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Swadish is the ultimate in luxury fine dining for modern Indian Cuisine in Glasgow. Located in the Merchant City amongst a plethora of other Indian restaurants, Swadish offers a beautiful setting in which award-winning cuisine is served; will it add the much sought after, the fashionable, the sensational OCC sticker of recommendation? The OCC is a well-respected Institution with multiple international franchises. The OCC takes pride in searching out the finest Indian restaurants and providing impartial reviews of Curry Houses all over the world. Members vote anonymously without being influenced by other members (we call this “no swaying”) on 5 categories, and an average score out of a maximum 10 is given to each restaurant we review. Restaurants must score an average of 7/10 or above to receive the OCC sticker of recommendation. All OCC members have been through a rigorous selection process to enter the Club. In short, we all know our curries. Swadish like my friend who was run over by a steam train, should be chuffed to bits with an overall score of 9.14. Congratulations on being awarded a coveted OCC sticker. Where will it go…? Quality: 9.40 Value: 9.20 Atmosphere: 8.90 Service: 9.08 Customer Care: 9.12 Leaving a miserable, soaked Merchant City street to be welcomed by the staff and then the restaurant itself was like your first visit to watch your team, looks good but god you’re nervous now! Our table of 5 was positioned centrally, allowing the OCC to sample the atmosphere, but retain an element of privacy, too. Like England v Samoa at the opening of the RLWC 2021, a strong start! Bum-bums settled, drinks ordered and we’re in the arm wrestle of an OCC meeting. Like a relieving penalty in your own 20, the poppadom and chutneys arrived to satisfied nods from the group; this is going to be a fun 80 minutes. The pops you ask? Like a Dominic Young try in the corner, delicious! After a very tasty opening stanza, the starters of pigeon, cauliflower, tandoori salmon and lamb chops arrived and like a Tory party conference staring up at Liz Truss, the group were agog with more smiley faced head nodding. Half time. Pint. No pie. You want to start your second half well, a few sets and get back into the arm wrestle. No OCC, no! Massive hits straight from the whistle with servings (nicely portioned for 5) of lamb shank, Goan monkfish, audacious aubergine, classic butter chicken, some other mad chicken, sexy rice dishes and a myriad of naan to delight the OCC. OCC, OCC, OCC! The crowd are on their feet, the chants are bellowing, and stomachs are being filled with subtle spicing, punchy flavours and wonderfully cooked proteins. The Aubergine was indeed audacious, almost arrogant. Well done aubergine, you played well mate. Ooft. Lets take a rest at this scrum. I’m pogged*.Tough boobs – here comes some free pudding. Thank you. Bloody lovely. Full time. What a win. After match interview with Claire Balding gave us commentary on how snazzy the restaurant was, the wonderful service, outstanding food and for all that, after asking for a bill, expecting Clinton, we got Murray. Special mention here to the chef who was a great chat. *Pogged: Adjective. Informal – Northern. “By ‘eck Mam, I’ve had 9 Yorkshire puddings for me starter and I’m pogged.” --- Sadly, I have to go, I’ve accidentally booked myself onto an escapology course and I can’t get out of it. Never apologise, never explain. Sorry, but that’s my motto. Ps. The OCC’s door is always open, so if you know how to fix hinges that’d be great. Check out our other reviews and check back each month for the latest on the Scotland curry scene!

Kanchhi The OCC contingent heard about Kanchhi, a new restaurant which had opened in the heart of Stamford. With It being a Sister restaurant to the Gurkhur Dubaar in Peterborough (which in 2021 received the prestigious CHOTY award)… we just had to give it a try! First up at Kanchhi were the popaddoms…. “may you poppadoms be crispy” … unfortunately some OCC members felt that the papaddoms were as stale as the pear tree next doors IPA and they have been out of business for 5 years. The sauces were a little on the small side although more sauces were dished out upon requests. Some notable starter dishes were the spiced mushrooms which had the right amount of spice and flavour along with the famous majestic chicken which was a great hit. The onion bhajis were the best one member has ever tasted with them crispy on the outside andmelt in your mouth on the inside. Main dishes were next up. The goat curry flavoursome but lacking spice and the buttered chicken cooked to perfection and very tasty. The mixed grill was said to be cooked to perfection with a masala sauce on the side. This was found to be plentiful and had succulent juicy meat, but was also found to be a bit on the pricey side. Another OCC member was said to have found the shahi chicken a little disappointing and bland. Notable dishes the duck starter and the fiery lamb main. Both were a massive hit with the OCC and the fiery lamb packing that much need punch in regard to chilli heat which seemed to be missing through the evening. Kanchhi , a beloved name usually given to the youngest in the family is the most cherished word in every Nepalese and Indian household which is why Kanchhi is said to symbolizethe divine devotion and maximum attention to every single dish. Although the service was superb, and the customer care was second to none along with the finest authentic cuisine some of the OCC felt like it lacked spice and didn’t quite live up to the mother restaurants superb standards. There were some tasty dishes it but seems to lack the fire needed in several their hotter curries. We wish them well as they are lovely people,and the restaurant is very well decorated giving it a great ambiance but unfortunately it was very much 50/50 a big hit or a massive miss on some of the items we ordered this time around. Scores: Customer Care = 8.11 Service = 7.46 Value = 6.00 Quality = 6.67 Atmosphere = 6.22 Overall = 6.89

Bengal Tiger Another second Friday of the month, and another OCC-England meet is upon us! Bengal Tiger in Old Street was the venue in a low-key meet aligned with the sad passing of HM the queen, the OCC felt it only right to continue on and celebrate the life of arguably the greatest ever Monarch, it’s what she would have wanted. Arriving at the empty first pub, we enjoyed a few warm up pints where a group of loud mouths interrupted our new Kings speech. Had Iszaaks not been in mourning he would have definitely gone over there to put his point across. Onto the restaurant, we were warmly greeted and shown to our round table, perfect for the group size. If one thing was to come of this venue it was certainly the friendly staff who made us feel right at home. Unfortunately (and surprisingly for a zone 1 location which surprisingly Donnay couldn’t make) a lack of other people in the restaurant really didn’t help with the ambience. And a bad start with stale pops would lead some to believe that first impressions really do matter. However some sauces and a couple of beers got us going, although this could have been better. Starters were a mixed bag, with one member claiming they were “juicy” and another saying they were “a 4/10 max”. On to the mains, a common theme with London curry houses (Eddie) that they were nice enough but lacked spice. “The hottest sauciest curry suggested by the waiter was chicken jalfrezi. Was less heat than a madras and no sauce!” Everyone else has similar experience and the special of duck jalfrezi didn’t wet the appetite enough for high scores. Despite the friendly staff, overall the service was seen as average and even though the restaurant wasn’t busy, the OCC members felt rushed, souring the overall evening. A sadly low score of 5.94 seems to be fairly reflected in the experience, but we thank Bengal Tiger for welcoming us, and we hope that this was just an off evening on what is surely a promising looking venue. On to the next meet with a bumper crowd expected in Stamford!

With the UK gripped in the midst of a drought and a heatwave, the OCC ventured down the A1 from Peterborough (or across the A421 for those of us finishing work in Milton Keynes) to the town of St Neots to visit Olives Naturally Indian. Would this venue quench our thirst for curry and provide spice to add to the summer heat? Things started promisingly- a warm welcome from staff outside who hurried one of the delivery drivers away to allow for the Chairman to be offered a parking space right in front of the main entrance! Once inside, the warm welcomes continued and we were shown to our table in a nicely decorated, well laid out restaurant. Poppadoms were duly served to our table, accompanied by an excellent selection of homemade sauces and chutneys. The extensive menu was perused and, due to a slightly smaller group of OCC attendees than normal, a decision was made to have one of the usual two joint dishes as a starter option. It would have been rude not to have sampled the mixed Barbecue Platter and also some of the venue’s own speciality street food with a portion of Bhel Puri. Both dishes were very tasty and well received by the table. The majority of members selected another house special for their starters – Chicken Railway Chilli Fry. The dish was similar in appearance to many chilli paneer dishes that are a familiar favourite in most curry houses, although with crispy chicken strips in place of the grilled cheese. It certainly seemed to go down well with everyone, as did my own starter of Chicken Pakodas which were very juicy and well cooked with a nice batter. All of the starters were duly polished off – a sure sign of their quality – and we awaited the arrival of the main dishes. Unfortunately, one of the members in attendance had become somewhat attached to the toilet due to an impromptu stomach bug. This meant that, with the selected joint main and sides to share, alongside our individual dishes, there was somewhat of a surplus of food. The shared dish was one of the venue’s regional specialities, Goan Khumbi Chicken. This came served on a sizzling platter that was then extravagantly set alight after being doused in brandy. A spectacularly served dish and it tasted equally good. My personal dish was another of the regional specials, Kolhapuri Garlic Chilli Chicken which had plenty of flavour and a lovely, subtle spiciness. Other dishes around the table varied from milder lamb dishes to a flaming hot chicken phaal and all were eaten with relish. The accompaniments of freshly baked naans and healthy sized rice portions along with sides such as sag aloo ensured that no stomach was left empty. In fact, the aforementioned surplus of food meant that in spite of everyone’s indulgence, there was enough for a substantial doggy bag to be taken home by one member. With our stomachs (and doggy bags) full, we settled the bill. Including drinks and minus the deposit for the group booking, it worked out at £55 per person with a tip. Fairly expensive but not too bad for value considering the quality of the food, freshness of ingredients and level of service received. Overall, the OCC scored Olives as follows: • Customer Care = 8.42 • Service = 7.97 • Value = 7.30 • Quality = 8.30 • Atmosphere = 7.25 • Overall = 7.85 A very good and well-deserved score. I look forward to returning and giving the venue its well earned OCC sticker of approval.

[Masala Art '22] Post-Lockdown Feast at Fan FavouriteMasala Art La Bota, Le Café des Stagiaires, The Caxton, Hop Project, Night Shift – it used to be that one could slake their thirst at any number of fine establishments on Dagu Lu, before stumbling across the road and devouring a curry. Sadly, each of these watering holes now exists only in the memory, much like overseas holidays and family ‘back home.’ One can, however, still find spicy gratification at the ever-present Masala Art, standing proud since 2001, and put through the OCC wringer no less than four times previously. And so it was on July 22 that members of the OCC gathered for pre-drinks, excitedly anticipating the first visit to an actual Indian restaurant since March! Early chat centered around the many absences, with some OCC members joining the rest of post-lockdown Shanghai in Sanya, and some even able to, whisper it quietly, travel abroad. This included our esteemed Chairman, Greg. Fortunately, we had an able replacement in our non-able-bodied Vice Chairman, Andrew - still suffering the effects of a freak goalkeeping accident and wearing some kind of Victorian corset. All nine curry aficionados arrived on time, warmly welcomed, and promptly seated – the restaurant had a good buzz about it at 8pm on a Friday; with most of the clientele being local patrons, Masala Art’s décor most certainly reflects the cuisine on offer and is eminently comfortable, helping to bring in a very solid score of 7.6 for atmosphere. Beers were ordered, with Kingfisher available by the bottle and Asahi on draft, and an opening speech by the VC assigned roles for the evening. Due to the absence of Punisher Steven, our outgoing token German, Robby (and former punisher himself), was given the keys to the chili vault. New-ish member Jamie was on ordering duty and surprised everyone, including himself, by picking a salad. This was made doubly baffling by the fact there is no chicken salad on the menu. Extra points for ordering off-menu? In this case, no. Other starters ordered included the ever-reliable tandoori chicken, desi samosas, and poppadoms (which, in a crime on par with ordering a chicken salad at a curry house, were almost forgotten). Perhaps this was done on purpose - with resident OCC chutney master, Bazmati, sunning himself in Sanya, a stand-in was required; Jamie also received the nod and needed to provide a chutney of his own for the discerning members of the OCC to rate. Bazmati, as it turned out, having suffered his first ‘thumbs down’ vote the previous meet and clearly terrified about some kind of coup, flew back from Sanya early in order to make the meet – this meant we had two chutneys going head-to-head! Bazmati took an early lead for presentation, clearly disgusted by the lack of effort from his opponent/apprentice. Jamie preferred to let the taste speak for itself and in a ballsy move, provided a mango chutney; the same varietal that Baz scored 15 yes’ (from a possible 16) in the previous meet. It was closer than it should have been, but ultimately the vote on the night maintained the status quo, much to the relief of all. Main courses followed rapidly, including desi dum ka murg, saag paneer, chatpati gobi, dhaba murg, and lamb rogan josh (voted dish of the night) - all brought together with mixed bread baskets (butter, garlic, and cheese naan) and saffron pulao rice. The food was generally good but perhaps not as delectable as some of us remembered from past visits, with 7.1 scored for overall quality. Service was warm & efficient, with dishes well-presented and drink orders quick to arrive, scoring 7.3. The restaurant slowly cleared out, ourselves the only remaining patrons shortly after 10pm; somewhat surprising on a Friday night - the new normal? The staff didn’t hurry us to leave, dealing with more drink orders while the usual OCC business was taken care of, including shots provided by shotmaster (to whom all our congratulations go to on the birth of his second child). Perhaps in an effort to mask the taste of his chutney, Jamie also came equipped with a bottle of definitely-not-suitable-for-necking-shots-of whiskey. Considering the standard of food, the level of service, and the drinks consumed, RMB386 per person was considered a reasonable value, scoring 6.9. The end of the evening wasn’t far away at this stage, much to the staff's relief, and after the requisite photos, into the night we went; full but with insatiable appetites to sample ever-more cuisine from the subcontinent. Masala Art scored 7.2 overall and remains OCC approved for 2022!

Yak N Yeti based In Stroud Green “are proud to serve the surrounding area” offering food such as “Biriyani, curry, tandoori and more” It is noted that their website leaves a lot to be desired, with minimal information (OCCO side job?). They are a proud Nepalese restaurant, yet no mention of this?! Hopefully not a sign of things to come. The OCC’s scores out of 10: Quality: 6.9 Atmosphere: 5.0 Value: 5.3 Service: 6.6Customer care: 6.2 Overall Score 6.0 The OCC arrived promptly at 19:30 OST and were ushered through an empty restaurant to their seats. Yak N Yeti is located on a busy high street 10 minutes’ walk from Finsbury Park station. To find the restaurant empty on a Friday night was a bit of a shock, but perhaps the warm evening and the lure of the local pubs / wireless festival contributed to this. Unfortunately, this was too rightly reflected in the atmosphere score. Atmosphere: 5.0 Service & Customer Care are often two peas in a pod, and this was very much the case here. Considering that the OCC were only accompanied by another couple of tables in the restaurant the service was a touch slow. Customer care was a mixed bag. Some members felt that not enough attention was on the OCC. However the waiter did recommend we swap outour Kingfisher beer for a Nepalese beer “Gurkha”. Also when asked for dish recommendations, one member was offered to swap the dish for free if they didn’t like it, which was a nice touch. Customer Care: 6.6 Service: 6.6 As Yak N Yeti is a Nepalese restaurant, there seemed to be additional starters on the menu, that wouldn’t necessarily be found on a traditional Indian Menu. Of course, Momos were ordered, but other unconventional (to the OCC) starters such as Chicken Lollipop & Piro Piro Jhinga were also found on the table. These went down well, the Chicken lollipop accompanied with a tangy, spicy flavour was a personal favourite. The mains unfortunately failed to build on the success of the starters. There didn’t seem to be anything drastically wrong with any dish, but neither anything spectacular. One member order the Hariyali Chicken, which whilst packed a bit of hear, didn’t really live up to the expectations from the menu. A total score of 7 is considered a strong score for the OCC, so to put that into context, a quality score of 6.9 suggests that overallthe food was tasty, yet just falling short. Quality: 6.9 We are living in tough economical times, inflation and interest rates are on the rise. Sadly everyone, including the OCC will feel this. The total bill was £55 PP, which led to an poor value score. Unfortunately going forward for the foreseeable future, these dining experiences will all begging to hover over a new cost PP that we will need to adjust to. Previously a bill of £55 would suggest the OCC were also drinking heavily, but this wasn’t the case, with only single gins and only 3 or 4 beers / soft drinks each ordered. With prices rising the way that they are, its going to be improve the quality is ensured, otherwise expect to see many more low value ratings, whilst the OCC adjust.

The Oakham Curry Club (OCC) is one of the world’s most respected reviewers of Indian cuisine. With multiple international franchises, we relentlessly scour the globe in pursuit of the crispiest papadums, the tastiest sauces and spiciest curries. On June 17th, 2022 the OCC Nova Scotia reviewed Red Chillies as part of our hunt for the CHOTY (Curry House Of The Year) and in search of the fourth OCC approved curry house in Canada. Members vote anonymously on 5 categories - and an average score is given to each restaurant we review. For Red Chillies: Quality - 7.6/10 Service - 8.0/ 10 Value - 7.9/10 Customer Care – 7.6/10 Atmosphere – 7.0/10 With an average score of 7.6 Red Chilies makes the grade as OCC approved! After a quick change of venue due to a lack of Kingfisher, Red Chillies welcomed us with open arms. the atmosphere was what you would expect from an OCC approved Curry house. promptly greeted and seated, even the owner took time to chat with us before we feasted upon the mostly authentic dishes at hand. Excited to fill our bellies and warm our souls, the wait staff recommended many dishes including a bit of a host specialty. Starting with a Soya ChaapTikka, Kerala Paratha (and of course crispy poppadoms), a creamy at delectable specialty served by Red Chillies and a common Indian Street food fantastically done. It was followed by beautifully cooked naan with a peshwari flavour, which was a real game changer. This was followed by paneer tikka, lamb vindaloo, shrimp biryani and a beautifully spicy butter chicken. The favorites among the group must be stated as the shrimp biryani and butter chicken offered something that the group had not experienced at other Curry houses in Nova Scotia. While sometimes left to our own devices, the Kingfisher was readily available throughout the evening to compliment the beautiful space of these mostly authentic Indian dishes. Red Chillies became the 2nd Curry house to be reviewed to not run out of Kingfisher throughout the evening! The value in overall customer care is what you one would expect from an OCC approved Curry house, consistent atmosphere and quality that will not leave you disappointed. We have faith that moving forward Red Chillies will put up a fight for CHOTY (Curry House of the Year) and takes the top spot in the Bedford area for the time being. In summary, we are pleased to make Red Chilliesthe 4th OCC approved Curry house in Nova Scotia and in Canada. Expectations were met and we would certainly recommend Red Chillies to anyone in and around Bedford looking for and authentic Indian Curry experience

Review of Chaakoo Bombay Cafe, St Vincent Street, Glasgow. Date of visit: 16th June 2022 ....The original Bombay cafés otherwise known as Irani cafés, were opened by the Persian & Irani immigrants who came to India in the 19th century. Irani cafés were popular for Irani chai tea and a melting pot menu of classic Iranian grill dishes & classic Bombay dishes alike. At Chaakoo we strive to keep this authentic feel and style of Indian cooking as similar as possible to the original Bombay Cafés, complete with the odd little flourish of added Chaakoo style.... The OCC is a well-respected Institution with multiple international franchises. The OCC takes pride in searching out the finest Indian restaurants and providing impartial reviews of Curry Houses all over the world. Members vote anonymously without being influenced by other members (we call this “no swaying”) on 5 categories, and an average score out of a maximum 10 is given to each restaurant we review. Restaurants must score an average of 7/10 or above to receive the OCC sticker of recommendation. All OCC members have been through a rigorous selection process to gain entry into the Club. In short, we all know our curries. Do we enjoy appointing the club to judicially appoint the scores? I’ll let you, the reader, be the judge of that! Quality: 7 Value: 7.17 Atmosphere: 7.13 Service: 6.17 Customer Care: 7 With an overall average score of 6.89, Chaakoo Bombay Cafe, is NOT approved by The OCC, Scotland. We arrived in anticipation, as it had been several weeks since our previous curry outing. Early impressions were good, the restaurant was lively and busy for a Thursday evening, however the general feeling was that there was a lack of the traditional / authentic feel to the place. This feeling continued when the menus arrived and it became clear this was more of a "modern twist" tapas style venue for Indian food. Because of this, we were unsure on the portion size and how much to order, but the waiter helpfully guided us with recommended quantities for the table. We did however subsequently have to order an additional dish to boost the numbers and properly fill the hungry tummies. Also one side order did not arrive at all, despite it still appearing on the bill. The food itself? Well, it was just OK. The lamb chop starters were average, but the pakora and chicken tikka were nice. Mains chosen included Lamb Madras, Rogan Josh, Garlic Chilli Chicken and Tikka Masala, with of course all the usual accompaniments...... well, ALMOST all, but more on that shortly! Most of it was decent enough, nothing particularly bad, but there were no real standouts. It was all fairly forgettable and unremarkable. There was one remarkable thing however: Despite scouring the menu front and back, and enquiring with the waiter, not a single poppadom could be found. "We don't serve poppadoms here" PARDON?? Well, I’m afraid that helped set the tone for what followed, and the scores reflect the overall disappointment that festered from there on in. Would we, Could we approve a restaurant that refuses to serve up the mighty crispy poppadom?..... Of course not. MYPBC

With a return to the birth place of the OCC, can the Bombay Brasserie now deliver? With the last visit almost 5 years ago it felt right to see if time had treated the long serving restaurant well. Scoring 5.78 last time round it was hoped on this occasion members would be treated to a more enjoyable experience. The Bombay Brasserie was originally opened in June 1981 and has seen a vast array of famous diners since, including Lenny Henry, Peter Andre and Mike Tyson just to name drop a few. The Bombay Brasserie ultimately believe it is the quality of their food, with a variety of interesting and distinctly different dishes produced with uncompromising consistency that has helped it to remain as one of Peterborough's longest standing restaurants. It’s now for the OCC to judge. When we arrived we were kindly welcomed and taken to our seat. The restaurant was busy but not full, the decor has aged however this gave it an authentic feel. We received drinks promptly and then starters were ordered in the traditional manner, pen and paper. We will get to this later. The selection of starters was vast and maybe a first for the OCC, each member ordered different starters to one another. Starters chosen ranged from prawn’s and puri, chicken chapli kebab to lamb chicken tikka paiz. In general these were well received and actually some felt these where the highlight of the meet with a particular mention to the quality of the paiz. Mains were then taken on the iPad. Again a good selection was available and members took the opportunity to vary their selections. The lamb gosht salan was one of the specials picked which was a good dish noted for it spiciness and fulsome favour. All in all the experience was a good one, unfortunately it didn’t quite deliver anything out of the ordinary and was reflected in the scores: Customer Care - 6.86 Service - 6.43 Value - 5.21 Quality - 7.07 Atmosphere - 6.36 Overall - 6.39 Now for the pen and paper/ iPad ordering method. This did appear to cause unnecessary delay to ordering our food while different waiters ran around looking for the iPad only to find it in use with a colleague. Furthermore it unfortunately appeared to lead to an error in the bill with all starters being charged twice. This to be fair to Bombay Brasserie was not noticed at the time of settling the bill and was only noticed while preparing this blog. I’m sure this would have been easily corrected by the restaurant if we had brought it to their attention, however this will have effected members interpretations with regard to value and thus overall score. It will now be a while until the occ are back lets hope it will be a sticker next time around.

[Pera] We're Back with Home Catering from Pera at Robby's Palace Covid lockdowns, families and friends leaving, restaurantsclosing down - it hasn’t been an ideal start to the year for most of us here in Shanghai. However, on June 28th, thehardships of the past four months were cast aside, as the OCC was back with a bang! This particular meet had it all; speeches, a trialist, shots, a courtroom drama, fake births,and of course, some much-needed Indian food. Due to the C word (yes, that is the last time Covid will be mentioned), venue restrictions came into play but up stepped Robby, whose office cum Palace came complete with its own pool table, fish tanks, and canteen. The last of these is the most important as it sets the scene for theunforgettable evening with Indian food catering by Pera. Pera, an Indian and Turkish food restaurant, hosted the OCC in Nov 2018 with added entertainment in the form of a belly dancer that led to one of the best videos you will ever see. Onto the more serious stuff then – the actual food. A buffet was put on with a range of starters, including zucchini cake, chicken sis, falafel and chicken doner. Mains included mutton, levrek begendi, butter chicken, paneer, and a “dish of no name.” The butter chicken won a few votes for the best dish of the evening, and overall scores of 7.5 for food quality were recorded. Interest from members seemed to be more drawn to “the dish of no name,” however, which later transpired to be a pre-prepared food creation from our very own chutney master, “Bazmati.” OCC fans out there may know that Bazmati has gone 3-0 up in the poppadom dip series, where he battles it out with the host restaurant dip option. With confidence clearly flowing, he now appears to be taking on Indian chefs head-on with main courses too. A bold move some may say, but his “Chicken Handi” was voted as the best dish of the night. Further proof of OCC changing lives. Once food concluded, we were served up another treat as one of our founding Shanghai members was put on trial by the punisher and accused of evading chili punishments.Serious stuff. Our very own media expert had shotexclusive footage of the accused attempting to do some kind of David Blaine hand shuffling illusion trick – basically throwing chili fines on the floor. Please note: if you haven’t watched the 4 part mini-series aired on YouTube a few weeks back, then click here before Netflix gets hold of it and charges you [https://youtu.be/GGH-t_rAvDc]. Fortunately, the OCC had an expert prosecutor in its ranks,and despite best attempts by the defense, justice was dished out as the phantom chili evader was found guilty. It is at this point that we need to say a special mention to two much-loved OCC curry brothers who are leaving us.The first is Pat, who has worked tirelessly on all things social media, epitomized by his OCC mini-series masterpiece. It is fair to say that you wouldn’t be reading this if it wasn’t for his efforts. Lastly, Dave who after buying his way into the club withOCC customized merch, had us all entertained with stories of underwear disappearances in Japan and sword fighting survival techniques. As one happy chapter draws to a close, another newexciting one begins. Congratulations to our one and only shotmaster who becomes a father and his nomination Barrywho was voted into the club. May your poppadoms be crispy, your sauces tasty, and your curries very spicy. OCC

The Oakham Curry Club (OCC) is one of the world’s most respected reviewers of Indian cuisine. With multiple international franchises, we relentlessly scour the globe in pursuit of the crispiest papadums, the tastiest sauces and spiciest curries. On May 20th 2022 the OCC Nova Scotia reviewed Masala Delight as part of our hunt for the CHOTY (Curry House Of The Year) and in search of the fourth OCC approved curry house in Canada. Members vote anonymously on 5 categories - and an average score is given to each restaurant we review. For Masala Delight: Quality - 6.75 /10 Service - 5.5 / 10 Value - 9.5 / 10 Customer Care – 5.75 / 10 Atmosphere – 5.5 /10 With an average score of 6.6 Masala Delight is not OCC approved. The OCC members arrived at the establishment 9.20pm after having watched the local CPL team, The Halifax Wanderers, loose 0-4. During the 90 minutes the members has worked up quite a thirst and were looking forward to a cold & refreshing Kingfisher at Masala Delight.. To the great disappointment we were informed that Masala Delight does not have a liquor license, so we had to settle with water. The staff at Masala Delight were welcoming and understanding of the OCC members disappointment in being able to consume a cold Kingfisher. Upon ordering the different starter and main, the staff was very helpful in recommending their personal favourites and their “Must Try” items, an advise the OCC member welcomed. Having been served a delightful round of Chicken Pakora starters, the mains started arriving at the table. The OCC members had made a selection of Chicken, Veggie & Combo- Curries accompanied by a selection of home made Naan’s and steamed rice. It quickly became evident that the curries seemed to lack a bit of authenticity and flavour. The traditional Butter Chicken was a prime example. Great in taste and presentation, but overall it lacked the final bit of spice and taste of India, in order to get it up to the standard of the other Curries houses visited by the OCC in Halifax. The home made Naan breads where a treat with the perfect balance of flavour, butter and garlic made them a great enjoyment to eat. In summary, whilst Masala Delight is pleasing on the eye, the OCC feel there is still room for improvements. That being said, although it lacked the final quality in the curries which the OCC members are used to, it’s definitely not a bad place to nip into for an evening meal if you are ever in the area.

This month, the OCC U.K. branch continued their quest for a great curry by going to our second home, Zone 1 London, and attended Delhi Grill - Indian Canteen (21 Chapel Market, London, N1 9EZ) on a Friday evening at 7.30pm OST. Now some of you may have noticed in the name that it’s an “Indian Canteen”. Or how they say in Punjabi, a “Dhaba”. So what is this? Its essentially an informal canteen where people from all walks of life sit together and enjoy spicy, delicious street food. The evening commenced with a few drinks at The Bull (100 Upper St., London, N1 0NP) beforehand. It’s worth noting there are a few good boozers around the restaurant if interested in a drink before or after your meal. Whilst pre-drinking, the OCC U.K. branch pondered what the venue would be like, such thoughts sprung to mind with the following discussions... - ‘what exactly does an Indian canteen layout look like?’ - are we all sitting together in one big table?? - ‘how does the food work?’ - do we go around with a tray like a school dinner and pick out what we want? - ‘will we all get along?” - sometimes members of the OCC U.K. branch can be a rowdy bunch after a few double gin and tonics… Nonetheless as we ventured into the unknown, the OCC U.K. branch’s morale was high. We entered the restaurant to what can be best described by Smudge as a “little firecracker of a venue” with bursts of Bollywood movie posters wall to wall. A great aesthetic. The venue, although narrow and long, did have individual seating areas for each individual party. Alas, the OCC U.K. branch was probably not mingling with others tonight as they concentrated on their agenda and evaluating the food versus their curry excellence criteria (Customer Care, Service, Value, Quality, Atmosphere, and of course, …Accessibility). A waiter with great hygiene standards (suited and booted with disposable gloves) greeted us and shared Delhi Grill’s menu and specials. The street food on offer includes mouth-watering weekly specials such as a Curry Tandori sandwich. In terms of drinks, there’s a great variety, “who knew Indian craft beer existed?” Gidds professed. It’s worth noting that dishes are brought to your table as they are ready, but we adopted a more traditional approach with pops, then starters and finally mains, to ensure we assessed the curry house in the same framework as we do others, which Delhi Grill were more than willing to accommodate. To start 2 popadoms each and all the sauces were ordered. “Interesting sauces!”, well said by Jacko. Along with our crispy pops came a nice selection of sauces. Some originals such as mint sauce and mango chutney, as well as some quirky extras such as beetroot sauce. The majority enjoyed. Then the starters arrived, 4 Delhi Grills to be each shared by 2 people. Everyone was impressed with Delhi Grill’s street food take on a mixed grill. 1 lamb chop and sheekh kebab along with a couple chicken tikkas each. Watch out! The sheekh kebab is slightly on the spicy side, but it works. At this point, it was a great start, the sauces brought variety, the chicken was tender and the drinks were flowing. A few of us were slightly starting to be on the stuffed side. However we proceeded on and the mains arrived. The mains were more of a mixed bag. “Spicy butter chicken was good, daal makhani was ok (but heavy on the ghee) but the daba tawa gosht was sensational, great flavours and juicy lamb chunks.” said Gidds. While Jacko said “Unfortunately mains left a lot to be desired, lacking a bit in depth of flavour, Roti was also average”. All in all, we would suggest ordering a mix of the spicy classics and lighter dishes to have a good variety of dishes in true street food style. To conclude, the OCC U.K. branch awards Delhi Grill (21 Chapel Market, London, N1 9EZ) a score of 7.15 and as such is OCC approved with a sticker. A great little gaff with a real good vibe. The canteen style works and as such it’s no surprise it has an atmosphere score of 8.25. We 100% recommend the Delhi Grill for 2 and the Railway Lamb special if it’s about. There’s also veggie options at hand too for those inclined. Delhi Grill, according to their website, has been open for ten years now and they take pride in everything they do, and this definitely shone through. Here’s to a few decades more! Customer Care: 6.56 Service: 7.54 Value: 6.03 Quality: 7.38 Atmosphere: 8.25 Accessibility: Yes Total Score: 7.15