Kashmir 9/08/09

Attendees: Lynda, John

HHHmmmm the Kashmir - one of the original curry houses in Bradford, and one of the only establishments that I have visited on countless occasions. For me, however, the jury has always been, and still is, out??
It is quite an experience wandering down the stairs into what must have been the old cellar - There is ‘posher’ seating upstairs but that is only open on an evening – but it certainly has character.

The service is always very good at the Kashmir – they used to be pretty well known for being pretty surly, and your curry would quite often come sliding down the table at you and the waiter would never speak – but those days have now gone. CRIKEY – you always seem to get a spoon these days too – whats the world coming to I ask?

So anyway, I digress, on with the service, the waiter brings a jug of water and a ‘palette cleansing’ onion and riata salad with the menus. The fare is nothing new or different and is simply split into starters, meat, chicken, keema and vege.

Kashmir quite possibly does the best onion bhaji I’ve ever had – and I’ve had a few – and all for 90p. You can’t grumble there. Well tasty with crispy, all mangled together, outsides and soft insides. Although not sampled on this occasion, I can also vouch for the fish pakora too.

Now onto the mains, and this is where the Kashmir has always fallen down to me. I have just never really got on with the mains. I have sampled many over the years, and the Rogan Josh is perhaps about the best (of a bad bunch), good and peppery. The problem is the quality of the meat in general, and they can be very oily too. I’ve taken to eating vege now and, although this has helped, it is still not ideal – not because of the lack of meat by the way – just that even the vege curries aren’t that good either?? On this occasion I tried the Chana Masala (Chick pea curry usually seen at breakfast time), and it was ok – bland to be honest – nothing special. I managed to eat most if it though, which is unusual for me at the Kashmir. Again the Rogan Josh – in vege guise – seems to be about the best. And it is pretty good by the way.

Chapatis are included with the mains but when we visit the Kashmir we cannot resist the pashwari naan. Again they are possibly the best.

Price wise it is pretty good VFM, although it does seem more expensive these days. It used to be that it didn’t matter what you ordered it always came to £5/head, oddly? Easy maths for the waiter’s maybe?

All in all, for me, the Kashmir is a mixed bag. It is the best on one hand and one of the worst on the other. I’ll keep going back though for the bhaji and peshwari alone. And it is probably the only place you can get a curry at 4am, after a club (not that this concerns me anymore), and then go for breakfast at 8am!! I’m not sure it ever shuts?? It’s an institution, a ‘must do’ curry experience, and Bradford is all the better for having it.

John