Gurkha Chautari, Liphook, Nov 2016

We chose Gurkha Chautari for our monthly curry club meal, our first visit there in a few years. While we've been away, it has changed ownership twice, with new management taking over around the beginning of October 2016.

After enjoying aperitifs at the slightly expensive Links Hotel, we arrived at the restaurant to a warm welcome. Drinks service was prompt, and then papadums were served. We asked the restaurant to select the dishes to give a range of tastes. No starters were proposed, and we went straight to main courses which included khursani chicken, battered and cooked with a chilli sauce, lamb bhutuwa, a thick-sauced and very tasty dish, konkoni prawn curry, coconut sauce and fairly mild, and a Gurkha Chautari special chicken. Lots of good side dishes including aloo chana, mushroom bhaji, a mixed vegetable curry and sag aloo, were complemented by pilau rice, mushroom rice, plain and garlic naans. Favourite dish was the lamb, very good, and the naans were just right too. Every dish was empty at the end.

This place deserves to be busier, although it's no big surprise that it was quiet on a damp November evening. So far as we know, this is the only place in Liphook where you can eat a curry with restaurant service rather than takeaway, and we enjoyed our visit.

We chose Gurkha Chautari for our monthly curry club meal, our first visit there in a few years. While we've been away, it changed ownership twice, with new management taking over around the beginning of October 2016.

This review was originally published on TripAdvisor

Station Road, Liphook, Hants.  01428 729355

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

September meeting - Paradise Balti, Petersfield

The table is booked!  Paradise Balti looks forward to welcoming us on Wednesday 10th September; dinner is at 20:30, and aperitifs will be taken in the Old Drum from about 19:30.  John and Fiona will be the  organisers on the evening, as your webmaster will be otherwise engaged. 

We had a great meeting in August, when we visited the Gurkha Durbar in Grayshott.  The turnout was a record for August and the food proved it a good choice of venue.  The mixed starters were delicious, and the traditional lamb and chicken curries were absolutely superb.  In the end, despite a great turnout, there was more than we could eat, and one lucky member took home a doggy bag that sustained him for several days while his wife was away 'Up North'.  We noticed that the restaurant didn't offer papadums.  Too often, these do just enough to blunt the appetite, which can be a terrible shame.  Shock horror, with so much excellent food available, we didn't need them. A great time was had by all. 

Members will receive the usual e-mail so please respond to that or use the feedback page on the web site to let us have numbers.  Have a great evening!

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

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!

Bay Leaf - Grayshott

Wednesday 14th November was a fine day, with glorious autumn sunshine, and we had plenty of mellow heat that evening when we visited the Bay Leaf in Grayshott.

After an enjoyable couple of pints in the Fox and Pelican, we made the short walk to the other side of the village green and a warm welcome from Bishnu and the team. A delicious mixed starter comprised onion pakora, sheek kebab, chicken tikka and lamb sikora. Everything was very tasty, and enough to whet the appetite for the main courses.

We enjoyed lamb madras, rogan josh, chicken pathia, and a chicken chilli stir fry that had a touch of Chinese about it. Sag paneer, tarka dhal, various naans and rice made perfect accompaniments, and the overall result was a really excellent meal, a good balance of medium and hot, but nothing too much to be thoroughly enjoyable. One of our stalwarts remarked that this was on a par with Madhuban, as good a Curry Club meal as he'd ever had, and that's a pretty fair summary.

We decided that as the December meeting (Wed 12th) is to be held at Spice Lounge, we'd go to the Old Square Brewery for aperitifs. We plan to book at Madhuban for the January meeting.

Talking of Madhuban, we hear that the restaurant has been included in the prestigious Michelin Guide for 2013. Congratulations to them!

Christmas is coming, and members that are planning to shop on Amazon are requested please to enter via the Amazon shopfront on our website. Buying through here gives a small kickback for the beer kitty! I'll put up some recommendations including books about Indian food that could make very acceptable gifts for Christmas.

October meeting - Malabon, Petersfield, Wed 10th

We had a great time at Malabon for our October meeting. We turned up with more than expected but they quickly managed to lay on an extra table for us. No surprises with the food though - just as excellent as always.

Starters included chicken tikka lazeez (meat is marinated in lemon and yoghurt before grilling), aloo channa chat (potatoes, chick peas, fairly sharp sauce), and familiar appetisers such as sheek kebab, onion bhaji and pakora.

Then we moved on to a delicious selection of main courses: Goan green chicken curry - a big favourite of ours, garlic chilli king prawn, gosht lajawaab (marinated lamb cooked with cinnamon and coriander), rajeshwari chicken (quite hot, chillis and garlic), and saag paneer. Side dishes included panch mela (mixed vegetables), keema aloo (mincemeat with potato), saag aloo, and various rices and naans. All were excellent, and hardly anything was left in the serving dishes! This was a great night out, thoroughly enjoyed.

---

The plan for the rest of 2012 is to hold the Christmas meeting in Petersfield and the November meeting out of town at the Bay Leaf restaurant in Grayshott.  It's now moved to a new more spacious premises and the cooking is just as good as at the old place.

September meeting - Paradise Balti

September's meeting was thinly attended for various reasons, but that didn't stop Paradise Balti putting on a great combination of dishes for our members.  Starters were made up of meat and vegetable platters including a delicious spicy kofta fish cake, tandoori chicken, mushroom keema balls, shami kebab, onion bhaji, paneer tikka (very tasty, haven't tried it before), and samosas.  This was a very good selection, lots of good flavours. 

Our main courses were lamb jalfrezi, chicken tikka bhuna and a murg massala which included a variation, hard-boiled eggs.  These were accompanied with bangladeshi dhal, sag aloo, aloo niramish, rice and naans.  All in all, a pretty good dinner, well served and much enjoyed by those that attended. 

Paradise Balti: 23 Lavant Street, Petersfield.  01730 262748

Our plan for the rest of 2012 is to go for one out of town meeting (probably Grayshott, where the new Bay Leaf certainly deserves a visit) and then two locally, Malabon and Spice Lounge, which is usually our Christmas venue.

Spice Lounge, 11th July

Despite the torrential rain that could have kept fainter hearts at home, we had a great turnout for July's meeting at Spice Lounge, Petersfield. The centrepiece of our dinner was kulchi lamb, marinated, slow-cooked and delicious, which provided plenty of second helpings.

Other main courses included a chicken chilli massala, king prawn balti, chicken balti, and a selection of vegetable side dishes, dhal, rice and naans. Very good, and throughly enjoyed.

Judith in charge of the seconds...

The programme for August and September is:

08 Aug	Malabon, Petersfield
12 Sep	Gurkha Chautari, Liphook

Let's hope we have some summer weather by then!

Bay Leaf - Grayshott - 9th May

It was a quiet night in Grayshott, probably due to the torrential rain that had persisted since the morning, so the Fox and Pelican was fairly empty even before we walked up to the restaurant.  Bay Leaf had planned to move to its new premises on 6th May, but various hold-ups in the project meant that the change was delayed until later in the month.

Bay Leaf has always impressed with the beautiful way that it presents the food, and the starter this evening was no exception; it included a spicy poppadum with prawns in the puree style, momo (steamed dumplings), pakora, and sekuwa, peppered and barbecued lamb.

The main courses were chosen for us by the restaurant:  the sauced dishes were garlic chilli chicken, very lively but not over-heavy on the garlic, chicken pathia, lamb madras and lamb balti.  We also enjoyed lamb shashlick and tikka chicken - again, beautifully presented.  Side dishes were tarka dhal, channa massala, saag paneer, plain and pilau rice, plain and garlic naan. 

Overall, we had a very enjoyable evening, well looked after by the Bay Leaf staff, who made us more than welcome.  As a footnote, the move the new premises was made on 20th May; the picture shows the celebration archway of balloons around the door of the new premises, the former Kapadokya grill restaurant.  The plan for the old restaurant is Italian plus steak, so it looks as though there should be another interesting addition to the Grayshott food scene very soon. 

Web site www.bay-leaf.co.uk  
New address: 2 Crossways Road, GU26 6HJ
Phone: 01428 608030

Our plan for 13th June is another visit to the Madhuban in Liss, preceded by aperitifs at the Spreadeagle.    We'll decide the programme for July - August then.

Dhanmondi - 14th March 2012

Good food, warm welcome, shame I've lost the notes.  But we had a good time and enjoyed ourselves...

Paradise Balti - 8th February

Due to work commitments, it's been quite a while since I last went to a Curry Club meeting at Paradise Balti. It's changed, looks brighter and more modern.  The new decor wasn't the only good thing - the cooking was really well done, with distinct flavours and a choice of mouth-watering dishes.

Sometimes we find that our venue tries to overdo the variety, with the effect that many dishes are similar to each other, and people can miss out on the one they really want to try. Instead, after papadums and a mixed starter, our hosts offered us five main dishes: a chicken tikka masala, chicken tikka jalfrezi, meat vindaloo, lamb tikka balti and a prawn korai. These were accompanied by cheese and peshwari naans, pilau rice, sag paneer, gobi tomato and Bangladeshi dhal. Everything tasted good - even the CTM, which I'd normally avoid on grounds of excessive mildness, in fact had some heat and was very pleasant.

This was a great evening, thoroughly enjoyed by us all. The team at Paradise made us welcome, served really tasty food, and moved themselves up the list for a return visit sooner rather than later. I was actually surprised by how good the food was, compared with a previous visit a couple of years ago. Well done.

We agreed the schedule for the next three months, subject to booking and confirmation:

Date	Venue
14 March	Dhanmondi, Whitehill
11 April	Malabon, Petersfield
09 May	Bay Leaf, Grayshott

Paradise Balti House:   01730 265162/262748

Madhuban - January 2012

We enjoyed a convivial meeting on 11th January, even though the arrangements were slightly disturbed by the fact that the Bluebell Inn was closed.  A quick series of texts and phone calls let all our regulars know that we'd start at the Spreadeagle instead. On a slightly chilly and damp night, this was a very pleasant place to take our aperitifs.

Dinner was delayed a few minutes by the need to ferry those without cars up to the resturant, but we had a warm welcome from the staff at the Madhuban.  They selected a really interesting menu for our meal.  After papadums and a very good mixed starter, the main courses included Jungli Mas (lamb with bay leaves and red chillis), Korma Murchwangan (mild-to-medium chicken in a red sauce), Madhuban's special lamb, served in a balti, and a delicious mixed vegetable curry.  Pilau rice and naan breads accompanied.  Everyone was delighted with the range of great flavours and the sheer quality of the food. Nothing was excessively chilli-hot, so everyone could taste every dish.  It's worth a mention that the full menu (pdf download here) offers a whole range of tempting delights.  I'm plotting a return trip to try the Naga chilli stir fry. 

The Madhuban does everything to make your visit a great experience.  This was a fine way to spend a winter evening, and we'll visit again sooner rather than later.

Web: www.madhubanrestaurant.co.uk