Aubergine - Albert Road, Southsea

A while ago I let my instincts guide me to Aubergine indian restaurant on Albert Road, Southsea. The PLACE had been open a month and looked new from the street, arctic white, creaseless table cloths, immaculately folded napkins, red roses, purple cream wallpaper, high back leather chairs bla bla bla. Shame some oik had already cracked the crystal clear window.

Another responsible for helping these guys write their menu, or not helping. PRICES are very fair but when reading a la carte, one is faintly alarmed at what appears to be on offer. Examples? The Luck Now Ke Keek Kebab, ‘Minced of Lamb with chefs Spiced on coriander, cheese, moulded on to skewers’ (wince) and oh! to learn of the carnal delight involving ‘fresh bottom mushrooms’! Maybe the menu was written by a pigeon. The potato and cauliflower in Aloo Gobi are ‘cooed’ with onion, garlic, ginger, tomato and coriander.

Sometimes I am adventurous, my companion Mikey is so in we went. Greeted with beaming smiles, the 2 waiters were genuinely warm souls, proud and happy happy to have customers. So I say SERVICE was lovely. After settling in Poppadoms and dips didn’t really hint at what was to come, except perhaps a market fresh onion salad. And what was to follow! Immediately superb Chicken Tikka. 4 golden brown encrusted morsels of perfectly textured poultry, beautifully arranged around a crisp bouncy nest of shredded lettuce and raw cabbage with overlapping swirls of what may have been coriander and onion chutneys. A prawn puree said to taste as good as it looked. 2 standard starters rendered quite special.

Expectations rising main courses were next and didn’t let slip. In polished copper pots shaped like minarets Goan Machli and Sylheti Gosht. Large chunks of outstandingly cute tasting Telapia fillet in Mikey’s coconut infused concoction surprised and delighted in equal measure. How a curry can come over hot and mild simultaneously I don’t know but this one did. Meanwhile on my side of the table the aromas enthusing from my lamb dish for once tasted as nose suggested, spices tantalized the roof of my mouth. Pilau rice was first rate, moist, flavourful, threaded with saffron and onion. On the side but by no means in the shade Tarka Dal a warm marriage of yellow lentils, garlic and cherry tomato. Paneer Kadhai, ripe cubelets of cottage cheese bathing luxuriantly alongside small, sweet hunks of green pepper in a rich silken amber gravy.

Yes first time the FOOD was better than any place on Albert Road. It would’ve been appreciated by anyone, everyone. The house white more of a girl thing though. Sweet, honeyed nectar, desert wine. And there! I almost forgot! We were given a complimentary rice pudding square to round off the meal. Willy Wonka eat your heart out! This last surprise - instead of same old chocolate mints - light and foamy, a great palette cleanser whether prepared by the pastry chef or plucked from the fridge.

...I really wanted to go back but having built Aubergine up so much in the corridors of my mind I was worried another visit might be a let down, leaving me lost, unhinged…Still I resolved to enter through the doors of the restaurant again because I really thought (and still do) the team deserve success, its early days yet. To become established takes time while any favours from publishers would be welcome (the menu!).

On returning with pocket dynamo Steve in luxurious spring sunshine, salt on our lips, smiles splashed with rum (aperitifs at The One Eyed Dog). Complimentary poppadoms followed by an elaborate mound of chicken chat. Light, tangy, topped with salad leaves, cucumber strips, beetroot shavings adding a sweet dimension every other mouthful. For main course there was Rogan Gosht. Well stewed mutton though gravy similar to aforementioned Sylheti Gosht. Excellent Channa Pindi, chic peas in smooth Madras strength sauce giving a gorgeous earthy Bombay mix flavour, both accompanied by attractive pilau rice.

...Aubergine is a discovery I’m quietly pleased at having made, so far its having more success than the Ramsay equivalent. The locals are keen and the press are on board thanks to an excellent write up in the News. Indeed this tempted me back Thursday evening.

The restaurant is open for Xmas day! But at least they're not serving til 3am anymore. The waiters looked tired, ditto the table flowers. Nonetheless I had for myself aforementioned Prawn Puree. Juicy prawns in sweet ever so slightly smokey tomato onion jam, wrapped in a fat eggy pancake cigar. Next a main course of ‘Mahi Tikka Ajwani’. 6 Salmon morsels arranged in sun dial fashion around a shredded salad with drizzle! Fish with a honeyed crust given dynamism by herby, thymey tasting ajowan and an ever present garlic ginger twang. A good portion of soft golden orange pilau rice and Saag Aloo (bit too salty, oddly flavoured with parsley but nonetheless a decent contrast to the Salmon) completed a good meal at 15 pound a head.

At last in SUMMARY Aubergine isn't a run of the mill joint at all, blessed with a kitchen capable of some outstanding dishes available at low prices. Recommended pre-post theatre.

willp2328score: 7/10

Madhuban - Liss, 23/11/07

Several men and women (do they compete as well or just drink and shout?) sporting darts playing girths eating in the cosy confines on a crisp late November evening. Friday 7.30 pm, already filling up, service is brisk without being impolite. Simply get your order in and be confident the food will arrive in good time without a rush. My brother and I settled in for a long evening.

Starters of a quarter Tandoori Chicken, plenty of flesh underneath sharp tasting sour yoghurt crust of lemon juice, paprika and Keema Khumbi satisfied. Though easy to please Tom’s Khumbi consisted of 5 button sized mushrooms strategically placed around an overlarge salad of slippery onion that looked sat on. To follow he thoroughly enjoyed Dhaba Gosht on my recommendation and an excellent stuffed paratha, with a gooey filling of cheese and soft onion. On the plus side Jardaloo Sali Boti had grate tranches of super succulent lamb off the bone in a medium to mild stew curried with woody sweet cinnamon, fragrant indian bay leaves and dry, musky tumeric. On the down side it was ever so slightly rich but not rich enough with ground almonds and had no obvious vinegary tinge. The choice accompaniment Bombay Aloo - starchy potatoes in a tomato onion mush with hint of chilli resin - was faultless, rice too. In the end we left content, passing Saaki, still open but looking lonesome, on the way to station. Even on average form the Madhuban still eclipses the little place.

willp2328visit: 6/10

December

Whatever the web site says at the moment, please note that we've decided to give Paradise a chance in December. The food quality has never been an issue there, only the service. So let's see how they do.

Saaki - Liss, 14/11/07

I am faintly embarassed by the naive optimism I displayed after suggesting Saaki had refreshed it's operation. Exactly 7 days previous I had enjoyable food but having just had a pitiable curry club meal it's difficult to reconcile the two.

Perhaps success has run out of the family to paraphrase the menu. Clearly I was fortunate a week ago to get in and out beforehand. Never seen as many glum faces around a dinner table since the last supper. Just as well no other diners endured Saakis labours.

Things began in uninspired fashion and got worse. On the starter platter: an eruption of lettuce leaves hiding small and chewy Onion Bhajias, Garlic Mushrooms with tomato ketchup sauce as well as Aubergine slices, tasting of oil and lemon juice. Sloppy but just about passable for restaurant food. Another 10 minutes and we were served the mains. Oh dear. Aforementioned Lamb Kazana was ok but the pilau rice had more flavour than a bizarrely titled Fresco King Prawn. Korai and Madras curries were terrible. The former with scraggy lumps of chicken, insipid except for saturated coriander leaf, the latter, yellow in colour, showing a complete absence of paprika, cinnamon, tomato puree, fresh tomatoes, nothing but chicken stock in a watery gravy astringent with chilli powder. Bombay Aloo, alais "spicy potatoes" barely registered on the palate. Although I've had worse pumpkin and mix vegetable dishes elsewhere both looked jaundiced.

After possibly the worst indian food in memory I could never return to Saaki confident of a decent meal.

willp2328visit: 2/10

November meeting - reminder!

Just a quick update to remind members that the November meeting will be at Saaki in Liss on Wednesday 14th. Drinks are from 19:30 at the Whistlestop, where no we'll doubt say hello to some old friends, before crossing the railway line for dinner at Saaki from about 20:30. This is our one Curry Club visit to Liss in 2007, although I know that there have been several private trips to the Madhuban.

Once again, a shortage of replies to the monthly e-mail. If you're planning to come (or not), an e-mail would still be very welcome. contact@... or webmaster@... - either will do.

By the way, the December meeting is back at base in Petersfield (Foggys/Paradise)