Indian restaurant food next to a cooling tower.

I don't need to repeat my mantra. You know that Indian food is big, big business in Britain. Restaurants like this one are unusual. Nestled next to the huge cooling towers of Fiddlers Ferry power station, it is literally in the middle of nowhere. A former country pub, it has been taken over and re-branded. The food was adequate enough, but the whole experience was classic British restaurant, ie. a few dodgy moments, sullen, teenage staff and arguments regarding the bill.

I ordered a pint of Cobra, that classic Indian beer and turned back to the barman just in time to see him try to discreetly top it up with the inferior Fosters. I ordered another and made a point of watching him closely while he had no choice but to fill it to the brim with the Indian lager. That must have killed him. Did I say anything? No. Generally you don't risk it in these kind of places.  

The menu was a deal of 5 courses for 11 pounds. Sounded like a pretty good deal at first, with us being able to order any starter or main course from the al la carte menu. Then we were told that the first course would be poppadoms, our choice of starter second and the main meal third. Any accompaniment we chose for our main such as rice or bread would be considered our fourth course, however, and the fifth was a cup of coffee should we want it. Hmm.

So, the first course arrived, poppadoms and the ubiquitous sauces. Starting from the top above and moving clockwise: Creamy yogurt flecked with mint, mango chutney, hot, spicy tomato and chili and chopped onion with mint and red food colouring.

The choice of second course starters was impressive. Lists of options included meat, vegetables and sea-food for a few extra pounds. Above is a vegetarian dosa option. A pancake made with rice and chickpea (channa) flour, fluffy and light, rolled around a filling composed of chickpeas and potatoes in a spicy onion, tomato and chili sauce with cumin, coriander and yogurt.

Another option was the stuffed green pepper above. Ground beef fried with onions and potato, spiced with chili powder, cumin and cilantro. The pepper was charred enough to give it a caramelized taste and soft enough to mellow the harsh green pepper flavour.

My option : Butterflied king prawn. Coated in a crispy, spicy breadcrumb mixture and deep fried, it was succulent and juicy on the inside and crunchy out. We kept the sauces from the poppadom plate and I drizzled a little chili and yogurt sauce over to add a little more spice.

The choices available for the main course were many. Pages upon pages of different dishes. Chef's specials, tandoori dishes, biryanis, tikka platters, curry options etc. However, something that has always been a problem in British Indian restaurants is the lack of choice for vegetarians in the entree section. For a country with many, many people who do not eat meat, you would think the choices would be more creative and varied. There was literally one option for the two non-meat eaters with us. Vegetables such as cauliflower, potato and squash were cooked in a spinach, chickpea and lentil based sauce with tomatoes, chilies and spices. It was very good, but a few more alternatives would have been welcome. I guess most restaurants cater to their surroundings, that being said, the vegetarian population in Britain is substantial. I ordered 'special' Rogan Josh, the special part being lamb, chicken and prawns cooked in a spicy, bright red sauce with tomatoes, potatoes and carrots. It was very good, tangy, spicy and satisfying with the fried rice and keema naan.

Neil's dish of lamb Makhani. Basically butter lamb. Better known in North America with chicken as the ever popular 'butter chicken' dish. Also called lamb or chicken tikka masala, this dish is creamy and rich with a sauce full of tomato, butter and cream. As you can see from the picture above, this version was covered in grated cheese. A very odd accompaniment, it provided an extra layer of rich, savoury goodness, with the saltiness helping to cut across the heaviness, (or perhaps adding to it).

The vegetarians option as detailed above and special egg fried rice. Fluffy Basmati scented with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon with spinach, cilantro and ground beef.

The keema naan, a very popular bread choice is stuffed with ground beef, cooked with chili and spices. The one we ordered had an exceptionally red hue, (see below), that I can only imagine comes from food colouring. Many people expect to see this vivid shade and will feel disappointed or even short changed if the food they order has a more natural colour, as though it's lacking in something, which it most certainly is, unacceptable levels of preservatives, but then food is such a comforting, familiar thing, change can be disconcerting. 

Neil and I were determined to have this meal while at home, whether at a 4 star expensive establishment in the city or in this kind of dodgy place. We were not disappointed. In some ways, all the little quirks add to the experience and reinforce our memories of home, which is nice. Next time, we'll have to visit after pub closing time which is when the experience is really exciting. Read this.