Brendan T.
Yelp
I'd heard that like London, Indian food is to Glasgow as Pizza is to my city (NYC) and Burritos are to LA and..... I'd also heard that this city is in fact even low key superior to London when it comes to curry and also that the beloved Anglo staple of Chicken Tikka Masala was in fact created in this town. While I can't vouch for the last two claims, I can attest that my meal here was definitive proof of the first one, and that this is an exceptional place to discover these wonderful local food-ways.
I arrived in Glasgow, tired. jet lagged and hung over from my previous night out in Edinburgh but am quite happy I pushed myself to force a proper dinner out upon arrival, and it turned out to be by far the most delicious and delightful one of my entire trip. Although we arrived just prior to 10:30 closing time the sky was still bright outside in miraculous Glasgow June. We were lucky enough to be whisked right away to our table in the amazing second floor dining room. Dripping in gorgeous dark wood and filled incredible period details, not the least of which were the incredible vintage light figures. In the bathroom theres one of those old toilets with the pull lever string from above like in The Godfather. The room was packed when we put our last call orders in, reflecting a panorama of Glaswegians all seemingly in the best of and imbibing the best of sprits, merrily inducing in the aromatic grub while bantering in the thickest of accents, the only thing thicker being the unmistakably pungently delicious smell of curry.
The food, unlike much of what passes back home for South Asian cuisine, which somehow manages to be both spicy and bland. This is bursting with flavor, and not just fiery heat, which it certainly had in droves but also a complex web of other flavors like coriander, dilll, and a myriad of fresh herbs and veggies from the fertile Scottish Countryside mixed with he spices from the Sub Continent that have been consistently imported into this city and addicting its inhabitants for centuries due to the logistical workings of the once mighty Navel based British Empire and the Port City of Glasgow's special role in its trade with the Indian colony. The most fiery dish proved to be the cities claimed dish of Tikka Masala, which was absent from the apparently fancier restaurant, as opposed to "Carry out" menu, but the waitress was more than happy to oblige and serve it to me. It was glorious in addition to punishingly spicy with just a touch of relief from a light underpinning of cream. Not quite as mouth burning but nonetheless with plenty of kick, but perhaps even more delicious was an even creamier chicken curry dish called Murgh Mussalum, which befitting this spud obsessed nation was stuffed with delightful saffron mashed potatoes. Those portions of poultry proved humongous, which were accompanied by uniformly delicious sides, including a delightful vegetable basmati rice studded with a gardens worth medley of super fresh tasting veggies including spinach pease carrots and zucchini. Many of those same veggies also appeared in the paneer we ordered which was not the spinach forward and thick concoction we were accustomed to back home, but rather a much lighter, tomato based dish with the namesake cheese applied much more lightly. And of course, we had to order some of the wonderfully light and fluffy whole wear roti bread, which hardened up nicely to provide solid structures for the base of our delectable sandwiches which sustained us on a trek into the Scottish Highlands the next day. Great Indian food leftovers, like some Italian food imo, sometimes actually manages to improve upon sitting and congealing somewhat, and these sandwiches deliciously proved my theory. Whether or not that was worth the smell is a matter of debate between my carmates and the rental car company.....