Curry house Pavilion really hits the jackpot (From The Bolton News)

Curry house Pavilion really hits the jackpot

11:55am Thursday 14th May 2009 in

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THE Pavilion — the Pav to its friends — has a decent reputation in Bolton. It’s reasonably priced, serves good grub and on a busy night, it’s buzzing.

We walk in and the signs are good. A quick glance around tells me we are in for a half decent evening.

This place has all the hallmarks of a good curry house — crazy paintings of the Taj Mahal in space, Bollywood panpipe music playing in the background, a suspect bowl of Bombay mix on the table as you walk in, and, bizarrely, a fish tank.

I have no idea why they always have a fish tank. I think it’s the curry house law.

Table for two please. We are seated straight away, which is a shame because I wanted to sample the Bombay mix.

Drinks are offered immediately by a ridiculously friendly waiter. Excellent. We go for Indian lager (Kingfisher and Cobra are both on tap here at £3.20 a pint) but I suppose if you want an authentic English curry night, then you could always try Stella. It’s a Wednesday night and the place isn’t packed but there’s still a lively atmosphere.

Another waiter comes over. We’re not ready to order (the choice on the menu is huge) but we ask for some poppadoms while we decide.

“You have to order them with the rest of your food,” he huffs, then slopes off.

Stunned and slightly scared, we quickly decide what we want because we are starving and we’ve been denied our poppadoms and mango chutney.

Smiley waiter comes back and takes our order. Nothing is too much trouble for him as he enthusiastically explains the difference between Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine (the Pavilion is actually a Bangladeshi restaurant); I don’t quite understand, but apparently, it’s something to do with capsicum.

Grumpy waiter comes back and takes another drinks order. It quickly becomes clear they are giving us the classic good cop/bad cop routine. I figure they must be running some sort of private detective agency in their spare time to make ends meet during the credit crunch.

We order chicken pakora (£2.80) and sheek kebab (£3.10) for starter and lamb karahi and chicken jalfrezi for our mains — the curries come in at around £10 each with rice or naan.

Five minutes later, Starsky and Hutch come back with our food. My sheek kebab is like a subtly spiced mini lamb burger; the chicken pakoras have a real kick but are cooled down with a tasty raita dip.

The lamb karahi is a treat (the lamb is tender and the curry mild yet somehow spicy) and the fiery jalfrezi is equally delightful. Three Kingfishers later, I’m less scared of Hutch and I’m practically best mates with his partner.

All is well and poppadom-gate is a distant memory. But there is one final hurdle. The acid test for a good curry house is based on what, if anything, they bring you at the end of your meal.

If I don’t get at least two of the following items, I feel let down: a hot towel; a half-time orange (the kind you used to get when you played football at primary school); an After Eight mint; and a complementary brandy.

The Pav hits the jackpot. Starsky arrives with all four. Brilliant.