Living in Bradford the undisputed King of curry having won Britain's Curry Capital award six years in a row, gives us plenty gives us plenty of choice going for a curry.
Today we tried the Aagrah at Midpoint Bradford.
The Aagrah is a Contemporary chain restaurant serving traditional regional dishes from India and Pakistan.
We booked a table for 8pm Saturday night. We arrived by car and the first thing we noticed how busy the car park was. There was a car park attendant on duty walking around keeping an eye on things but was no help in finding a limited space car parking spot.
Upon entering the restaurant you arrive in the bar area. There were plenty smartly dressed staff on hand to serve a wide range of drinks. Draft beers on tap were
Lal Toofan £3. 6 0 pint
Carlsberg £3. 4 0 pint
Kingfisher £4.40 pint
Cobra £4.40 B pint
A gin was £3.50 a Jack Daniels £3.50 and a Kopparberg 500ml £4.75
Since I was driving I opted for a real orange juice.
After a 15 minute wait we were shown to our table . The waiter sat us down then wandered off with no explanation about the buffet or a la carte menu. We decided to go for the buffet The Buffett is £15 for adults and you can help yourself to what ever you want.
What I loved was the selection of salads. In the past have just eaten curry with rice and a nan/chappati but having them with salad was excellent
I would have been happy with just the salad if i hadn't spotted the mouth-watering array of hot grilled food. From lamb chops to roasted rib and grilled sticky wings to bite size samosas. I can tell you that the Ribs were to die for, tender and juicy; the chops which were delicious too. The seekh kebabs were tender. There was an excellent choice of nan bread/poppadum's etc and pilau rice and noodles and even chips were available. I found the plates to be a bit on the small side so was planning to make multiple trips sampling as many different offerings as possible. The only items missing were onion bargees and chappattis which but they did have a flat bread similar to Naamn which was in good supp
When leaving the table to sample more food I was surprised to see my dirty plate still on the table when I got back. I pushed it to one side to enjoy my second plate and it was quite some time before a waiter decided to remover used plates from the dining room. This was a bit dissapointing and I have never experienced such slow respose at a buffet before.
After my 2 plates of starters it was time to sample the mains.
The Aagrah chain has become famous for introducing home-cooked Kashmiri recipes to diners around Bradford and Leeds.
I remembered my first visit to an Aagrah restaurant in Shipley in 1978 when I got my chance to sample Indian, Pakistani and Kashmiri food . I was hoping to rekindle those days when my taste buds exploded to the new tingling sensation they had just experienced.
15 main dishes were on offer. Very good choice for vegetarians and clearly displayed, also a good gluten awareness in food. The food was very tasty with different spices used in the various dishes. Chicken lasagne, noodles and chinese rice were also on offer which I thought was an unusual choice.
I found the mains not as spicy as the starters but still very tasty. The food was hot and the chafers were regulary re-filled.
The deserts I found to be a big let down. Although the looked appealing some tasted absolutely appalling.
The rice pudding turned out to be the very best and I had a couple of helpings.
The Ice cream had a funny powdery and grainy texture and I ended up leaving it after only one mouthful.
The jelly, fruit, and mousses were ok but nothing special.
The Kashmiri tea at the end of the meal was very tasty.
The food you'll find at Aagrah Restaurants is nowhere near your standard Indian experience or takeaway, as these are all dishes cooked from the heart and with passion but they are up against some excellent competition in Bradford .