Your favourite Indian restaurant in the West Mids

[Tom Joad]

For veg samosas you'd be pushed to better Sagars, High St. West Brom. About 25p each, huge and very tasty. Service is haphazard mind, and no Michelin star. Their take away meals, cartoned up for the fridge/freezer are also excellent at bargain prices.

Taggars is the sweet shop for me Tom, Carters Green just up from the Wheatsheaf. Veg samosas are good and veg pakora is banging. Always get a kilo of that, greedy fucker that I am. Then can never resist a pint of Holdens after. Rude to just walk pastm

Cheers, I'll give them a try. I'm in that area as often as time allows and good as Sagars is, they never have any idea who is next or where your order went!

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After spending so much time in India over the last couple years I have to admit British curry houses have lost a lot of their appeal… the price, quality of ingredients and lack of variety really has been a bit of a let down so I tend to cook a lot more of my own stuff now.

Shout out to Naan and Roti on Ladypool Road in Spark Hill, fantastic breads and dirt cheap for those of you who head into Spark Hill to stock up.

I found this after my 1st visit to India many years ago and it was reinforced by my latest.  There is something about the bangladeshi balti houses that doesn't quite do it for me. I prefer any of the desi pubs and tend to use them more for family get togethers and matchdays. To me it is as if the former cater for what they believe the public want whereas the latter seem to present food the way they like it. I've probably made that too general but it is just simply the way it seems to me.

The majority of restaurants use paste as the base.  As such, they lose so many notes that Indian food can deliver with the use of whole spices.   My analogy is an artist painting using 8 different colours.  Another artist uses the same colours but mixes them all together to make one colour and he paints with the one mixed colour only.

Those who have never had properly* home cooked Indian food are massively missing out .

*cooking from scratch with whole and ground spices, not a  supermarket bought sauce

Unfortunately there are many balti houses who belie the moniker of an Indian restaurant ... they are Bangladeshi and the cuisine there is totally different. Sugar is added to many dishes and an overuse of artificuial colouring. This, for some (many?) is what they have been led to believe is authentic Indian food ... a red tinge to each piece of meat etc. Indian homecooking (in my household anyway) never uses colouring or adds sugar in a curry. Turmeric gives food a natural colouring. It's correct that the flavours are derived from the use of spices with onions and herbs to give the real authentic taste of Indian food.

It is far removed from the food that is served at many restaurants.

This is my experience, hence much preferring to eat in Indian pubs not Bangladeshi supposedly (Indian?) restaurants.
 I've also found in India you are sometimes asked when making an order, if you want it "with gravy". The way they expect English people to like it.

[Fulham Fallout]

Taggars is the sweet shop for me Tom, Carters Green just up from the Wheatsheaf. Veg samosas are good and veg pakora is banging. Always get a kilo of that, greedy fucker that I am. Then can never resist a pint of Holdens after. Rude to just walk pastm

Cheers, I'll give them a try. I'm in that area as often as time allows and good as Sagars is, they never have any idea who is next or where your order went!

---

After spending so much time in India over the last couple years I have to admit British curry houses have lost a lot of their appeal… the price, quality of ingredients and lack of variety really has been a bit of a let down so I tend to cook a lot more of my own stuff now.

Shout out to Naan and Roti on Ladypool Road in Spark Hill, fantastic breads and dirt cheap for those of you who head into Spark Hill to stock up.

I found this after my 1st visit to India many years ago and it was reinforced by my latest.  There is something about the bangladeshi balti houses that doesn't quite do it for me. I prefer any of the desi pubs and tend to use them more for family get togethers and matchdays. To me it is as if the former cater for what they believe the public want whereas the latter seem to present food the way they like it. I've probably made that too general but it is just simply the way it seems to me.

The majority of restaurants use paste as the base.  As such, they lose so many notes that Indian food can deliver with the use of whole spices.   My analogy is an artist painting using 8 different colours.  Another artist uses the same colours but mixes them all together to make one colour and he paints with the one mixed colour only.

Those who have never had properly* home cooked Indian food are massively missing out .

*cooking from scratch with whole and ground spices, not a  supermarket bought sauce

Unfortunately there are many balti houses who belie the moniker of an Indian restaurant ... they are Bangladeshi and the cuisine there is totally different. Sugar is added to many dishes and an overuse of artificuial colouring. This, for some (many?) is what they have been led to believe is authentic Indian food ... a red tinge to each piece of meat etc. Indian homecooking (in my household anyway) never uses colouring or adds sugar in a curry. Turmeric gives food a natural colouring. It's correct that the flavours are derived from the use of spices with onions and herbs to give the real authentic taste of Indian food.

It is far removed from the food that is served at many restaurants.

This is my experience, hence much preferring to eat in Indian pubs not Bangladeshi supposedly (Indian?) restaurants.
 I've also found in India you are sometimes asked when making an order, if you want it "with gravy". The way they expect English people to like it.

In Thailand and in Thai restaurants in the UK they assume you want the dishes mild unless you start going off menu or asking for less popular dishes tourists would order.  Why oh why oh why, do I always say “yes” when they ask if I’d like it “Thai style”.  Sweat would be pumping out of my head like a grass sprinkler.

[Bigp1968]

Cheers, I'll give them a try. I'm in that area as often as time allows and good as Sagars is, they never have any idea who is next or where your order went!

---

I found this after my 1st visit to India many years ago and it was reinforced by my latest.  There is something about the bangladeshi balti houses that doesn't quite do it for me. I prefer any of the desi pubs and tend to use them more for family get togethers and matchdays. To me it is as if the former cater for what they believe the public want whereas the latter seem to present food the way they like it. I've probably made that too general but it is just simply the way it seems to me.

The majority of restaurants use paste as the base.  As such, they lose so many notes that Indian food can deliver with the use of whole spices.   My analogy is an artist painting using 8 different colours.  Another artist uses the same colours but mixes them all together to make one colour and he paints with the one mixed colour only.

Those who have never had properly* home cooked Indian food are massively missing out .

*cooking from scratch with whole and ground spices, not a  supermarket bought sauce

Unfortunately there are many balti houses who belie the moniker of an Indian restaurant ... they are Bangladeshi and the cuisine there is totally different. Sugar is added to many dishes and an overuse of artificuial colouring. This, for some (many?) is what they have been led to believe is authentic Indian food ... a red tinge to each piece of meat etc. Indian homecooking (in my household anyway) never uses colouring or adds sugar in a curry. Turmeric gives food a natural colouring. It's correct that the flavours are derived from the use of spices with onions and herbs to give the real authentic taste of Indian food.

It is far removed from the food that is served at many restaurants.

100% correct 
Also this fixation here about chili hot curries in India they cook well spiced curries big big difference!!!...

True on all of these fronts - ultimately, the Bangladeshis (predominantly Shyletis) were amongst the first immigrants to the UK from the Empire in India. It wasn't a wealthy part of the subcontinent and it was near the main shipping ports. As such, many would arrive in the UK having worked as porters on the boats and decide to stay, usually finding work in hospitality as this is the easiest entry to a foreign country. The next step is that they begin cooking their foods as the immigrant population grows with communal eateries slowly morphing into restaurants over time.

British people returning from India - and fascinated by India during Victoria's time - began consuming these foods, but the lack of natural fresh ingredients at the time meant lots of substitutes and short-cuts (hence curry powder being born). I have an old Victorian curry recipe book a friend gifted me when I was last in India and early Anglo-Indian curries sound bloody revolting - mostly water + curry powder and anything you had to chuck in for veg or meat. 

So British-Indian food is essentially the result of Bangladeshi food culture, plus whatever we had available to mimic spices, and any dried goods that could last the many months at sea. Over time, this is just what we've become used to.

Wish I could find a decent place in Birmingham for really good South Indian food - I absolutely adore dosa but getting a good one here seems impossible, and fermenting the batter yourself is a right faff (and the packet mixes are shit). You need proper fresh chilled batter which is incredibly hard to buy here. Anyone who knows a place, please let me know

Chennai dosa on dudley road near to mc.donalds.Used to be on the hagley road  years ago.I went when it was there.Dont know if still open so check before going.Dont know if still open.Youll have to google

[rsbaggy2]

The majority of restaurants use paste as the base.  As such, they lose so many notes that Indian food can deliver with the use of whole spices.   My analogy is an artist painting using 8 different colours.  Another artist uses the same colours but mixes them all together to make one colour and he paints with the one mixed colour only.

Those who have never had properly* home cooked Indian food are massively missing out .

*cooking from scratch with whole and ground spices, not a  supermarket bought sauce

Unfortunately there are many balti houses who belie the moniker of an Indian restaurant ... they are Bangladeshi and the cuisine there is totally different. Sugar is added to many dishes and an overuse of artificuial colouring. This, for some (many?) is what they have been led to believe is authentic Indian food ... a red tinge to each piece of meat etc. Indian homecooking (in my household anyway) never uses colouring or adds sugar in a curry. Turmeric gives food a natural colouring. It's correct that the flavours are derived from the use of spices with onions and herbs to give the real authentic taste of Indian food.

It is far removed from the food that is served at many restaurants.

100% correct 
Also this fixation here about chili hot curries in India they cook well spiced curries big big difference!!!...

True on all of these fronts - ultimately, the Bangladeshis (predominantly Shyletis) were amongst the first immigrants to the UK from the Empire in India. It wasn't a wealthy part of the subcontinent and it was near the main shipping ports. As such, many would arrive in the UK having worked as porters on the boats and decide to stay, usually finding work in hospitality as this is the easiest entry to a foreign country. The next step is that they begin cooking their foods as the immigrant population grows with communal eateries slowly morphing into restaurants over time.

British people returning from India - and fascinated by India during Victoria's time - began consuming these foods, but the lack of natural fresh ingredients at the time meant lots of substitutes and short-cuts (hence curry powder being born). I have an old Victorian curry recipe book a friend gifted me when I was last in India and early Anglo-Indian curries sound bloody revolting - mostly water + curry powder and anything you had to chuck in for veg or meat. 

So British-Indian food is essentially the result of Bangladeshi food culture, plus whatever we had available to mimic spices, and any dried goods that could last the many months at sea. Over time, this is just what we've become used to.

Wish I could find a decent place in Birmingham for really good South Indian food - I absolutely adore dosa but getting a good one here seems impossible, and fermenting the batter yourself is a right faff (and the packet mixes are shit). You need proper fresh chilled batter which is incredibly hard to buy here. Anyone who knows a place, please let me know

Chennai dosa on dudley road near to mc.donalds.Used to be on the hagley road  years ago.I went when it was there.Dont know if still open so check before going.Dont know if still open.Youll have to google

Not a fan of dosa but wife is. She says the dudley Rd chennai dosa is the best around these parts too.
Not that there is much competition from others that are quite poor by comparison.

[SW4Baggie]

Unfortunately there are many balti houses who belie the moniker of an Indian restaurant ... they are Bangladeshi and the cuisine there is totally different. Sugar is added to many dishes and an overuse of artificuial colouring. This, for some (many?) is what they have been led to believe is authentic Indian food ... a red tinge to each piece of meat etc. Indian homecooking (in my household anyway) never uses colouring or adds sugar in a curry. Turmeric gives food a natural colouring. It's correct that the flavours are derived from the use of spices with onions and herbs to give the real authentic taste of Indian food.

It is far removed from the food that is served at many restaurants.

100% correct 
Also this fixation here about chili hot curries in India they cook well spiced curries big big difference!!!...

True on all of these fronts - ultimately, the Bangladeshis (predominantly Shyletis) were amongst the first immigrants to the UK from the Empire in India. It wasn't a wealthy part of the subcontinent and it was near the main shipping ports. As such, many would arrive in the UK having worked as porters on the boats and decide to stay, usually finding work in hospitality as this is the easiest entry to a foreign country. The next step is that they begin cooking their foods as the immigrant population grows with communal eateries slowly morphing into restaurants over time.

British people returning from India - and fascinated by India during Victoria's time - began consuming these foods, but the lack of natural fresh ingredients at the time meant lots of substitutes and short-cuts (hence curry powder being born). I have an old Victorian curry recipe book a friend gifted me when I was last in India and early Anglo-Indian curries sound bloody revolting - mostly water + curry powder and anything you had to chuck in for veg or meat. 

So British-Indian food is essentially the result of Bangladeshi food culture, plus whatever we had available to mimic spices, and any dried goods that could last the many months at sea. Over time, this is just what we've become used to.

Wish I could find a decent place in Birmingham for really good South Indian food - I absolutely adore dosa but getting a good one here seems impossible, and fermenting the batter yourself is a right faff (and the packet mixes are shit). You need proper fresh chilled batter which is incredibly hard to buy here. Anyone who knows a place, please let me know

Chennai dosa on dudley road near to mc.donalds.Used to be on the hagley road  years ago.I went when it was there.Dont know if still open so check before going.Dont know if still open.Youll have to google

Not a fan of dosa but wife is. She says the dudley Rd chennai dosa is the best around these parts too.
Not that there is much competition from others that are quite poor by comparison. 

Thanks both - says it still exists so will have to give it a try and report back!

[Tom Joad]

100% correct 
Also this fixation here about chili hot curries in India they cook well spiced curries big big difference!!!...

True on all of these fronts - ultimately, the Bangladeshis (predominantly Shyletis) were amongst the first immigrants to the UK from the Empire in India. It wasn't a wealthy part of the subcontinent and it was near the main shipping ports. As such, many would arrive in the UK having worked as porters on the boats and decide to stay, usually finding work in hospitality as this is the easiest entry to a foreign country. The next step is that they begin cooking their foods as the immigrant population grows with communal eateries slowly morphing into restaurants over time.

British people returning from India - and fascinated by India during Victoria's time - began consuming these foods, but the lack of natural fresh ingredients at the time meant lots of substitutes and short-cuts (hence curry powder being born). I have an old Victorian curry recipe book a friend gifted me when I was last in India and early Anglo-Indian curries sound bloody revolting - mostly water + curry powder and anything you had to chuck in for veg or meat. 

So British-Indian food is essentially the result of Bangladeshi food culture, plus whatever we had available to mimic spices, and any dried goods that could last the many months at sea. Over time, this is just what we've become used to.

Wish I could find a decent place in Birmingham for really good South Indian food - I absolutely adore dosa but getting a good one here seems impossible, and fermenting the batter yourself is a right faff (and the packet mixes are shit). You need proper fresh chilled batter which is incredibly hard to buy here. Anyone who knows a place, please let me know

Chennai dosa on dudley road near to mc.donalds.Used to be on the hagley road  years ago.I went when it was there.Dont know if still open so check before going.Dont know if still open.Youll have to google

Not a fan of dosa but wife is. She says the dudley Rd chennai dosa is the best around these parts too.
Not that there is much competition from others that are quite poor by comparison. 

Thanks both - says it still exists so will have to give it a try and report back!

I can confirm it was really good when on Hagley Rd.