Blue Nile Indian Restaurant - Hazel Grove

T 0161 487 4490
A 403 London Rd, Hazel Grove, Stockport
W http://www.bluenileindianrestaurant.co.uk/

Reviewed by: Dave Marchbank-Smith
Visit arranged by: Martin Noble
Decembers curry saw a small contingent of the Curry Council travel to upper Hazel Grove to sample a mix of Bangladeshi and Indian cuisine at the Blue Nile Restaurant.

After a good nibble on the Bombay-mix and a quick pint we were shown to our table, situated conveniently close to the bar. The restaurant was well occupied by several “Christmas works do’s” .

The Blue Nile is a firm favourite of Messrs. Jordan and Noble and so the expectation was great.

At this time members Day and Pearce had not shown up. Curry organizer Noble got the Rat-Phone to assist with directions. What happened next would make Jeremy Beadle turn in his grave.

Day answered the phone and reported that he was “sat at home tucking into some turkey twizzlers, chips and peas.” He had been informed by Ja-BEAN The Hutt that the curry had been re-arranged to the following night. This was no funny prank.

This mis-information left Noble, Day and Pearce fuming. This attempted sabotage by Winfield was seen as a selfish and inappropRATe act.

The mammoth menu contained a series of culinary delights – plus the usual Curry Council favorites. The mixed starters were somewhat lacking but were polished off in record time. Chicken chat and mixed starters were amongst the most selected.

Although lacking that usual underpant-burning-power, the Chicken madras was received very well by all participants, including Dansak/Korma DMS.

The service was surprising good although we were offered “any more drinks” eight times within approximately 2.5 minutes.

Marf says a hello to Ja-BEAN The Hutt

(a notable absentee from the Christmas Curry at the Blue Nile, Hazel Grove).

The night ended on an amusing note. The waiters poured everyone a complimentary glass of Baileys, whether this is a regular occurrence or a festive gesture is unknown.

However at this point most “drivers” had already reached their alcohol consumption limit. Not wanting to waste the beverages or indeed insult the staff, young Padiwan MS duly supped 5 of them. This stunt was appreciated by all members even though it’s a girls/poofs drink.

Food 9/10
Service 8/10
Atmosphere 6/10
Value for money 6/10
Originality 7/10

Overall 7.2/10

The Curry Council previously visited and reviewed this restaurant on 25/10/2006.

Curry News - Blue Nile New Menu

A firm Curry Council favourite, the Blue Nile curry house in Hazel Grove, Stockport is now offering a new Christmas Menu.

Iqbal Bhuiyan has recently returned from a culinary adventure across Asia with a new and improved menu.

A new dish offered is the exotic sounding Modhu Bahri, a tandoori marinated chicken, cooked in cream, coconut powder and honey, and inspired by visits to Dubai, Bangladesh and Deli.

He is pictured here with a dish for the more traditional palate this Christmas time.

The Indian Ocean - Ashton

T 0161 343 3343

A Stamford Street East, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 6QH

W http://www.indianoceanonline.co.uk/restaurant/

E : info@indianocean.co.uk

Reviewed by Martin Noble

Visit arranged by Paul Day

The Curry Council set off on their long journey to Ashton. It was Paul Day's turn to organise the monthly curry. Day, who is now a fully fledged Tameside inhabitant (he supports Manchester City, sports a mullet, limp and a tash to match), provided some very dubious directions to the the Indian Ocean.

This was also the Rodent's fifth attempt at organising the November curry and it ended up being in the first week of December

Founded in 1993, the Indian Ocean is rated as one of Tameside's premier Indian Restaurant's and came highly recommended. The Indian Ocean in Ashton under Lyne was named the region's finest curry house at the 2007 British Curry Awards.

We arrived at an impressive looking building next to a church, with very adequate car parking facilities.

Upon arrival, we were seated at a large open bar area and offered drinks whilst waiting for the remainder of our party. Pints of Cobra on draught were served (at a reasonable £2.60) and small bottles of Cobra were also available at £2.70.

We were then seated at our table with the restaurant offering both a mix of luxurious private booths and open seating.

Poppodums were served whilst the Curry Council slowly deliberated over their meal choice. The venue offered a wide and varied menu, ranging from traditionally prepared Indian, Kashmiri and Punjabi cuisine.

The food was of a very good standard. The lamb and chicken Harri Boti (both priced at £3) starters were enjoyed by some members of the party. Both came marinated in a yoghurt dressing flavoured with lemon and garlic and mixture of herbs and chillies.

A highly unusual 'Onion Bhaji' Naam Bread was available on the menu. The thought of combining these two all-time classic indian dishes had the Council licking their lips. This was proved to be very tasty and priced at a reasonable £2.

The Chicken Tikka Jalfrezi can also be recommended. Main courses range from £6 to £12*.

Overall this was a pleasant experience in a clean and modern environment.

Food 8/10
Service 7/10
Atmosphere 8/10
Value for money 7/10
Originality 8/10

Overall 7.6 / 10

Woody proudly gives the thumbs up after successfully beating the waiter in the double chin competition.

* All Prices correct as at December 2007