I wanted to go to the Shabab in Harrogate, and got the details off the Internet. Not only had it changed its location, but had also changed its name. All that remained of the place I remembered was the chairs. I suppose that after almost 30 years, the fact that those were still the same was pretty stunning.
Having told the owner that I was a long standing customer of the Shabab, which he claims to have worked at, but I guess he must have been in short trousers when I went there, he said he had brought the food and staff with him, and promised me an excellent meal - and so it was. This place is great.
They have a web site on http://www.shalimarharrogate.co.uk/ but that is mainly for on-line ordering of take away food. The location is in the busy Cheltenham Parade, which is essentially restaurant row, and you can find something to everyone's taste there. Be advised that it is difficult to park there, and the on-street parking in the center of Harrogate of an evening is challenging. You may also need a local parking disc before 8pm.
The owner welcomed us like long lost friends and promised everything.
We started with popadoms which were offered complimentary. They had an unusual selection of sauces to accompany
This was then followed by 'mixed poultry and red meat' platter for two, which was a 10 on the CHOF scale as it was absolutely sizzling on arrival. We discovered that they had sneaked in some tandoori fish to make it more of an adventure (that is what is at the front of the picture);
There was a variety of lamb, kebab, chicken and vegetables. This was huge and was spicy and excellent.
I then had the mixed biryani which contained chicken, prawn and lamb.
This became far too much and defeated me. There was probably a bit of a mix up in instructions, as my wife like things madras spicy, and this was probably applied to my dish. I tasted her chicken tikka karaiha special, which had a wonderful smoky flavour and was not too spicy. Temperature wise, they were 8 on the scale.
One of the interesting features of the menu was Cobra special 8% beer which came in a 750ml bottle. This is not something I come across a lot, and again is a recommended choice.
I have to say that this was an excellent experience for many reasons, and I am surprised that the place is not more full of an evening. There is probably too much choice on Cheltenham Parade in Harrogate for ethnic food. I cannot praise this place highly enough, and if I go back to Harrogate, this will definitely be on my agenda. Including a dip of post-prandial digestive mixes, the meal for two came to about £45 including drink, and was deemed to be good value for money.
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