Magazine

The Dinner Detective dines at: Spicy Hut, Wilmslow Road, Rusholme

The Dinner Detective
18/ 8/2005

UNLIKE reviewers on some other newspapers, the Dinner Detective eats out incognito and always pays for the meal. That way the Dinner Detective gets the same treatment as the readers, giving you an honest review of the service you might receive.

RUSHOLME'S Curry Mile is so packed with fantastic-looking eateries that it's always hard to choose which one to sample.

Spicy Hut is nowhere near the biggest restaurant on the strip and its flashing neon sign hardly stands out among the similar edifices either side, but on a quiet Wednesday night it served me the best curry I've ever eaten. I'm sure that in the old days people used to order papadoms, but nowadays it seems a plate is inevitably thrust in front of you the moment you sit down and the quality can be variable.

If they are good, however, it gets a meal off to an excellent start, which is what happened to my dining companion and I when we arrived. As we ate these, we browsed the expensive menu which gives handy hints about the supposed health benefits of some of the dishes and highlighted the ones that were particularly suitable for curry beginners or experts.

We opted for beer as an accompaniment, both choosing to sample the Cobra at £2.80 a pint, though I did notice that the wine was very good value at £7 for a bottle of the house white or red.

I opted to start with keema samosa (£1.60) and my opposite went for an unusual aloo kebab (£1.60), which the menu told us was mashed potato with herbs and spices coated in flour and fried. Both were delicious, as were the unidentified and unusual dips served with the starters.

Spicy Hut specialises in Pakistani cuisine and for the main course we both decided to abandon the usual suspects of rogan joshes or dhansaks and try something completely different from the speciality Pakistani section, recommended for `curry fanatics'.

I chose a lamb handi (£6.90) with plain naan (£1.60), while my companion went for the chicken lahori (£6.90) with pilau rice (£1.60). Both were absolutely delicious and I can't praise them enough. Cooked to perfection, very tasty and not greasy, unlike some of the curries I've eaten in lesser venues.

The only problem I could highlight is that because of the amount we had consumed we couldn't finish our meals and I didn't even have space to try the lassi I had been looking forward to for dessert. But with the quality of the cooking and the friendly and faultlessly-timed service we received throughout our meal, it won't be long before I'm back for more.

What's on the menu?

Starters: Cheapest - several at £1.60. Most expensive - king prawn tikka £6.20
Main courses: Cheapest - various vegetarian dishes - £5.10. Most expensive - sizzler king prawn shashlik £10.50
House wine £7 a bottle
Parking on street
Disabled access Yes
Telephone: 0161 248 6200


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