The Curryholic

It has been around 30 years since I last visited this restaurant. It's just that I don't go down this end of Newhall St very often, and then not usually on a Friday night when we tend to go out for a curry.
It has always had a good reputation and obviously changed over the years, I suspect for the better judging by our experience.
The food and service was excellent.
What was particularly pleasing was the very friendly Abdul's knowledge of the menu.
Indian dishes can be distinctly different from your more common Bangladeshi restaurants and it's therefore worth checking how they prepare the dishes. Indian food is usually bespoke to the chef and the dishes are typically noticeably different from each other. A bit of knowledgeable advice from your waiter helps avoid any potential disappointment. I was really pleased that Abdul nailed the choice for me.
Likewise he assisted the wife with the details of her salmon dish which she thoroughly enjoyed.
Furthermore the pilau rice was superb with none of the all too common red or green food colouring. There was nothing wrong with the onion bhaji starter or the garlic naan either. Even the dips with the poppadoms were better than your usual.
The kulfi dessert was also better than the "daleks" you normally get offered.
More traditional desserts are also available.
Overall a great night, far more relaxed and also a bit cheaper when compared to similar restaurants in the town centre.
Well worth checking out and the short walk down Newhall St.

Apart from the litter and a couple of burnt out cars, how can you not like a large open green space in the middle of a housing estate? Litter is not the fault of the council and i guess budgets are stretched but i can't excuse them for not emptying their own litter bins. As for the burnt out vehicles, they have been there for some time .

It's been around 30 years since I last ate here, not that there was anything wrong with the food or the service. The wife and I had a very enjoyable meal here. It has had a recent makeover and I shudder to think how much the carpet cost. I am pleased they went for soft flooring rather than a hard finish as it helps keep the noise down.
The menu is huge, obviously much is a variation on a similar dish but at least it might tempt you in trying something a bit different.
It was very busy on our early Friday night visit which confirms it must be doing something right.
Indeed they are, the garlic and coriander nan bread was a bit "different" but apart from that all was very good. My Jalfrezi was particularly flavoursome and so was the wife's balti. The chicken in both was excellent. The portions were too big for us to finish, partly due to the complimentary pakora.
Prices are reasonable and being able to take your own alcohol is obviously a bonus. I notice quite a few customers took their own soft drinks which I am not sure about.
Parking can be a bit awkward but it's well worth a short walk.

We went to see the Divine Beauty experience at the Cathedral tonight and had a very pleasant experience.
There was a technical problem that delayed our entrance, resulting in a 40 minute wait but it seemed to go quickly. I could have done without the drop in temperature though.
The 'show' comprises of projected Christian images onto the walls and ceiling, with a specially composed soundtrack. I actually enjoyed the music as much, or possibly more than the images. It lasted around 15 mins and the room was not over crowded so all had a good view.
The imagery felt a bit random despite the theme, and some of it was abstract. I think it would have been more powerful if it had told a story.
Strangely I thought the setting was a distraction but that's probably just me.
The show was enjoyable and very competitively pricef but I am not sure if it's something that you would see more than once.