Eating Food #10 - Curry 2000

I just went to a curry place in Bethnal Green, near Bethnal Green tube station (and it might have even been on Bethnal Green High Street). In any case, it was across the road from a Nandos. It was called Curry 2000, despite it being 2007.

From the outside it looks like a kebab shop. If you asked me why I decided to stop in there for lunch, I couldn't tell you. It has big plate windows and I could see all the way into the back. I walked in and the friendly man behind the glass counter asked me what I would like. I looked at the big menu above his head and tried to remember what aloo and chat meant. He helpfully asked me if I wanted lamb, chicken or vegetables. I said lamb. He pointed to one of the dishes behind the glass and told me it had lamb in it and the other had lamb and spinach. I went for the latter, with pilau rice and a can of coke. He told me to take and seat and wait.

The curry was excellent. The lamb was tender and in big meaty chunks. The sauce was a cornucopia of spices and herbs. I couldn't tell you how to make it or what even was in it. I sometimes get a kick out of eating something I don't recognise: as long as it tastes good. It wasn't too hot either, which is the bane of most crap curries. It had no coconut in it, which is the other bane of crap curries. Pity then the pilau rice was terrible.

People working behind glass counters shouldn't microwave old food. I could clearly see him scoop some old rice from a metal tin and put it on a plate. I could clearly see him put it in the microwave and push the start button. I could see the sweat beads on the plate, the beads you only get when you microwave food. The rice was limp, flavourless and dull. It was inconsistent in texture; either stuck together in blobs or in single dry grains. To think they did the hard job well, only to fall at the basics. The Coke tasted ok though.

The meal cost me over 7 pounds, which is a lot of a kebab shop. I don't think I'll got there again, despite the good curry and friendly staff. You can't have bad rice! It's like wearing an Armani suit with a pair of knackered shoes. You would never think about doing that, would you?