on the far side of the stairs, and everyone seemed to be having a very good time.  We feared that being so busy would mean slow service, but once the initial drinks were ordered, it all went pretty smoothly. 

The restaurant laid on a mixed starter of sheek and shami kebab, chicken tikki, and onion bhaji, and then the main courses were headlined by the special order Kulchi Lamb, our big favourite for this restaurant.  It's a whole leg of lamb that's marinated for about a day and then very slow-cooked with spices, basted periodically.  The other dishes included more familiar fare, including CTM (not too mild), chicken balti, chicken dhansak, and some other unusual dishes: chicken pura murchi (cumin, fennel), achari lamb (lime and ginger), honey chicken and king prawn delight.  Side dishes included special and pilau rice, naans, dhal, and vegetables.

This was quite a feast, and the lamb went far enough to provide a takeaway for one of our members who was unwell and unable to make the evening.  We wish him a rapid recovery and all our members a happy and prosperous 2013.