Curry, Beer, and Rock Music
These are the three ingredients for a fantastic night out. It was great to let the old hair down with an epic night out in Holmfirth on Sat 7th Aug 2021.
Starting off at the Raj of India in Holmfirth, the obligatory pints of Cobra with complementary poppadoms. were hurried to the table. Then we were served with Lamb Chops and Prawn Puri, both very welcome.
The main dishes were very impressive, especially the Garlic Naan which was warm, crisp, and generous in size (see photo). Whenever I eat in a restaurant for the first time I often order Chicken Madras, which serves as a good benchmark for quality – if it’s a good one then it’s a positive sign.
The Madras sauce was superb with a smooth moorish sauce that had an immaculate taste. The chicken was fresh tasting and ample, and the accompanying pilau rice was simple and effective.
On the other side of the table a more complex curry called Lamb Nawabi Khama was tested.
The menu described it as having 21 ingredients, which is a sales pitch I can believe once all individual spices are totalled (plus garam masala). This one was rich and deep in flavour, and one I’ll be ordering for myself next time I visit Raja of India. Very impressive.
What better way to continue the evening with live music and more beer.
So, heading to the nearby Holmfirth Picturedrome, a minor detour was made to see Nora Batty’s house (‘Last of the Summer Wine’ fans will know exactly what I’m talking about).
I’d book tickets mainly to see Jim Kirkpatrick and his band. Jim’s an awesome guitarist, singer, and songwriter. His solo style is rock/blues based and is also a member of rock band FM and plays with Bernie Marsden also (Whitesnake fans will know!).
What can I say – an absolutely superb performance from Jim and his band. I especially enjoyed ‘Ballad of a Prodigal Son‘, the title track from his latest album, which now has pride of place in my CD collection.
A few months ago I was pleased to hear that Jim is a big curry lover, and that he regularly cooks recipes from my two existing books (Indian Restaurant Curry at Home Volumes 1 & 2). What’s not to love about curry and rock music!
Whilst chatting after the gig, I also met Jim’s wife (apologies I don’t recall the name), who jokingly complained about curry smells in their house and that the cooking of such had been confined to the garage. Not an uncommon thing to happen!
Pleased also to report that I’ve been offered swapsies of Jim’s future new album for my Curry Compendium book. Where do is sign ?!
Several beers in, and onto the second act, King King, a rock band from Glasgow who went down a storm. Another superb and emotional performance!
They’re very popular in Scotland, infact my friend Alex Wilkie from Glasgow raves about them. I can see and hear why.
So, there you have it – three of the best things in life combined – Curry, Live Music, and Beer. Life wouldn’t be the same without (plenty) of them.
Books by Richard Sayce
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