It’s become one of the top-rated restaurants in the city
Samosas, squid, and stuffed pepper(Image: Sofie Jackson – staff)
Curryish in Newand Avenue will soon celebrate the milestone of its first year in business. The restaurant has been steadily building its reputation and, as it nears its anniversary, has achieved a rating of 4.8 stars on Google and 4.9 starts on TripAdvisor.
I was lucky enough to visit when Curryish first opened and was seriously impressed by the flavour of its aromatic dishes and texture of the freshly-baked naans. It was so good, I returned on Christmas Day to pick up a takeaway.
With new additions on the menu, I was invited back for a taste. Speaking to Curryish owner Mamoon, I learned the restaurant now offers two fusion burgers on its street chaat menu – shami burger and aloo tikki burger – and several luxury mains, such as chatgaya mezbani which is a dish of slow-cooked beef in a rich spicy gravy, traditionally served on special occasions.
The vegetarian menu has been boosted to include the option of having paneer, a mild non-melting soft cheese, with most of the curries in place of meat. There was also new additions of methi and kashmiri to the ‘old favourites’ menu.
I ordered several new dishes: punjabi samosa, stuffed pepper (with the option of chicken or paneer), chilli garlic squid, and methi curry. It would seem negligent not to check out the Curryish Special Curry – the signature house dish with tender meat in a medium spiced sauce – so I added that to our order too.
Mushroom rice, sag aloo, and a nan bread were picked for the sides. At this point, the irresistible poppadom tray had arrived and I began to doubt I could possibly eat all this food.
With the last poppadum polished off, the starters promptly arrived. They were truly a sight to behold and I marvelled at the presentation of the stuffed pepper.
It was even tastier than it looked. The red flesh was perfectly charred, giving it that smoky-but-sweet flavour like paprika.
The grilled vegetables on the side were mouth-wateringly sweet and the pepper itself was stuffed with pleasantly unctuous cubes of paneer that had been dusted with a very moreish blend of spices.
Meanwhile, my partner tucked into the squid which he said was very rich but beautifully balanced by the accompaniment of a zesty dip that tasted of coriander and lime.
We both loved the punjabi samosas which had a delicious pastry, not dissimilar to a buttery shortcrust. The vegetable filling was as smooth as praline and flavoured with the comforting warmth of lightly toasted spices.
Already pretty full, I nonetheless was just as enthusiastic about the main dishes. The methi curry was herby and delicate, with surprising notes of maple syrup which apparently is a quirk of fenugreek. It was garnished with juicy jewels of pomegranate and absolutely lovely.
The sag aloo was a revelation, every little morsal of potato melted in my mouth like butter. The mushroom rice and naan were also very good.
My partner described the chicken in his Curryish Special as “lovely meat”, cooked just right and not too dry, with a complex sauce that was mildly spicy, letting the more delicate flavours shine through.
Safe to say, we were fully satisfied. Once again, I found I had to take some food home in a takeaway box – but that’s always a bonus!
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