The Amber Fort - Beckenham

The weather gods did not want Bob & Phil to go anywhere tonight.  They created a sink hole to close the M2 and gridlock everywhere between Gillingham, Sittingbourne & Faversham. They blew winds to close the QE2 bridge and, with it, turn the other Motorways in Kent into car parks.  And as a final challenge they decided that if Bob & Phil dared to venture out they were going to get wet.  But the show must go on and a customer in Beckenham needed their dining table and chairs......

Delivery over, with a kind recommendation in hand, Bob and Phil turned up at the Amber Fort in Elmers End Road.

The Amber Fort is a modern restaurant located in a parade of shops in Elmers End Road.  There is plenty of street parking available on the road outside.  It looks clean and modern with bold colours and colourful decorations.

The (draft) Cobra was nicely cold and served promptly along with the Papadums which were warm and fresh.  There was a selection of 5 Pickles although Bob didn't particularly like the onion ones.

Phil thought his Dhansak was very good indeed, the earthy taste of the lentils came through along with a good balance of sweetness and heat.  Bob was a little disappointed with his Butter Chicken, however, as he felt that there was a little flavour lacking and that it was slightly overcooked as his chicken was a little rubbery (Phil resisted the crack about "Grad you're enjoying it...")

The Sag Aloo was very good but, sadly, the Muttar Paneer was very bland, the peas tasteless and no real sweetness in the sauce.

The service was polite and picked up after a rather aloof start (we were pointed to a table rather than shown to it).  It culminated in terry towels at the end of the meal and we were offered a complementary drink at the end.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	8	9
Papadum	8	7
Curry	9	6
Rice & Vegetables	7	7
Service & Ambiance	8	8

In total a respectable 77.  Above average but not on the leaderboard.

Gandhi - Herne Bay

It was a return visit to a regular customer in Hawkinge this evening.  Although (or perhaps because) it is close to Folkestone, there are no curry houses on the route from Canterbury and this was giving Bob & Phil cause for concern - a matter they happened to bring up with a Rep that co-incidentally called into the shop today.  It was at said Rep's suggestion that a slight detour was made on the way back to try Gandhi which is a regular haunt whenever he visits his son in Herne Bay.  Names cannot be divulged but - Great Scott!! it was a good call.

Gandhi has been established in Herne Bay for nearly 30 years but unless you are a local you would not know it is there.  Not in the main tourist areas, it is located slightly away from the popular areas in Station Road.

On entry it has a tradtional feel about it, perhaps slightly crossed with a pub with its wood panelled walls, wood & glass partitions and its subdued lighting.

The Papadums were warm and fresh and lightly salted and of the fine variety as opposed to the slightly thicker ones that are often served.  They appeared with the usual pickles and dips along with (bottled) Cobras that seemed to have more flavour than the norm.  An "amuse-bouche" of deep fried aubergine was also kindly provided.

Phil's Dhansak was nicely presented and, although not on the menu, Bob's Butter Chicken was prepared to order.  Both were very generous portions and well received.  From Phil's point of view it was everything he expected from a Dhansak.  Bob found that his flavours were "different" to the norm but enjoyed it nevertheless.

The Muttar Paneer was sweetly flavoured and not so overpowering as to allow the natural taste of the Peas to come through.  The Sag Aloo, although unusually dry in nature, was also cooked in a way to allow the different flavours of the vegetables to come through.  Phil did feel, however, that the potatoes needed more seasoning.

The service was excellent - polite and attentive, yet not overbearing.  Bob & Phil particularly liked the amuse-bouche and offer of complementary digestif.  Being extremely picky, the napkins were of the "baby wipe" style as opposed to terry towel although it should be acknowledged that they were opened and served rather than just presented on a plate.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	8	8
Papadum	9	8
Curry	10	8
Rice & Vegetables	8	9
Service & Ambiance	9	9

In addition, Bob wished to add another point to reflect both the amuse-bouche and digestif but couldn't decide where to put it.  Which gives a total score of 87 putting Gandhi joint top of our leader board.

There is always a danger that, following a few weeks without a curry (and in Phil's case January was an alcohol free detox month too) an excitement can lead to over scoring and Bob & Phil discussed this ahead of preparing the blog entry.  The conclusion reached, though was that this was an excellent curry and deserved its very good score.