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Latest updates:

23 June 2008 - Royal Naz and Sangam pages revamped

15 June 2008 - Lal Qila page revamped

14 June 2008 - some Al Bilal reviews added for latest visit

1 June 2008 - Al Bilal and Lal Haweli pages revamped

27 May 2008 - Hanaan page revamped

20 May 2008 - Curry Night history added

15 May 2008 - Brungerio's review of EastzEast finally supplied (and added the same day)

28 April 2008 - EastzEast added

11 February 2008 - Shahenshah added

CHR ♦ Venues ♦ Reviewers ♦ TopCurryHouses ♦ RusholmeMap ♦ History ♦ Links

THE curry scene in Manchester is a-changing.  Whereas Rusholme, the neon-heavy, curry theme park sitting south of the city centre, waving its tempting, competitively-priced array of spicy fare in the direction of the student population and beyond, has had rumblings and mumblings of discontent, stemming from stories about hygiene and credit card problems, not to mention a perceived decline of general standards.  It's still a unique area, though, with buses, cars and taxis shuffling interminably through with futile persistence; the smell (oh, the smell) as you exit one of said vehicles vivid and unmistakable (it helps that hunger is always at a peak at such junctures).  But, while the very centre of Mancunia used to be lumbered with dated, lacklustre curry venues (Gaylord; Rahjdoot - still open, incidentally; Piccadilly Indian Restaurant, to name but a few), the restaurateurs began to sense that the locals wanted something a little different.  And so the upmarket curry house in the city was born, started (in Manchester anyway) by Shimla Pinks, but perpetuated by Akbar's (branching out across the Pennines) and EastZEast, and these new kids on the block have offered curry clientele a whole new range of options.

THAT'S not to say that Rusholme is no longer viable, but it does mean that are even more curry houses in Manchester to choose from (and that's not even counting the vast array of places in the satellite towns, by which residents swear, such as Oldham, Rochdale and the like).  And that's where spaceman comes in.  Not one to shirk from the line of duty, particularly when it involves beer and/or food, spaceman (credentials: veteran curry night organiser, general curry stalwart, beer lover) intends to put forth upon these pages a comprehensive review of Manchester curry houses, covering not just those in the city centre and Rusholme, but those further afield that spaceman happens to visit.  Aiding spaceman in this thankless task are a bunch of unwitting but eager, and discerning, reporters (basically, those who accompany spaceman on any such soirée and can be bothered to proffer comments thereafter).  Yes, it's essentially what was here before but this will be different and, if not, then a tiny bit better to look at.

IN spaceman's old age (well, not *that* old, but it's all relative), there is a more reflective, explorative and experimentative person in place (again, this is relatively speaking).  Gone is the channelled decision making process (jalfrezi or rogan josh), or the desire to go for the spiciest thing on the menu; to replaced by a curiosity to sample one of the chef's recommendations, to engage the staff in discussions of food and culture.  What you won't find spaceman doing, nor will you ever have, is ordering an omelette or devouring a prawn cocktail.  Akin to the practice of those who think nothing of ordering egg and chips with a pint of Carling when abroad in a country home to a wondrous array of food and drink, this is tantamount to heresy.  (It's bad enough ordering half-rice, half-chips; don't get spaceman started on ordering a "Caribbean" pizza from a curry takeaway.)  Y'know, people have the freedom to do that what they damn well please (that fits nicely with spaceman's view that world is full of idiots).  But just not on spaceman's watch.  Anyway, rant mode off.

Old log of updates

29 November 2007 - Shaandaar revamped, shut or not

27 November 2007 - Lights Of India revamped

25 November 2007 - Latest reviews of Shimla Pinks now on

21 November 2007 - Shimla Pinks and Akbar's now on

13 November 2007 - All the reviewers now on there

16 October 2007 - Well, it was in need of a revamp, and that's what it got