Suzhou

The much-anticipated away meet had a reasonable, if not slightly at odds with the excitement, attendance.

Those who made the effort to travel a whole 24 minutes by train, or paltry 1 hour drive were:

Chairman, Vice Chair, Ian, Chutney James, Jules, Cam, Thomas, Punisher Steve and

Special guest Dave

Paul made a sterling effort to work up an appetite by cycling 4 hours to get there against a notable headwind (followed by a self-powered tail wind on the way back) despite this he was not awarded member of the month, even though he voted for himself.

Baz made a spectacular effort by cancelling on the day and thus earning the inaugural double chili fine! Good effort indeed!

90% of attendees opted to stay at the staggering-distance but modest, Citadines apartments. The only exception was Ian, who opted for the slightly fancier Marriott Courtyard with luxurious shallow pile carpets in the (smaller) rooms.

The venue, chosen by Ian, was Indian at the Cross in Suzhou.

Upon arrival we were greeted by two lovely ladies who were fantastic with serving drinks quickly to the thirsty crew.

Not only was there the standard fare of Asahi but also a nice IPA. Which was included in the free flow, which gets my vote!

The ladies also served up a complimentary dish of traditional Indian nachos with a particularly delicious salsa with a bit of a kick.

Moving to the table we were delighted with some Mr Men Napkins in loving memory of Mr Tickle.

It is worth noting that the place wasn’t very busy, but the two occupied tables were both filled with diners of Indian descent (we will come back to them later), and as anyone knows if it suits the taste of the cuisine’s natives, then things are looking promising!

On to the food. Paul was nominated to place the order, I guess because he looked the hungriest after his ride.

Starter platters were ordered along with some onion bhajis.

There was a little confusion from all when a bowl of ketchup arrived to go with the bhajis, but the vice-chairman took no prisoners and dived right in.

The chicken platter, looked good and tasted ok until someone noticed some of the chicken was a little undercooked, which sent some people into turmoil already considering the consequences for the toilet in the morning (forgetting they were already 5 pints into a free flow)

On to the mains, three contrasting dishes were ordered, Chicken Jalfrezi, a mutton vindaloo and of course a Chicken Tikka Masala. Topped off with a side order of Dhal and some biryani rice.

Upon first appearance it looked promising, portion sides were adequate and the table of Indian descent next to us had given their validation to the venue.

However, the curries were all disappointingly samey and lacked spice. Even the Madras tasted the same as the masala. The taste was ok, but too similar.

On the other hand, the Dhal was a hit and had more kick than the Madras, the winning dish (outside the chutney).

Speaking of chutney, it was spectacular as ever, a broccoli affair with a great kick. Not only a hit with the intrepid OCC crew but also the rest of the venue. Jules made a special effort to share it with both groups who gave it 6 thumbs up, with the only feedback that perhaps it had a little too much vinegar.

On to the Shots! Shotmaster gave us what I believe was sambuca, but to be honest by this time things were becoming blurred. It was goo and tasty, but then he was trumped by the hostesses who rolled out a tray of espresso martinis to liven us up a bit. This was later followed by a round of what tasted like After Eights in a glass, a fitting end to the meal before chilis were dished out.

Chilli fines were dealt to Paul for missing a chili or no chili post (again) And Thomas managed to earn himself 3 chilis on his 2nd meet, for socials, being late AND forgetting his badge, shocking behaviour indeed. To top it off he managed to know the entire stack of chilis on the floor before doing his punishment. Personally, I think that earns a 4th chili.

After the meet, some of the wiser elder statesmen and athletes decided to retire to respective accommodation. Others opted to follow Thomas to the W hotel to meet The Most Famous Canadian DJ in the whole of the W Hotel Suzhou.

The remainder of the evening is hearsay to be, but I believe it involved a Japan vs China bout with Vice Chairman and the OCC as the mediators.

All-in-all a fantastic meet, and shame on those members who didn’t attend. It looks like away trips will become an annual event.

Oh, and due to slight over-ordering, Vice Chairman was delighted to get to take home the rest of the food for Sunday lunch with the wife.

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