Jalfrezi - Bramhall

T 0161 439 9494
A 3 The Bramhall Centre, Ack Lane East, Bramhall, Stockport, SK7 1AW

The April monthly curry was held at the Jalfrezi Indian Food bar in Bramhall (Stockport).

Six members of the Council promptly reported for duty at the pub next door, the Orange Tree, for a swift half before entering the aptly named Jalfrezi.

Woodman missed this months curry due to babysitting problems and Hague was "on call". Hague's poor attendance yet again was a hot item of discussion, his curry attendance statistics reading an abysmal 6 from the last 16 events! This 38% attendance rate may be further analysed for patterns (distance from house, curry cost, dicky tummy excuse, etc).

Upon entering this modern establishment, it was clear that we were not in an old style Indian restaurant. The venue offered a chic, low-key but tasteful interior. The interior is a world away from the traditional "curry house" with an expanse of dark wooden tables and a tasteful modern bar with subtle green panelled lighting.

The evening started well as the CurryCouncil were seated at a large wooden table (“table cloth” free, which may help the more messy curry eater) in the corner of the restaurant.

The waiter promptly took our drinks order. Cobra lager, the perfect curry accompaniment and whistle wetter, was ordered all round. Poppodums were then served whilst we perused the vast menu on offer.

The motto of the Jalfrezi restaurant is borne out by the words on the front of their menu, "The essence of good food is time”. The first impressions of the Jalfrezi were very good and the Council hoped that the food would live up to our expectations.

The poppodums came accompanied with a massive selection of five, yes five, condiments. These were of a high standard and included a pesto-style mint sauce, creamy coleslaw, along with a yoghurt sauce, the more traditional mango chutney and red onion.

A variety of different starters were selected by the group including the Rongpuri chilli chicken (highly recommended by Jordan) and the Chicken Chaat Puri (of a mammoth portion size, pictured to the right). The 'Mixed Starter for two' and the 'Flaming Mixture for two' were also ordered.

The mixed starter's arrived sizzling away on large platter (pictured left) and contained plenty of meat, much to the plaudits of the committed carnivores in the group.

The waiters were attentive, constantly replacing cutlery and napkins in between the courses.

The main courses sampled included the Chicken Tikka Silsila (priced at £8.95). This is a fiery dish which still lets you taste the subtleties of the sauce and the strips of chicken.

Dave Marchbank-Smith gained kudos points for attending whilst his wife was close to labour and also moving up his personal chilli scale by eating a fiery Chicken Tikka Madras. Paul Day would recommend the lamb balti dish (priced at £7.50). The main courses were enjoyed by all and came in good portions sizes that managed to satisfy our large appetites.

The bill came in at around £23 per head, including a 10% tip. This included 2 pops/dips each, starter, main course, rice, naan bread and two pints of Cobra lager each (for the majority).

The CurryCouncil left the Jalfrezi Indian Food Bar very impressed with the high quality of food and service on offer. The service from the start to end was exemplary and could not be faulted.

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

Overall 8.2/10