Food & Drink
Great just got bigger |
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I’ll confess: it’s difficult for me to remain unbiased about the Great Kathmandu. Since first moving to Didsbury a decade ago, the aromas emanating from its ever-busy doors in the evenings have led me to abandon all thoughts of cooking my own dinner on countless occasions. I’ve often expressed relief that the restaurant has never added a home delivery service to its takeaway menu, as if it had I’d probably be the size of my own house by now. Having contentedly occupied the same cosy little Burton Road venue since opening in 1987, the Great Kathmandu’s owner, Chandra Kumar, may have surprised some locals when he finally took over the large, dilapidated video shop on the corner of Cavendish Road next door and expanded into it this autumn. Perhaps more surprising, the original venue remains untouched, its rather outdated décor appearing sadly abandoned outside weekends as it serves principally as a secondary seating area for when its larger, grander neighbour is full. The new venue looks smart in a just-decorated traditional-Nepalese-curry-house kind of way: crisp white tablecloths and scarlet napkins embroidered in gold with the venue’s name, matching bright red chairs and a duskier red carpet patterned with black and gold. Pale walls are dotted with pictures and statues of Hindu gods and goddesses, plus the requisite Himalayan peaks, while golden metal lanterns throw speckles of light across the walls through their patterned holes. Our traditional openers of Cobra beer and four popadums (50p each) were as welcome as ever, the lovely light popadums speckled with tasty spices and the usual threesome of accompanying sauces satisfyingly creamy, crunchy and tangy in turn. We then shared a starter of Chicken Chilli (£6.80), which certainly lived up to its tongue-tingling name: strips of chicken fried crispy on the outside, served in a medley of spices and small, green chillies, garnished with fresh coriander. It was served with an old-fashioned starter salad of chopped lettuce, tomato and cucumber, and a soft nan (£1.60) to take the edge off the heat. After a bit of a wait for our mains (the takeaway service remains as popular as ever), we tucked into Dil-Khusa Masala (£7.10) and Kathmandu Bhotowan (£6.95), both served with chicken, plus a plain nan and boiled basmati rice (£1.60 each). Dil-Khusa means ‘happy heart’, and its plump chicken breast stuffed with scarlet-spiced minced lamb doused in a creamy tomato-based sauce thickened with ground cashew nuts certainly won over both my heart and belly. The dry-fried Bhotowan was a good accompaniment, dark in colour, delicately spiced and tomato-free. In recent years, some new Mancunian venues (Shimla Pinks, East Z East) have taken curry into the realms of fine dining, with ‘East meets West’ contemporary décor and a ‘less is more’ emphasis on subtle flavours, as well However, instead of trying to compete with these newcomers, the Great Kathmandu has stuck to its roots. Chandra carries out the same daytime routine at the restaurant every day, checking on the kitchen and the dining room, preparing the herbs and spices and making sure everything is ready for the busy evening ahead. In such ways does the Kathmandu retain its niche as a comfortable neighbourhood venue that regulars bring friends and family to again and again, safe in the knowledge that their cravings for spice will be tended to in a familiar, flavourful fashion. Verdict: The new-look Kathmandu remains a favourite with regulars – albeit more of them at once than in its previous incarnation – and its bright, spacious new venue may just tempt a few fresh faces through its still-ever-busy doors. Great Kathmandu Restaurant, 140 Burton Road, West Didsbury, |
How is one of West Didsbury’s longest-established restaurants coping with its recent expansion? Rowena Forbes visits to find out…
as a balancing-act presentation of ingredients on white china, rather than silvery metal platters spilling over with spicy sauce. Some might say such venues have rather taken the shine off places like the Great Kathmandu, which previously held the crown of bringing ‘something different’ (ie. a clearly identifiable range of different tasty dishes) to the traditional curry house table.
