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Bombay Bicycle, Balham (02 February 2010) by Jim |
| General Comments: |
I managed to tempt the ROT crew back to Balham for the first time in over a year despite a last minute hi-jack attempt by Bascy. No doubt they were tempted by the offer of 50% of the food that I had managed to negotiate.
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Pub Notes:
(The Nightingale) | We gathered at The Nightingale, which it turns out is practically Newts’ local as it only took him 2 ½ hours to get there, which pleased him no end. It’s a cracking venue, one of the last of the old time boozers still standing (like most of ROT).
Packed out on a Tuesday with a real mix of punters. The beer was fine with most people drinking the local Wandle which we managed to drink the pub dry of.
I also had Miss Scotland (oh-err!) ,one of the range of Caledonian themed beers on offer. Fruity and a bit stronger that the Wandle but very drinkable. |
| Ruby Notes: | Then it came time for dinner at The Bombay Bicycle, a long established quality Curry house that for some reason had never had the pleasure of a ROT visit.
The Geeks amongst us were extremely disappointed that they didn’t have the chance to use their ITphones to get to the restaurant as it was just across the passage. The shortest distance between pub and ruby in ROT history someone was heard to say.
The crew took up their places in a well presented restaurant, the grown ups to one end and the louder amongst us at the other. Beer was served up in the correctly sized glasses but for some reason we were not given control of our bottles. Maybe they thought it would lower the tone...too late I fear.
Papadums, popadoms...whatever, were average with very small portions of pickle soon running out. We then perused our menu’s which were adorned with a picture of Shilpa Shetty. Most Brits will know her from her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother where she accused some of her charming house mates of racism. Jo O'Meara (who she?) reportedly suggested that “Indians were thin because they are always ill as a result of undercooking their food” ....shame that Indian food hasn’t had quite that effect on some of ROT’s waistlines.
After a very long wait we received our food. I had a Biryani for the first time and found it very tasty although it did look very plain and looked like it was missing something....like my lime pickle, which never turned up.. I tried a couple of other dishes and they both were good. I didn’t get much feedback from the other members but I presume they were happy.
During the meal there was plenty of fun and laughter...but I had to listen to a detailed technical explanation of the Toyota accelerator pedal recall disaster. I think Bogga must have been listening in as he was soon dozing away and dribbling like a baby.
The bill arrived and Mr Bate took command....result was a 30% instead of 50% discount! and £20 in his back pocket. Apparently we had also spent over a ton on booze (another ROT record)............ BYO next time??
We all left in fine spirits, I cycled the short distance home ,some members went back to the pub for a nightcap and Thomo boarded his usual sleeper train to Reading.
One last point, where the hell where the After Eights? a bill for over £200 and not a chocolate mint in sight. Back to Mr Dey’s next time for ‘drink on house’. |
Ratings: Beer: Pub Hospitality:Food: Service: Overall Rating: |
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The Curry Leaf, St Johns Hill, Clapham (05 January 2010) by thomo |
| General Comments: |
The 1st RoT of 2010 saw 6 of us gather to exchange best wishes for the year ahead & it was a good laugh. The journey home was somewhat trying for most given the snow.....
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Pub Notes:
(The Falcon) | Yet again The Falcon provided a broad selection of fine ale all served by friendly & attentive staff. The Ringwood was my favourite, with the Pedigree a close second; there were comments of appreciation for the Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, London Pride & Harvey’s best. Not one pint was poured that was unappreciated or bad.
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| Ruby Notes: | A short walk up to the top of St Johns Hill was of course met with negative comments by the un-fit & fat RoTters, but the abuse is always worth it…… This is the second time we’ve visited a curry house in Clapham to be the only clients, why? The Curry Leaf produced a great curry, some a bit spicy which was nice (too much for Jnr) with rice & breads of top quality, the Tarka Dahl was worthy of comment & a second portion was ordered. The staff provided good recommendations & great service. |
| Ratings: Beer:Pub Hospitality:Food:Service: Overall Rating: |
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Tangawizi, Richmond (08 December 2009) by gpym |
| General Comments: |
So Christmas revellers, another Yuletide ROT Curry has past and as we crash headfirst into 2010, I thought it would be nice to talk you through the last ROT of 2009 – a Seasonal Spectacular.
Six Santa’s Helpers gathered at Father Christmas Pym’s Palace for mince pies and sherry. The Scouser Baskie being the first to show with his own diet friendly version of mince pies. Newtsey and Zip soon followed. Thomo couldn’t be heard knocking on the door due to the volume on the Christmas Carols being sung in the kitchen. He brought along a French equivalent to sherry which was most delightful.
Vowla, complete with duffle coat, hat and sleigh was the last to arrive. You should have seen the look on his face when 4 grown men, approaching or in excess of 50, jumped out of the bathroom screeming “Boo”. How camp viewers!
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Pub Notes:
(Turk's Head) | After guzzling numerous glasses of sherry and scoffing several pies, the six santa’s helpers made for the Turks Head to down more pints of nice British ale. Mike Bate, alias, Ginger Ruby Nazi, was particularly vocal about the short walk to the boozer claiming that it was not in the direction of the restaurant. Methinks Mike needs to get more exercise.
We downed a couple of jars and proceeded to Tangawizi in East Twickenham for our curry. GRN again stressing at the price of £1.75 per head for the minicab. You wouldn’t think he’s from Yorkshire now would you viewers?
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| Ruby Notes: | Needless to say, the food was delicious. Santa’s little helpers diving into a plethora of fine Indian cuisines, including Lamb, Fish and assorted dishes washed down by more cold lager and copious popadams.
The walk home in the sprinkling snow was very season indeed. To end the evening we bumped into the real Santa Claus, also know as Double “R”. A truly delightful end to 2009 everyone……. Here’s to a Curry Tastic 2010……
Pymster |
| Ratings: Beer:Pub Hospitality:Food:Service: Overall Rating: |
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The Chutney, Wandsworth (03 November 2009) by Basky |
| General Comments: |
A good turnout, with a few notable absentees, however this was their loss as it turned out to be a belter of a ROT. It was especially nice to see the Pymster, who had driven for over 4 hours in order to be insulted.
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Pub Notes:
(The Ship) | The Ship, in Wandsworth, is an old favourite for many roters and happily it still holds all the charm and character that we remember from previous visits. The Youngs bitter went down very well, as did the Bombardier. |
| Ruby Notes: | The Chutney turned out to be a bit of a 'find', every dish provided distinctive flavours and tasted freshly prepared. The only minor complaint being that some of the sauces were a bit on the thin side. The prices were fair, especially following the 35% discount we got (via Time Out). I expect we will be visiting Wandsworth again. |
| Ratings: Beer:Pub Hospitality:Food:Service: Overall Rating: |
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