Author Archive | Andy Munro

After a shameful 30 year absence, I finally made a trip to the Khyber Pass in Alum Rock. The very geographical description might conjure up a bleak setting but the welcome at the restaurant allayed any of those fears. The warm wooden decor was how I remember this cosy restaurant and it’s just been given some […]

It’s amazing what you can pick up at a car boot sale and perhaps it is fitting that the Madhur Jaffrey’s vintage ‘Balti Serving Set’ was unearthed at one such event recently!  Containing some shiny silver serving dishes it sadly is a complete misrepresentation of the real thing. Am I imaging it but does Madhur’s facial […]

Nisha Katona, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons ITV’s ‘This Morning’ featured another episode of Nisha’s ‘curry tour of Great Britain’. Now Nisha Katona is undoubtedly a talented chef but in my brief contribution I made the point that balti was a method of cooking and that a true balti had to be served up […]

With in house  baltis off the menu I’ve been having weekly takeaways which in some cases haven’t been the best! Chicken Korma and Butter Chicken are two culprits swimming in over creamy and sweet gloopy sauce. So when one of my favourite balti haunts, the Royal Watan, told me they were introducing several dishes to […]

Arguably, the most influential food magazine ‘Vittles’ recently published a piece on the ‘Rise and Fall of the British Curry House‘ by Sri Lankan Brummie Thuli Weerasena. Whilst critical of  politicians in the past like Robin Cook trying to ‘curry favour’ with multi culturals by lauding dishes like chicken tikka masala and also being critical […]

All things Brummie came together in the recently aired Sky Arts documentary about talented Brummie based band ‘The Nightingales‘. Parallels were drawn with the sustaining spectre (if unfortunately not the actual statue) of King Kong and the massively talented and surviving punk influenced band the Nightingales. This was all topped off by their talented singer […]

There are a number of ecellent websites set up for curry lovers and one  is the website for the Royal Curry Club. So, I was pleased to clarify some facts on the Birmingham Balti in a virtual interview … Curry Chaat with… Andy Munro

There doesn’t appear to be any end in sight for restaurants of all shapes, sizes and cooking styles so where does that leave balti? Well, as small independents, they will need a firm steer and guidelines on COVID safe measures when they reopen and not the typical half soaked Bojo advisory approach, otherwise this won’t […]

Sensational Kale Chaat at Tamatanga The Birmingham Mail recently published a list  of ‘top’ Brum curry restaurants based on ‘readers recommendations’. Not sure how this was publicised but I couldn’t see one genuine Balti House, nor any ‘desi’ pubs and not even arguably the City’s top Indian restaurant, the Jewellery Quarter’s Opheems. That’s not to […]