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

February meeting - Paradise Balti, Petersfield

The table's booked, and the Paradise Balti looks forward to welcoming us on Wednesday 8th February. Dinner will be at 20:30, and aperitifs will be taken as usual at the Red Lion from about 19:30. Paradise has always been one of the mainstays of the curry club, so it's quite a surprise to me that we last visited in April. For a change, the second Wednesday of this February is as early as it possibly can be, and so our meeting won't clash with or be too near to Valentine's Day. Gentlemen, you hadn't forgotten all about it, had you? Instead, we can concentrate on other affairs, such as beer, curry, and the opening weekend of this year's RBS Six Nations.

Please confirm by e-mail or through the feedback page of the web site, to less us know whether or not you expect to make it.

By the way, if you hadn't already spotted my horrid mistake in the January send-out, the March meeting will be on Wed 14th at Dhanmondi, not Wed 7th.

Looking forward to a convivial meeting as usual, see you on Wednesday 8th.

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

Table booked for Wed 11th January - Madhuban, Liss

Happy New Year 2012 to all our members and friends! The table for the first meeting of the year is booked, at Madhuban, Liss on Wednesday 11th January at 20:30. Aperitifs will be at the Blue Bell (marked with an 'A' on the map below) from about 19:30. It's only a few minutes' walk to the restaurant.


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The confirmation e-mail has been sent to everyone on the mailing list, but you can also let us know if you're coming or not through the feedback page on our web site.

Madhuban is the outstanding Tandoori restaurant in our area and we look forward to this visit as a great way to start 2012's activities.  For your diary, the subsequent meetings are planned to be at Paradise Balti, Petersfield and Dhanmondi, Whitehill, on 8th Feb and 14th March respectively (correcting my earlier error).

Table booked for 14th December: Spice Lounge, Petersfield

We're booked at Spice Lounge for Wed 14th, dinner at 20:30 as usual. Kulchi Lamb, their delicious slow-cooked leg of lamb, has been ordered. Aperitifs will be at the Red Lion from about 19:30.

Christmas is nearly here and I'd like to remind members that our Amazon shop is open for business.  I've made some recommendations on the Indian food page, and there's also a selection of 2012 restaurant and pub guides in our Christmas 2011 section.

The usual e-mail will be sent to members.  Space is limited and we need to know whether to order one or two legs of lamb, so please be sure to reply, ideally by Monday night.  Looking forward to a great evening next Wednesday!