Beckenham Curry Club

Wednesday 12th March 2014

We’re a bit late with this month’s Chilli Diaries review but on the 12^th March our connoisseur’s visited ‘Beckenham Curry Club’ in, er, Beckenham.   This is an unusual sort of place, it’s quite small and the décor is reminiscent of a yuppyish 80’s wine bar.

It was smart enough but the atmosphere was perhaps a little cold.

In reference to ‘Taste of India’, their rival restaurant a few doors down, the waiter told us this is ‘the taste of Bangladesh’ and this was shown in the menu which features a number of unusual dishes as well as the classic curry house stuff. 

The starter I went for was Khaas Seekh Kebab.  These skewered minced lamb pieces were meaty, juicy and beautifully spiced.  Loved them!   Typically, the chilli-head in me was drawn to Laal Maas Lamb.  This traditional Rajasthani dish uses three types of chilies and can be made as hot as you like.   A really interesting and tasty dish but although they say it’s “not for the faint hearted”, I would have actually liked it slightly hotter to be honest!  For a side, I went for Tarka Daal, which tasted fresh and garlicky.  Another good one.

MENU	Beckenham Curry Club
MAIN:	Laal Maas was a great and rarely seen option.  The Goan King Prawn dish was also reccomended.	18/20
STARTERS/     SIDES:	Good sheek kebab to start with and lovely Tarka Daal side dish.	8/10
VARIETY:	The variety of dishes on offer was surprisingly varied.	8/10
HEAT:	Everyone seemed satisfied with their spice levels.  I could’ve done with a little more kick to the Laal Maas but I am a chilli addict.	3/5
DRINKS:	Standard soft drinks and beers on offer.	3/5
VENUE
ATMOS:	I quite liked the simple decor and the authentic Indian music that was playing throughout the meal.  They could've turned the heating up a bit!	16/20
SERVICE:	The staff were all pretty welcoming and the service was efficient	8/10
VALUE:	Curious choice to make Sundays and Mondays their banquet nights. Still, even without a special deal, £26 per head including service wasn't bad value.	7/10
LOCATION:	Bit of a tricky location. Parking wasn't that easy, especially with the amount of local traffic. Good public transport links though and a couple of nearby pubs.	3/5
BONUS:	No complimentary drinks of any kind were offered.	0/5
	FINAL_SCORE	74%

This is a good solid curry house and is definitely recommended if you’re in the Elmers End / Beckenham area.

 

Booking Name: Roddy Piper    

Pubs:  William IV in Elmers End which is not bad for a pre-curry beer.
Highlight:  The menus mix of classic and lesser-known Bangladeshi dishes.

Lowlight:  Lack of midweek banquet offer.

Verdict:  A criminally underrated curry house.

Beckenham Curry Club
4 Goodwood Parade
Beckenham
BR3 3QZ