Badsha - Tenterden

Uncharacteristically, Bob & Phil planned ahead for tonight's delivery to Hawkhurst.  They were somewhat disappointed to find that their planned curry stop wasn't open.  Fearing the worst they headed for home and were relieved to discover Badsha in Tenterden.

Badsha is a traditional looking restaurant on West Cross (which is the A28).  There is plenty of on street parking nearby.  Nicely lit and decorated, the traditional look continues with beams a plenty throughout the dining area.

The (alleged) Cobras arrived promptly with a short wait for the Papadums, Neither Phil nor Bob had ever seen a pint of Cobra - bottled or draught - with an inch high head of froth.  It was also very gassy with torrents of bubbles and very un-Cobra like.  Bob queried whether it was Cobra and was re-assured that it was but Phil was far from convinced.  The Papadums were nice and warm but a couple were a little burned.

The curries were initially delivered to the wrong table!  When they were repatriated however, both were very pleasing.  Phil felt that his Dhansak was spot on.  There was a good balance of heat and sweet and the flavour and texture of the lentils came through nicely.  Bob enjoyed his butter chicken and it held his interest all the way through.

The rice was excellent, as was the muttar paneer.  There was a little disappointment with the Bombay Aloo.  It was a little cold and lacked seasoning.

The service was a little haphazard.  The greeting was pleasant but the waiters seemed a little harassed.  It was clear that there was a new waiter in training but the food was delivered to the wrong table,  The usual checks during the meal weren't there but orange segments were served with the napkins.

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

In total 74 an average score which could have been a top 10 score had it not been for the beer and the service!

British Raj - Sittingbourne

It had been a while since the Curry Gods had smiled on Bob & Phil but a late local delivery was called for and the time was there so.....why not? Tonight's chosen location was the British Raj on Sittingbourne High Street just down the road from the shop.

The British Raj is a modern looking restaurant.  Brightly lit and smartly furnished Bob & Phil both wondered why they hadn't tried it before it being located so close by.  The restaurant offers a banquet deal 7 days a week which included a starter so Bob & Phil chose to avail themselves of this.  Comments about the starters are included but they do not add to the score.

The papadums and beers arrived quite quickly with an unusual tamarind based dip instead of the lime pickly.  This dip was very good indeed and went a long way to improving the pappadums themselves which, although fresh and warm, tasted of stale fat.

The starters arrrived after a little wait.  Both were nicely presented.  Bob wasn't keen on the onions with his Chicken Tikka but otherwised enjoyed it.  Phil thought that his Shami Kebab was very good and it raised his expectations for what was to come....

The curries were nicely presented and very generous in size but underwhelmingly bland.  Bob felt that his Butter Chicken was more like a Korma and, although not unpleasant was rather boring.  Phil felt that his Dhansak looked the part and had the right consistency but had very little flavour - in fact he commented that the sauce tasted a lot like tomato soup.

The lack of flavour theme sadly continued into the vegetables.  The Aloo Ghobi and Muttar Paneer were indistinguishable in flavour even to the point of not being able to taste the peas.

The service was OK but not special - polite but if anything a little slow given the lack of customers

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	7	8
Papadum	6	6
Curry	6	6
Rice & Vegetables	5	4
Service & Ambiance	6	6

In total a rather disappointing 60 putting the British Raj squarely into the bottom 5.

From a firm foundation in terms of position and looks sadly the British Raj underdelivers on flavour.  A shame.

India Royal - Faversham - Revisited

The philosophy of "Winging it" didn't work tonight.  On a delivery to Welling and despite directions from the customer, Bob and Phil couldn't find the restaurant!  Instead they decided to revisit what has been their benchmark restaurant - not visited since June 2013.  Would it be as good as they remembered?

Still located on East Street and still as clean looking as they remembered - mindful that at least 2 restaurants on the blog are no longer trading - Bob and Phil went in to find that they were the only two there!  Undaunted, they ordered....

The Papadums were warm and fresh and delivered with a super cold (draft) Cobra but, unusually, only 3 dips.  The dips, however, were all distinct in the flavour and worked well.

Bob's Butter Chicken was how he remembered it although, with a nod towards rose tinted spectacles, it didn't seem quite so good.  Phil was a little disappointed with his Dhansak.  It reminded him of the Madras he had last time here with added lentils rather than a lentil based curry built from the bottom up.

The Vegetables were excellent.  Phil has always thought that the combination of Muttar Paneer and Sag Aloo worked well with the curries and tonight was no exception.  The sweetness of the creamy sauce on the Paneer contrasted well with the heat of the curry and the Sag Aloo's earthy flavours shone through.

The service was exactly as remembered.  Polite, prompt, everything that you would expect.

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

A total score of 84 - not quite up there with their best score but equally not far behind.  If this were a new restaurant it would be sitting proudly just outside the top 5.

The mystery was why the restaurant was so empty.  It deserves to be full!

Alishan - Tonbridge

A delivery to a home just off of Tonbridge High Street meant that Bob & Phil decided to "wing it" - after all what High Street doesn't have at least one Indian Restaurant?  Delivery over Bob & Phil parked up and went for a wander and found the Alishan.

From the outside the Alishan looks impressive.  Nicely lit and very nicely presented.  As Bob & Phil stepped inside they were shown to a table, orders for drinks and papadums taken both of which were served very promptly and then......wait for it.........

The (Bottled) Cobras and Papadums arrived very promptly indeed.  The beers were nicely cold as (sadly) were the Papadums which were served with a selection of 3 dips.  Sadly all three dips tasted remarkably similar despite all looking very different.

The curries, when they eventually arrived, were nicely presented.  Bob thought that his Butter Chicken was everything he would expect - from a Korma.  Not unpleasant but definitely not what he expected!  Phil felt his Dhansak was more like a Madras with added lentils than a Dhansak built from the ground up.  There was heat, the odd hint of lentil flavour but no real depth of flavour.

The vegetables were, along with the beers, probably the best part of the meal.  The cumin potatoes had a great flavour without any overpowering heat and the malai sag was an excellent combination of sweetness and creaminess.  The rice was OK but lacked any real flavour and Phil felt was a little pappy and overcooked.

The service, after a great start, was a big letdown.  As the drinks were served Bob & Phil indicated that they were ready to order.  The waiter acknowledged this and left.  Returned 5 minutes later to take the order of another table, left again and returned another few minutes later to take their orders.
When Bob ordered his Butter Chicken the waiter actually pulled a face.  The waiter did not check to see if any breads were required (not that they were but one would expect that to be the norm).

This lack of attention continued throughout the evening, sadly.  No-one attended to see if everything was OK with the meal.  The beer bottles were collected but further drinks were not offered.  No towels were served after the meal.  Bob and Phil felt so strongly about this that this was the first time that either could remember not leaving a tip.

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

In total a very poor 64% ranking it just above the bottom 5 restaurants blogged.

Looks can be deceiving.  As Bob & Phil walked in expectations had been raised but they were far from delivered.  Phil (as he always does) checked out the website after the event to make sure of spellings, etc but noticed the following quote on it:

"Our dedicated staff at Alishan ensure that each and every one of our customers has the finest Indian dining experience that Tonbridge, and the whole of Kent, has to offer".

Based on their experience Bob and Phil would strongly disagree.

Meridian Spice, Rainham

A fairly short trip up to Northfleet was called for this evening for a 3 piece suite and on the way up Bob & Phil decided to make a short detour on the way back to try a restaurant in Rainham that someone they know frequents when in the area.

Meridian Spice is located on Rainham High Street.  Rainham High Street is, unfortunately, also the A2 so it is a busy road with very limited parking.  There are, however, car parks very close by.  Sat behind a modern shop front, the restaurant itself is full of exposed beams and subdued lighting.  For a Tuesday evening, Bob & Phil were surprised by how busy it was.

Bob & Phil were shown to a table and the initial orders were taken quickly.  The (draught) Cobra's arrived soon after and were wonderfully cold.  There was a short wait for the Papadums which were warm and fresh but served with only 3 pickles - not a lime in sight.

The was a bit of a wait for the curries but, when they arrived, were nicely presented and good and hot.  Phil enjoyed his Dhansak which did what it said on the menu - hot, sweet and sour - but felt that the sauce lacked a little bit of depth.  Bob thoroughly enjoyed the flavour of his curry but was very disappointed to find not one but several bits of bone attached to the meat.

Both the Sag Aloo and Muttar Paneer were tasty and well seasoned and were an excellent contrast to the curries and the Rice was well presented and delicately flavoured.

The service was a little slow, Phil felt that perhaps the restaurant had been unexpectedly busy, but the waiters were polite and cheerful and it was very apparent that there were a number of regular customers in.

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

* If it hadn't have been for the Bone then Bob would have scored it as 8
In total 75 - a top 20 finish and above Bob & Phil's average score.

Bob & Phil left thinking that it had been a worthwhile detour on the way home.  If it hadn't been for the bones then this would have been just outside the Top 10 curries.