Best curry?

matt · May 2007

Curry is my weakness.

The best I've tasted is the Taste of Nawab on Colney Hatch Lane, sadly so far from N4 it's reserved for special occasions only. Worth the journey, though.

In the area:
The Mezbaan (if you don't mind it feeling like a cafe rather than a restaurant)
The Belash (Topsfield Parade, N8)
Jai Krishna (SGR)
Mela (SGR)
Bengal Spice (Holloway Rd, N7)

Any others I should sample?

matt

Colette · May 2007

I have sold my soul to jai krishna. I can never go anywhere else.

poxy · May 2007

Having lived in Bradford for ten years I spent my first five years in London believing I wouldn't get a good curry on the southern side of Watford Gap. In the last six months I have found that not to be true...

For cheap, fantastic curry (as endorsed by Nick Hornby in his last novel, but don't let that put you off) I recommend The Indian Ocean on Holloway Road. I must have walked past it a hundred times in the last five years and never gave it a second glance. A friend suggested I tried it, and I now doubt I will ever go anywhere else.

It truly is marvellous. My wife and I are slowly working our way around the menu, secretly defying the chef to produce something we don't like. He's won us over each and every time.

The menu has all the old favourites and a few obscure ones, my favourites being the spinach and lentil dish (the lentils of which are crunchy and nutty) and the tilapia dish, a whole fish slashed to the bone, rubbed with dry spices and baked in the oven.

My mouth was watering as I typed that. I may have to go for supper, tonight.

andy · May 2007

Great recommendations. Anyone got views on Dhonia on Tollington Park? I'm no expert, but I quite like it. However, I am mostly swayed by its proximity to my flat.

matt · May 2007

I've been to The Indian Ocean though probably about 4-5 years ago. Time for another visit, I reckon.

Andy, only had take away from the Dhonia courtesy of a friend - people feed me to fix their computer problems. It was decent.

Colette, there's a world of food waiting for you!

And I really have got to biggup The Mezbaan again - very good indeed.

Philistine'sMonster · May 2007

Hi, I'm with Matt -- curry is a weakness. Do you think they put heroin in it to get us addicted?... Also, Poxy, I thought the same. I'm from the north, me, too; I was spoilt for choice, so when I moved to London/Stroud Green 7 years ago I had similar problems. To be fair locally (until last year or so at least) there was only that dreadful Exotic of India place on Crouch Hill, but Mosoum (now The Oriental but same curry) did a good delivery service.

Then Mela opened and finally we had a curry house that served food with actual meat in it, rather than the liquid and rice other "sit-down" places seemed to serve. Dunno if you all agree, but Mela has some authentic dishes which are closer to the food I've eaten in India (the management are Bangladeshi, but it's a well-researched menu, all the same), but I've heard mixed reviews. I think mostly people don't like the ambience -- the lighting is a bit "full-on" -- but if you like floodlit tables it's the place to go, I expect.

I've tried Dhonia, which was alreet. Jai Krishna was alright, too, except for the up-his-arse "I've-been-to-India-and-I've-got-a-spice-rack-at-home" twat next to me who kept moaning orgasmically about the bleeding spices, "Oh the Tamarind!" he wailed, prodding around in his friend's dishes like the scavenging gourmet. Tosser. Not tried Indian Ocean, but it sounds fab.

On a side note, is it me or are curries hotter the further north you go? Not that it's a standard for judging good curry, but I mention it out interest, and it's a peculialy English obsession. I regularly try the odd vindaloo down here but when I visited Manchester recently I realised that what makes for a vindaloo in London would be considered a Madras in Rusholme, wonder why this is.

Funny how we're all experts on curry in England -- Just say no, kids.

David · May 2007

Not so sure, I have an authority on curry sitting next to me at work from the midlands. She says there's no difference from there and London. She also did some time in Bradford and likewise. This would suggest Manchester being a hotspot. She did note that dhansak possibly had an inverse heatmap, being hotter in London than anywhere else.

Philistine'sMonster · May 2007

What on God's green earth is an "authority" on curry? That tosser in Jai Krishna -- bet he was one. :)

tosscat · May 2007

I agree with the heat map thing - it is never a consideration that a curry down here might be too hot. Re: the heroin, they do a similar thing with Whiskas cat food don't they?

Colette · May 2007

I think now would be a good time to mention Rasa. Not N4, but Stokie's not that far away. Mind you, I struggle to see beyond Jai Krishna. That may have something to do with the fact that it is at the end of my street. Literally.

matt · May 2007

I think we must be trying to make up for how much colder it is up North. I'm originally from Liverpool and have a set of plates from my old local up there - The King Karhai. I was gutted when it closed down.

Exotic of India - only tried it once - never again. The lamb was tougher than leather.

Mela - I agree it's the best I've found near SGR for meat curries.

Rasa's pretty good, the veggie or meat one?

Colette · May 2007

Well, veggie probably. It's cheaper, and it's so good that I don't really miss the meat. Plus, as a purist, the veggie one was the original one.

David · May 2007

As an Authority I just meant she's had a few from all over the country so could mull over the heatmap suggestion. I've just realised I'm yet to have a single curry in Stroud Green. Last one I had was blooming marvellous at New Tayyab but 'tis miles away in Whitechapel.

matt · May 2007

And veggie being more traditionally iIndian, too.

Colette · May 2007

Well only southern indian, but then Rasa is southern indian.
Damn, I really fancy a curry now!

Philistine'sMonster · May 2007

All this curry talk ... I had to go to Mela last night, and the chicken Mojader was bloody great. And the lighting was fine ... As for the vegetarian thing, it's also a Hindu thing so it's certainly not restricted to the south. Vegetarianism or "pure veg" is common all over India. In fact in places like Pushkar, which is very far north, you can't eat meat at all because it's a sacred place to Brahma. Always curry -- after all, one billion Indians can't be wrong.

rich · May 2007

The Sunderban is a great little curry house in Blackstock Road. Delivery is best as the restaurant is small. Large portions and really yummy! Check them out!

matt · June 2007

Got a new non-N4 #1. [Olives](http://www.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en&pwst=1&q=olives+curry&near=London&radius=0.0&latlng=51500197,-126197,7280671016072769174&sa=X&oi=local&ct=authority&cd=1), just off Goodge/Mortimer Street. Their Lamb Dhansak almost had me in tears (of joy, not overheating). It helped that I was on my own waiting for the girlfriend so could concentrate 110% on every mouthful. Amazing.

Billy Bookcase · June 2007

I'd like to endorse the praise already lavished on Holloway Road's Indian Ocean.
The standard of food available there is consistently wonderful. Lots of vegeterian options all carefully prepared and grease free.

Four Eyes · June 2007

I ate at Jai Krishna tonight for the first time since living in SG and I have to say it was some of the worst food I've ever had. I decided to overlook the dirty carpet and shabby decor, thinking I shouldn't judge a book by its cover but alarm bells started to ring when I had to write my own order down and take it up to the counter. I thought 'well the place is always packed, so that many people can't be wrong, surely?' The next alarm bell to ring was the 'ping' of the microwave in the back room sounding the arrival of our food. What did arrive was 'green bean curry', I think fresh from the tin via microwave - tasteless, mushy, greasy, just plain awful. I don't want to think about it as it's still inside me. Dreadful, dreadful, will never go back again

Only thing in its favour is that it was dirt cheap, but then doesn't take cards so I had to treck down to the cashpoint at Tesco and head back to pay them in cash. I should have done a runner.

Colette · June 2007

Jai Krishna? awful? that's crazy, I'm sorry. It's one of the best veggie curry places in the whole of london, and I've tried a fair few. My only criticism of it would be that if you just stick to their curries, they often come in similar tasting sauces. Be brave, venture off piste, and it's marvellous.

matt · June 2007

I'm going to take this opportunity to ask Colette what that dish is I always ask her the name of... ...and to say that Four Eyes, you must have had an off night.

Colette · June 2007

the potato one?

tosscat · June 2007

Sabji baha?

tosscat · June 2007

The tomato, potato and methi leaves one?

poxy · June 2007

T.H.E. I.N.D.I.A.N. O.C.E.A.N.

It beats Jai Krishna into a cocked poppadom.

Colette · June 2007

Sabji baha, that's the one. The food of the gods. I am incapable of going in there without ordering it. They do a pretty good dosa too, and their sambar is excellent.
As for the indian ocean, it isn't literally at the end of my road, thus it will never win the curry battle.

matt · September 2007

Anybody tried the one opposite The Shaftesbury on Hornsey Road?

matt · September 2007

Has Mela closed down? The number gives me a "not recognised" message.

tosscat · September 2007

Oh no, and I've never even been! It looks as if el Khyber (?) has closed too - it was never going to do very well. Being two doors down from Petek, it was just never worth the risk of disappointment.

Ian · September 2007

Mela is closed for refurbishment according to the sign.

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