Shobab - Whitstable

With deliveries beginning to dry up. Bob & Phil felt the need for a social event.  You can't have a social event without a curry (in Bob & Phil's book anyway) so Whitstable, being the closest source of curry houses was the chosen venue.  As it was a social it was also decided to go where they knew they would enjoy it so Shobab - probably the best curry house in town - was their destination.

Unlike other Whitstable curry houses that have upped sticks and moved, Shobab remains at the Harbour Street end of the High Street.  For those of you that like to navigate via Pubs it is between the Royal Naval Reserve and Duke of Cumberland on the same side as "The Naval" (as it is colloquially known)

Bob & Phil were shown to the same table as a few short months previously (last review 30/8) and, as expected, the (draught) Cobras were nicely cold.  There was a short wait for for the Pappadums but they were nicely fresh and warm.  Phil did think that the Lime pickle was a little salty - something that he had noted recently elsewhere - the same supplier or had Phil's tastebuds changed.

This being a social event, Phil decided to go for something different and chose a Sikandari Rann (a curried lamb shank) whilst Bob was still rather misty eyed about his Butter Chicken from the previous visit.  Perhaps it was because of Phil's unusual choice but from here on in the service became rather slow.

When the curries arrived, however, they were well worth the wait.  Bob loved the depth of flavours in his Butter Chicken and Phil was extremely pleased with the richness without too much heat of the Lamb shank which both Bob & Phil thought was extremely well presented.

The vegetables were as expected a perfect foil for the main dishes and this time Bob didn't feel that the Muttar Paneer was a butter chicken in disguise!

If there was one area where the Shobab let itself down it was with the service.  Paper napkins may be cheaper that laundering cloth ones but they really do detract from the experience.  The service was on the slow side - and at one point Bob & Phil could hear a lot of shouting and arguing (they guessed from the tone of voices) from the kitchen.  There were no postprandial napkins and on leaving there was no-one wishing them goodnight......little things mean a lot!!

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	9	9
Papadum	8	7
Curry	9	10
Rice & Vegetables	9	8
Service & Ambiance	6	5

                

In total a very good 80 which with a little bit of effort could have been a table topping score

The Shobab remains head and shoulders above the other Whitstable Curry Houses in terms of their food but perhaps they know it and it is leading to a lack of care in the customer service area.

Joshan - Wye......Why?

A delivery to Ashford called for Bob & Phil.  On the way over Phil casually searched for nearby Curry Houses and up popped Joshan.

It has a very professional looking website and had good reviews so on the way back a detour was made to Wye..........and Bob & Phil, experts as they are at finding addresses couldn't find it!

Eventually after parking up and walking purposely through the village the location was found....boarded up and with all sorts of notices posted on the doors.

So you have closed the restaurant.....why not the website.

Bob & Phil were not impressed

Raj Venue - Canterbury

Following the disappointment of  the chosen restaurant's demise, (See Joshan, Wye) a frantic search by Phil unearthed a Canterbury Curry House that neither Phil nor Bob had noticed despite driving past it on a regular basis.

Raj Venue is located at the Westgate Towers end of St Dunstan's in Canterbury next door to the far better known (and obviously advertised) Cafe des Amis.  To say that its presence is understated is an understatement in itself as the name does not appear on the outside of the building!  Inside it is newly decorated and brightly lit.  There seemed to be two distinct areas with different seating and gave the overall impression of work in progress.

It took a couple of minutes for Bob & Phil to be greeted and shown to a table and that set the scene for the rest of the evening.  Unusually the Papadums arrived before the Cobras and they were quite fresh (but not warm).  The pickles included what Phil believed was an Onion and Beetroot chutney which he very much enjoyed.  The (draught) Cobras did eventually turned up and were well worth waiting for as they were nicely cold.

The papadums had long since been consumed before the curries arrived.  Both were very nicely presented.  Phil did think, though, that his Dhansak was excellent.  It had the right texture and flavours.  Bob, on the other hand, was very disappointed by his Korma.  He found no flavour whatsoever and was quickly bored.

It is worth pointing out that the portions were extremely generous, particularly the special rice which neither Bob nor Phil could finish.  The Muttar Paneer was enjoyed by both particularly as the flavour of the peas shone through over the sweet creamy sauce but the Bombay Aloo was very disappointingly bland.

Overall the service can best be described as slow which was somewhat surprising given there were only two tables occupied.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	9	10
Papadum	9	8
Curry	9	4
Rice & Vegetables	7	7
Service & Ambiance	6	6

 A creditable 75 despite Bob's curry!

Bob's unfortunate curry apart, Raj Venue could be the best curry house in Canterbury......if you can find it!

Star of Bengal - A new location in Whitstable

Until very recently the Star of Bengal was a small restaurant located opposite the Library on Oxford Street.  It is there no more.  Following weeks of rumours it has moved to the other end of town and is now located on Harbour Street - opposite the Duke of Cumberland.  Those that know Whitstable will recognise the site as the former home of the Shamrat Indian Restaurant which, it has to be said, was probably the least popular of Whitstable's Curry Houses.

The curry house move intrigued Phil and he persuaded Bob to come out on a non delivery based trip to see how the move went.  Was it a takeover? Was it a merger?  For those who may wish to compare, the previous review of the Star of Bengal can be found here.. http://bobandphilscurryblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/star-of-bengal.html

As previously mentioned the Star of Bengal is now located at the High Street end of Harbour Street opposite the Duke of Cumberland pub.  There is some on street parking nearby and also 2 public car parks withing 3 minutes walk.  It has been freshly decorated and was quite brightly lit and can now cater for about double the number of diners than before.

Bob and Phil were greeted politely and shown to a table and the (bottled)  Cobra's arrived shortly after.  Phil felt that his wasn't quite cold enough but Bob didn't seem to mind too much.

The pappadums followed in fairly short order accompanied by the usual complement of pickles.  Sadly one of them was rather burnt and wasn't too pleasant.  Phil also felt that the Lime Pickle was a little too salty but Bob wouldn't know as he doesn't go anywhere near it!

The curries arrived in due course, Phil enjoyed his Dhansak which had the right texture and, unusually, pieces of chopped chilli added to the sauce.  Bob also found his Butter Chicken to be good too although he felt that the chicken may have been a little overcooked.  Both Bob & Phil were somewhat confused to find their meals served with plates regaled with the name of the previous restaurant at that site.

Phil chose to try the Bengal special rice for something different.  He enjoyed it and noted that it contained pieces of chicken and prawns as well as the usual vegetables found in the "normal" special fried rice that Bob went for. The Sag Aloo was OK but the Muttar Paneer was rather disappointing- it felt like lumps of cheese and frozen peas had simply been added to a packet cheese sauce mix.

The service was friendly and Bob & Phil were offered complementary drinks at the end along with the (microwaved) packet towels.

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

                

In total a rather below average 70.

So....the new venue has done little to improve on what Bob & Phil found before in the old location but from a site perspective, the restaurant is a significant improvement on what was there before.