Atmosphere thin at Everest summit
After what had seemed like an eternity since our last meet back in October 2020 (thanks a lot, Covid) the OCC ventured to familiar territory in Yaxley to visit Everest Kitchen. In fact the OCC had visited this establishment previously, under the guise of the Bollywood Tiger. Now, though, the infamous village curry house-cum-cocktail bar-cum-cocaine fuelled den of inequity was under new management with no links to its past ill reputed days. It was now under Nepalese guidance and the venue was suitably adorned with pictures of Gurkha soldiers and a menu full of dishes that were befitting of the mountain territory.
A few late afternoon beers in Peterborough city centre were enjoyed by some of the group, with everyone convened at 7:30 OST. Cobras were kindly provided for all by departing Chairman Wrighty, who was seated at an adjacent table giving his son Arthur a Monty Python-esque “one day son, all this could be yours” glimpse into the future. Following an emotional speech from Chairman Wrighty abdicating his responsibilities, the CHASs took over Chairman duties for the evening. The prayer and starting items on the agenda were bumbled through, slightly put off by a bit of a subdued atmosphere in the restaurant. Although Covid can’t have helped things, it was noticeably quiet from fellow diners and even a burst of ‘warehouse in the middle of our meet’ fell flatter than a chapatti.
Food was ordered and arrived in good time with a selection of starters for one table - crispy chicken, chicken momos and chilli paneer, all extremely tasty and well portioned with good spice levels - and individual starters for the other. The main courses were also served in a timely fashion and were again tasty. The Himalayan lamb and goat curry specials were both very pleasant with the chicken chettinad offering a great flavour but slightly lacking a bit of punch to its spice.
Overall, it was a very good meal and excellent service with the Cobras flowing throughout. A bill of £35 per head including tip lead to some solid value marks but, unfortunately, the atmosphere in the venue impacted the overall score. Nonetheless, with scores of: 7.5 for customer care; 7.36 for service; 7.86 for value; 7.5 for quality and 5.07 for atmosphere resulting in an overall score of 7.06, we are delighted to announce that Everest Kitchen is an OCC Approved venue.