The Curry House and James Bond

Tayyabs

When: 21st July 2012

Another Saturday, another trip to East London.  Today however, would be different as I was able to spend my time enjoying two of my favourite British exports, the curry house and James Bond!  For the second week in a row I wanted to dodge the chains and thought we'd try the institutional curry house Tayyabs.

A good old fashioned curry house experience is one of my favourite things.  It brings back memories from my childhood and the novelty of being given a small chocolate at the end of the meal which to me was the height of luxury fine dining.  It was also special being able to have a good meal out whilst being vegetarian.  Anyway, times change, tastes change but the curry house remains as good as ever.

Tayyabs is famous for its tandoori cuisine, which is one of my favourite cooking styles.  We meet our friend and make the short walk from Aldgate East to the restaurant which is hard to miss from the large neon signs out front.  We took the advice to book a table as apparently it can get very busy so we were a little surprised to find only 1-2 other tables in use when we arrived.  Within five minutes of being given our menus our side of the restaurant was full to bursting, it was a good job we booked after all!  We had a table near the kitchen where I could take a good look at the action.  Service was brisk and polite but nothing to get excited about.  We ordered some starters to share:  delicious giant cubes of Paneer Tikka and some Lamb Chops straight from the tandoor in a lovely acidic marinade.  We also had some very tasty Pakoras.  Our starters were accompanied by some Popadoms and chutneys.  There wasn't much wait for the food and we were off to a great start with that addictive acidic tang of the marinated meat, I was enjoying this meal.

Before we'd even finished our starters our mains came along filling up the table.  I had one of the specialty curries, Karahi Lamb Tikka Masala, my partner also had an identical looking, but totally different tasting lamb curry.  We shared a couple of amazing buttery Tandoori Naans and some Karahi Bhindi, which to my taste was the only imperfect item we'd ordered.  This was a really great meal let down only by the rushed and less than perfect service.  It seems they have only one pace of working irrespective of how busy the restaurant is.  I would come back here to eat again, though not without trying one of the other local grills in the area and as good as the food was I would not make a special journey to come here when I have the good old Star of Bombay just a short bus ride away!  Though they did present the bill with two Union Jack chocolates (for the three of us!) to complete that famous curry house experience.

Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style

Where: Barbican Centre, London

As much as I love a good curry, it's no match for anything to do with James Bond.  So after some gentle persuasion we attended this exhibition at the Barbican.  There were 14 separate areas of the exhibition, a perfectly themed entrance and the opportunity to have your photo taken with the classic Aston Martin from Goldfinger.  The exhibition was divided into the various themes that has made Bond iconic over the last 50 years and each was filled with film props including gadgets, guns and the various outfits worn by Bond, the villains and the many Bond girls from the 23 films.

The first room of the exhibition was themed around gold and included the original Ken Adam sketches for Fort Knox from Goldfinger, Oddjob's steel-brimmed hat as well as Scaramanga's golden gun.  So far so good as we squeezed into a small room documenting the colourful life of James Bond's creator, Ian Flemming.  Flemming is just as interesting if not more so than the character he created.  He was a key influence in the cinematic appearance of James Bond in terms of his dress and background.  Also a number of the characters that appear in the books/films were named after Flemming's friends.  The idea of James Bond came from Flemming's time in the military and has passion for travel writing and journalism.

The next section was one that I particularly enjoyed, M's Office.  This section contained a number of Bond artefacts including passports, ID cards, credit cards, dossiers as well as a bit about the characters of M and Moneypenny.  The level of detail in these props are one of the things I love about Bond films.  Despite all the fantastic and often ridiculous elements to these films there is always a strong authenticity to the props used.  Of course once you have been briefed it's time to pick up your supplies from the Quartermaster or Q Branch as we know it.  Here we are treated to a selection of briefcases, watches and other "ordinary" items that can be transformed into lethal weapons, listening devices and escape routes at the flick of a switch.  There was also an extended section on the boat used in the opening sequence of The Wold is Not Enough.

After this was another James Bond staple, the casino.  In this section there was a full scale mock-up of the table and gamblers from Casino Royale forming the centre piece of the room.  In addition there were numerous mock ups of the various casino outfits and clips projected of many of the famous Bond casino scenes.  There was also a dress from the forthcoming Skyfall which was exciting to see.  After the excitement of the casino there was a section on the various countries and exotic places that Bond has visited over the years and how the look of these places was created.  The main focus here was on India as seen in Octopussy and the fabulous space base from Moonraker.

There were two main sections left after this, the next being Villains.  This room was filled with the costumes and props of many of the Bond villains, such as Rosa Klebb's spiked shoe, Jaws' teeth, the "bomb surprise" and Boris from Goldeneye frozen solid with liquid nitrogen.  There was also a section on the Bond girls that help Bond out in the films including Solitaire with her card table and Jinx in her bikini.  Alas it was time to move downstairs in the Bond lifts to visit the final room, the Ice Palace which celebrated Bond and all things snowy from the famous ski stunts to the magnificent Ice Palace from The World is Not Enough.  There was also the famous cello (with skis attached!) that Bond and Kara use to escape in The Living Daylights.

If I had one complaint about this exhibition it would be the lack of any interactive display areas, it would have been amazing to have been able to go hands on with some of the Bond gear as well as take some photos of it, though from reading about the lack of available items it is perhaps understandable.  This exhibition is clearly a must for suckers like me who can't wait till Skyfall later this year!  After finishing up at the Ice Place it was time to go home and reflect on a wonderful day of famous British exports, the curry house and James Bond.

Tayyabs - 83-89 Fieldgate Street London E1 1JU
020 7247 6400

Designing 007:50 Years of Bond Style - Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS Until 5th September 2012

Dinner For Ten - Delhi

Stuffed, Soaked, Sick and Home

We touched down in Delhi late and tired, waiting what seemed like an age for our bags. Thankfully things were soon looking up as we began the final leg of our trip. We headed out of arrivals to find our driver who took us over to his giant, brand new, gleaming-white Toyota which seemed a little excessive for the three of us but it made a welcome change from the tiny Tata cars we'd had to make do with till this point. After a quiet early evening drive along Delhi's nicer roads we ended up in a quiet gated neighbourhood in South Delhi where our hotel, the French owned Amarya Haveli was located. After the "basic" facilities at our last two destinations this was what we had been missing. We had the "White Room" and our friend had the "Red room". Shortly after checking in and enjoying our new surroundings we ordered drinks and dinner. We went up to the roof terrace to enjoy them (bringing back fond memories of Miami) but had to come down for our food as it had started to rain at this point. For dinner I had a curry with all the trimmings washed down with a cold beer. With the prospect of a good nights sleep and a properly plumbed bathroom things were on the up and up.

The next morning I woke up refreshed from a full nights sleep. We had a substantial breakfast at the hotel before heading out into South Delhi to change enough travellers cheques to see us through till the end our trip. For the afternoon we thought we'd visit the last few things we really wanted to see in Delhi: Humayun's Tomb, the mosque at Nizamuddin and the Lotus temple. After wandering round the block for what felt like the tenth time we finally found a reputable looking money changer. We then grabbed an auto-rickshaw to Humayun's Tomb which required some hard bargaining on the fare. Humayun's Tomb to the uneducated and unguided tourist that I decided to be that day is just like a mini Taj Mahal. We walked round for a bit before deciding to walk the short distance to Nizamuddin as apparently there is a very beautiful mosque there. However, as soon as we arrived at Nizamuddin the rain came down and when it rains it pours. To say that the inhabitants of the mosque welcomed outside visitors with open arms would be the understatement of the year. We shuffled round in our socks not enjoying the beauty of the building and came out to shelter under the roof of one of the stalls located just outside, at least happy to have out shoes on again.

Eventually we decided to make a dash for it and head for the Lotus Temple. We really wanted to see it, rain or otherwise. After refusing to be ripped off by the rickshaw drivers by the mosque we picked up the first guy on the street. The first price he offered was already half that of the first two guys we spoke to. It was quite relaxing being in the back of the rickshaw watching the rain come down. We arrive at the lotus temple and its as impressive as we thought it would be. We decide to brave the rain and start waking towards it. Unprepared for the rain that day we are now soaking wet but we keep going until we see the dreaded sign "no shoes". At this point we decided that it just wasn't meant to be and it was time to return to the hotel for some hot food and drink. Unfortunately the hotel's warning of being hard to find proved true and despite a map and address our driver and his "assistant" had no idea where they were taking us. Eventually we spotted a familiar landmark and got them to drop us off.

Back at the hotel and all dried off we had a light snack and hot drinks before resting up for the evening. We got the hotel to find us somewhere nice to eat which ended up being Punjabi by Nature which was mentioned in our guide book. If we had known what we were in store for we would have probably skipped lunch! We used the hotel's car service to take us to and from the restaurant which was a short drive from the hotel. The restaurant seemed nice and was largely full of locals taking their western business clients out for a good time. We ordered one main each with two portions of rice and two naan breads worrying that between the three of us we might go hungry. Our fears were unfounded. One leg of lamb, a whole tandoori fish and a huge pot of chicken curry later and we had over-estimated our appetites. The food was really great and was as well as being an overdue birthday celebration was a great way to bring our trip to a close. By UK standards the bill was pretty cheap especially as each of the main courses is easily enough for two people as is each bread and serving of rice. Stuffed and happy we got the car back to the hotel, packed our things and prepared to say farewell to India.

Our last morning meant an early start to beat the traffic, but with breakfast waiting for us it didn't seem so bad. The roads were quiet before rush hour and we actually made it with plenty of time to spare. At the airport we made sure to change our remaining rupees as it is illegal to take them out of India and then waited for check in to open. When it did it was chaos to say the least, one final taste of Indian efficiency as the desks were opened, closed and moved. All the lines got mixed together and we ended up in the business class line but that did not help our waiting time or with an upgrade... Check in mess aside T3 at Delhi was pretty straight forward. We picked up some last minute gifts and I found a book I'd been meaning to buy at a great price. It was then time to board the 777 to DXB.

Our connection at DXB was quite tight and the late departure of our flight was not encouraging. I can't remember now what I watched or ate but the flight was okay. Again, the 777 with its squashed seats is no match for the roomy A380, at least we would soon we would be home! We arrived in Dubai highlt worried about making our connecting flight to London. However, despite the best intentions of the ground staff to make us think we would miss our flight we had nothing to worry about as our plane was being held due to the even later arrival of another flight. We were soon up in the air in the economy comfort of the A380. Unfortunately we were unable to sit together on this flight but seeing as I spent almost the whole time watching films and eating, it wasn't a big issue. It wasn't long before we touched down at Heathrow Terminal 3. It was then on to baggage reclaim and the HEX. One thing we noticed by the time we hit Paddington was how cold it was in London. We said our good-byes and shuffled off to the tube for the warmth of home. A great trip had come to an end.

Doing it on our own - Delhi

Dude Where's My Car...?

After searching the long line of pick-up drivers we found our man and it was off to the Master Guesthouse without a hitch, or so we thought. There was however, a small problem; the driver had lost his car in the airport car park. Luckily for all of us we went down a floor and the car was soon found. We were out of the airport and into the real world. As we weaved calmly through the traffic it was nice to look out the window and watch this new world go by. Not too many animals on the road just yet, but quite a few auto-rickshaws and plenty of traffic. As we were driven into suburbia we were soon at our hotel/guesthouse where we'd stay for the next two nights. On arrival we had our bags taken from us and headed upstairs for our check-in and introduction to Delhi from the hotel owners, Ushi and Nishi who lived on the ground floor of the building. We had some tea, coffee and cookies, a local map and some tips for what to do as well as a briefing on Delhi's metro and on how much to pay the rickshaw drivers (easier said than done when you don't have much in the way of small notes!). We had a nice room at the top of the building that opened out on to the terrace, it was fairly quiet and incredibly relaxed. The room was nice and homely and we felt like we were off to a good start. We took a short rest and unpacked before heading out to acclimatise in our new surroundings to the famous heart of New Delhi, Connaught Place.

I enjoy almost all journeys of any kind, my first ride on the rickshaw from the hotel to the metro station was interesting and surreal, watching the driver navigate through the traffic and around the pot holes in the road. Even for fans of trains great and small Delhi Metro is certainly an acquired taste. For short term tourists it's pretty straight forward, you buy a chip and the further you go the more you pay with an approximate 2INR increase for each station. Despite being mid afternoon it felt like rush hour. The stations have big long platforms but the trains, new and shiny as they are, only seem to take up about half the platform length and as a result they are very busy as people push their way on and off as if their lives depended on it.

As soon as we had left the station the touts were after us, the government shopping complex must have been paying a good commission as every other person we bumped into were desperate to take us there. We walked into the park in the centre of Connaught Place which seemed newly refreshed (but poorly finished) and we got a little flashback from Amsterdam as it was full of men holding hands, which in India means just close friends unlike many other places in the world. The park was not particularly memorable apart from using the same style of signs as the London parks and an incredibly drab water feature... As dusk was upon us we made a quick visit to the tourist office to pick up a free city map and despite the kind man's offer to completely rebook our entire two week itinerary we were pushing our way onto the metro, fighting with the rickshaw drivers and back at the hotel for dinner before we knew it.

After a light dinner of Indian-style scrambled eggs it was off to bed for an early night in preparation for our first day of proper sightseeing. Before continuing with our time in Delhi it is time for a note on the lovely beds I experienced during the trip. In all but one of the hotels and guesthouses we stayed in, the beds were rock hard and I woke up with back ache at best after a night's sleep and at worst after a couple of hours. To this day I do not understand the fascination with such uncomfortable sleeping arrangements. Perhaps I am just getting old.

There's nothing like curry to start the day, so to build my energy for sightseeing I started as I meant to go on with an Indian style breakfast of potato curry, bread and pickles washed down with plenty of coffee. I really enjoyed the food I ate at Master Guesthouse as it was always fresh and reminded me of the Indian food I liked to cook myself. So after another encounter with the oh so friendly rickshaw drivers who were trying to charge us five times the correct fare we were back at Karol Bagh metro station for the push and shove match of the Delhi Metro and we were off towards Old Delhi with its markets, the Red Fort and Jama Masjid. Other than a few calls from the rickshaw drivers and the crazy traffic it was quite calm walking from the station towards Jama Masjid, there were many food stalls along our way just setting up for the day, good job I'd eaten well this morning. We arrived at the mosque only to find out we'd arrived during prayer so we pressed on through the market area and a grotty subway towards the Red Fort where we were greeted by the postcard and guidebook sellers who were swiftly avoided.

Once through the ticket gates and security you walk through a small shopping bazaar and then in to the fort. We picked up a guide who showed us round and told us what the different parts of the fort were and explained the Hindu, Muslim and Christian aspects of the architecture as well as what the British left behind. The main reason for mixing everything was to reassure those that came to visit as they would see something familiar and feel at ease and that they would receive fair treatment. The guide was good and it helped us appreciate Agra a lot more without needing a guide to show us round the tourist sites there.

After the Red Fort we headed back towards Jama Masjid and off to lunch at Delhi's famous restaurant/institution Karim's. The restaurant is actually more like a courtyard with kitchens and seating areas in the surrounding buildings. We soon got a table and sat down to eat. I'm glad we visited and the food was good value though underwhelming (kebab and spinach curry, rice, bread etc.). Maybe we chose the wrong things as many other people seemed to be enjoying themselves. After Karim's we briefly visited Jama Masjid before prayer started up again and then headed out for a meandering walk around Old Delhi's streets. This was one of my best memories from Delhi, walking around watching people caught up in the excitement of buying and selling, the smell of the street food and the complete absence of hassle. Unfortunately looking for the Metro you see the other side of Old Delhi, the poor sleeping and begging in the street, the smell of urine and animals grazing along the road whilst everyone else is swerving round them. After asking around we made it with a huge amount of pushing and shoving on to the metro and back to the hotel, exhausted and just about in one piece. London will always seem a walk in the park after this. Back at Master Guesthouse we had a lovely home cooked dinner and a good night's sleep.

Our final day in Delhi was a damp and frustrating one. Our train to Agra didn't depart till late afternoon so we decided to visit what looked like a local temple. In reality it was more than a half hour's walk away along a main road. Not the best time for a heavy rain shower. Arriving at the temple soaked through we stood there bedraggled and took the first auto rickshaw back, somehow price was not important at this point. Luckily we dried out and it was time to bid farewell to the nice people at Master Guesthouse and get the train from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra.

Voyage to India

14 Day Tour of North India Introduction
When: November 2010
This November I enjoyed a short 14 day trip around North India. The itinerary was Delhi, Agra, Orchha, Khajuraho, Varanasi, Delhi. The trip was self planned and allowed plenty of time for rest and contemplation as well as site seeing and the chance to stay in different kinds of places, foods and transportation. I will use the next few posts as my own online diary to try and keep the best and worst memories alive. It seemed so far away and impossible that I would end up doing this trip, then suddenly it is all over.
Passage To India - How we got there
Dude Where's My Car...? - Around Delhi
Tickets and Touts - No sleep in Agra
For Relaxing Times, Make it Orchha Time
Running the Gauntlet: Gurus, Gods, Goods and Italian Food
A Moment of Beauty in the Surrounds of Smog and Sarnath

Stuffed, Soaked, Sick and Home
An Amazing Time with a Little Regret