A 33a Shaw Rd, Heaton Moor, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 4AG
T 0161 442 9766
Tonight we visited the Heatons Tandoori in Heaton Moor. The restaurant is located just a few hundred yards down from the better known “Kush” (Kushoom Koly).
Shaw Road is a vibrant and popular area in Heaton Moor with a number of tightly packed restaurants and bars. This popularity sometimes makes parking directly outside a little difficult; however there is ample parking on the residential streets just a stone through away.
The restaurant décor had an authentic Indian feel, the tables were small and cosy and the staff were welcoming.
This wasn’t my first visit to the ‘Heatons ‘ and most certainly won’t be my last. The mixed starter was very tasty and was enjoyed by all. A fine choice of main courses were on offer and the general consensus from the Curry Council was that the food was excellent. The drinks selection was slightly disappointing, but the staff’s attentiveness made up for this.
Asian restaurants in this area are competing with the famous curry mile just a few miles away in Rusholme, however based upon our visit we won’t be RUSHing past the Tandoori in a hurry.
The turnout tonight was slightly disappointing, those who missed it – missed out on a superb feast.
Thursday, 26 April 2007
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Following a couple of hours bathing our brains in lager in Kro Bar myself and 5 others headed out into the chilling April air with mixed agendas. A nice supper or more drink followed by a nice supper? We were in a quandry, we really were.
On an earlier cash machine visit, myself, Neil and Beej commented on how alluring the aroma of curry was as we sheltered from the rain and hurriedly restocked our wallets. Except me. I don't have a wallet. I find them cumbersome. That's of no importance right now though.
Beej had recently been living in South Korea, a place where chicken sphincter soup is (probably) considered a delicacy. They also eat dogs. So after 18 months living off proper shit, it was understandable that the thought of traditional Indian fayre was appealing.
A quick show of hands and it was decided that yes, we'd forego more beers and head straight to the curry house. Why do people call them curry houses by the way? They're not houses after all.
On this occasion our curry house of choice would be the Heatons Tandoori.
Anyway, after pausing briefly to allow a gaggle of excited girls exit the restaurant safely and with their complimentary red rose intact we negotiated the use of a table for 6 in the heart of the restaurant.
The premises are small but there's no feeling of being cramped. It's very comfortable in fact.
As we were handed our menus in expert fashion by our waiter for the evening (sorry, I didn't catch your name but you were ever so efficient) we agreed that 2 poppadums each would be more than required, so settled on ten which turned out to be just right. Usually at this point any Indian waiter worth his salt will suggest fetching drinks and luckily enough for our band of happy eaters that's exactly what our waiter did.
We ordered cobra lager, an old favourite but the glasses into which we were expected to pour our cobra were Kingfisher branded. A genuine bone of contention for me. I dwelt on whether to drink directly from the bottle, thus avoiding any confusion but realised I was being a fool and poured my cobra into a kingfisher glass. I'm happy to report the taste wasn't compromised and I put the whole experience behind me with minimum fuss.
That little trauma aside, we pressed on with our curry quest and confirmed that no, we wouldn't require any starters, nor would we be wanting any side dishes. It wasn't that we didn't find the thought of a nice pakora appealing, we just wanted to get on with the main meal. We meant business.
I was honestly a bit too far gone to take note of what my fellow eaters ordered apart from Neil who demanded a mixed grill with a plain madras sauce. This arrived sizzling and it was quite a sight.
While the other dishes weren't accompanied with such a fiery fanfare as they arrived, they were taxied from the kitchen on a lovely little trolley as is the fashion in restaurants these days I find. Beej ordered something that sounded like 'Murky Mardarse'. I have no idea what it was but he devoured it in record time so it must have been good.
What I found peculiar was the fact everyone else chose a naan bread to accompany their sauce but I chose rice. I wasn't sure if I had missed something. As far as I was aware, the balti is a dish which traditionally requires a naan but in general other curries weren't so steadfast in their rules of consumption. I pondered for a moment but didn't let it put me off. After the Kingfisher/Cobra incident this was all I needed but I'm an experienced curry campaigner and it takes more than being the odd man out to put me off.
I chose to empty my rice in the familiar fashion. I imagined my spoon was a dumper truck and the rice was fluffy white gravel which I spread about evenly. Again, I'm not sure if making a rice shaped volcano is the fashion anymore but that's what I did so help me God. I neatly arranged my rice, leaving ample room in the centre of my rice mountain for a small reservoir of sauce which I knew would experience seepage into the rice surrounding it, but I didn't mind. That was what I wanted to happen. The rice itself was more than satisfactory and would have scored a very respectable 8.5/10 were it not for the inexplicable seeds and 'little black bits' within it.
As everyone tucked in a jovial atmosphere prevailed. We were having a fantastic time, chillaxing to the sound of the sitars. At one point someone commented that one of the songs sounded like celebrated Britpop stalwarts Kula Shaker but it was a tongue in cheek suggestion. The atmosphere in the restaurant was perfect. It wasn't too hectic, but wasn't too quiet either.
Another Cobra was ordered. By now I'd got over the Kingfisher situation and to be honest I didn't give a fig. My Chicken Tikka Madras was sensational, it really was. The chicken pieces were ample sized but not too big. The sauce had overtones of tomato but not too much. It tasted fresh and wasn't too spicy. Unusually for me I ate all of the chicken and if I'd have the foresight to procure a naan bread, I'd have finished off the sauce too. I inwardly chided myself for not ordering a naan and resolved that next time I wouldn't make such a mistake. That said, the size of the portion was just right and we all agreed that £12 each was a fair split of the bill. Very reasonable for two bottles of beer and a sizeable meal in my honest opinion. I felt guilty having not had the opportunity to buy a round earlier in the evening so threw a score in, which in truth complicated matters but made me feel better. As did the hot lemon towell which was just the ticket for my lips which were now reminiscent of Newcastle United star Alan Smith's.
We left, two by two. I had a burp stuck in my throat that made me speak a bit like a midget for a moment until I forced it out but that took nothing away from what was a truly memorable evening. I'm already planning another visit to the Heatons Tandoori, which would be my third visit. All things considered I highly recommend a trip to this little corner of Stockport. Eight out of ten.
heatons is the best indian restaurant i have eva been 2! n am indian myself so i shud know
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