Which ones your favourite? I fancy a curry tonight and I also fancy going somewhere where I haven’t been yet. Ideally in the centre or south of the city!

Jai Kathmandu in Northenden

A Manc living in Manc for 30+ years. It’s better than any on the ‘Curry Mile’ and owt in Chorlton.

Not strictly a curry house as such, but Cachumba on Burton Road in West Didsbury is excellent.

They have a relatively small menu, made up of a combination of Far Eastern (Indian, Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Vietnamese) dishes, all spiced to varying degrees.

Been going since the early 90s. Lady who owns/runs it is also the chef. You won’t find any Gee or generic sauces here. When you walk in you get hit by the smell of fresh spices frying. Every year or so it shuts for a couple of weeks and she heads off to SE Asia to check out new flavours etc.

Been eating there for 20 years and it’s the best spiced food in Manchester that I’ve had..

Akhbar’s in the city centre?

Still keep meaning to try Jai

Akhbars lost it. Greasy salty tasting stuff now.

Coriander in Chorlton is very Chorlton, no ghee or msg etc etc

Still tasty, amazingly. The naan bread is a little disappointing though.

I really enjoyed East Z East (terrible name) – mostly Asian families eating there which seems a good sign. The decor is a bit Bollywood but quite smart – the pickle tray is epic!

That Jai Kathmandu place is alright too.

Eastz east is very good, was there last week, lots of asian families eating in there, must be a good sign?
Or the very bepasic but v tasty rice and 3 , in a back street in the northern quarter, sorry dont know the street name

The Aladin, on the corner in the northern quarter opposite the Arndale.

Rice and 3 for 4 quid, champion. Bettrr than This n That rund the corner.

Bettrr than This n That rund the corner

Heretic!

I used to live in the northern quarter. I thought hunters and this n that was hideous.

Prefer the African place in Arndale market.

Swadesh is okay, Zouk very good.

That Yoruba woman in Arndale is expensive, unfortunately.

Forget curry, that’s passé. Lebanese is where it’s at. Go down to Rusholme and enjoy the tastiest, freshest, healthiest food ever at Beirut, quite soon on the right as you head out of Manchester. Make friends with Saif, the Maitre D (tall, skinny pale guy) and order a mixed mezze to start with mixed grill for mains; don’t eat the mezze too fast as you will need room for the grill when it arrives sizzling on a charcoal brazier. Delicious! Parking behind the restaurant for £1.50.

Equally fresh and delicious but considerably cheaper is Jaffa, a hundred yards down on the left on the corner of Denison Road. If you’re arriving by car this one is easier as there’s free parking in the circle and the street behind. Order a mixed salad and a mixed shawarma, it will be about a tenner each with a drink. The downstairs is always packed with Arabic and Asian diners, proof enough of its excellence. There are loads of seats upstairs.

Can’t beat Great Kathmandu, consistently good Nepalese (and Indian) curry. Used to go to Akbars lots years ago, but last visit recently the curry was greasy and disapointing – seems like they are not making the effort they used to. Wont be going back that’s for sure.

Unfortunately the curry sauce business is getting more and more invasive and many restaurants now just buy their sauces in big plastic tubs from a factory, chuck in some chicken or lamb and slosh it around then tip it into the serving dish. It’s rare to find a restaurant where they actually cook their own spices – I had the experience a few years ago when I took some very devout Syrian visitors for a curry and we had to insist on halal, we waited nearly an hour but the food was absolutely stunning because the chef cooked everything from fresh.

Middle-eastern food on the other hand is hard to industrialise because the ingredients and dishes are so simple and fresh.

Ah yes- middle eastern. Theres a stunning Lebanese place off Marble Arch in London. Fresh mint, everything is sooo nice there. The one in Northern Quarter- I’ve been warned off that one. The one in Rusholme- definitely worth a try then? How far up from Edinburgh bikes is it?

Akhbars – around the time they had to get rid of the illegal staff – thats when it went downhill (about 2yrs ago?)

Another vote for the Jai. Just brilliant.

If you’re local to Chorlton it’s worth giving these guys a try:

http://www.barakahfoods.co.uk/

Small, family run business and a very limited menu but was good on my first and only (as yet) time using them. Delivery guy even apologised for being 1min late. Portion size is big and price is cheap.

Order in advance though, they only make so much per day and when it’s gone (and it usually does) it’s gone.

Ah yes- middle eastern. Theres a stunning Lebanese place off Marble Arch in London. Fresh mint, everything is sooo nice there. The one in Northern Quarter- I’ve been warned off that one. The one in Rusholme- definitely worth a try then? How far up from Edinburgh bikes is it?

The Lebanese we love in London is Maroush Express, about 300 yards up Edgware Road from Marble Arch, on the east side. I’m salivating just thinking about it. There’s also Fakhrieddine’s in Piccadilly but we like Maroush better.

The Cedar Tree in Thomas (or Tib?) Street is a shocker, an embarrassment to Lebanese hospitality. There’s a Syrian place in Wilmslow Road called Aladdin but I didn’t enjoy going there.

Beirut in Rusholme is about 100 yards south of Edinburgh Bikes on the other side. Worth a try but it’s often quite chilly in there. After that you’ve got Jaffa, another 100 yards down on the left but more of a kebab/shawarma place. Tasty and cheap though.

Unfortunately the curry sauce business is getting more and more invasive and many restaurants now just buy their sauces in big plastic tubs from a factory, chuck in some chicken or lamb and slosh it around then tip it into the serving dish.

actually you’re slightly wrong there. the curry sauce is always cheaper to make than to buy in.
there is a difference though…most of the restaurants in manchester are Pakistani owned and their curry sauces are always based on a tomato puree base…whereas the vast majority of indian restaurants in the UK are Bengali owned and their curry sauce is based on an onion base.
as you’ve rightly pointed out the curry business is getting more invasive and the added competition has led to many restaurants cutting costs to maintain their profit margins…this along with them lowering their prices to undercut rivals leads to the lack of quality on what they serve.
buying in cheaper, lower quality ingredients is where the problem lies with the lack of food quality/taste…also factor in the more established restaurants where its gone a bit downhill, where the owners/chefs no longer care about the quality of food they serve and are happy to trade on their reputations alone.

how do i know this? various members of my family and my wife’s family have been in this trade for over 30 years

Middle-eastern food on the other hand is hard to industrialise because the ingredients and dishes are so simple and fresh.

this bit is spot on though and a lot of curry houses are trying to emulate this or go along the fusion food ethos

My Burton Road menu would be:

Cachumba – South indian prawn curry or malaysian fish curry

Followed by

Great Khatmandhu – Butter lamb/chicken

With yeung chow fried rice from the lotus for desert

Another vote for The Great Khatmandu on Burton Road in west Didsbury – was my only concern when moving away. The Moon in Withington was always good quality, as was Asian Fusion in Chorlton.

The best I’ve ever found in Rusholme was just OK, the southern suburbs are much better. (don’t know about the North side, probably some good ‘uns up there too)

Not strictly a curry house as such, but Cachumba on Burton Road in West Didsbury is excellent.

They have a relatively small menu, made up of a combination of Far Eastern (Indian, Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Vietnamese) dishes, all spiced to varying degrees.

Went there last night after reading this a while back.

Yes, excellent!! We will return 🙂

Thanks for the recommendation.
Paul