Best in the West - according to The Times

Rajpoot, Rajpoot House, 4 Argyle Street, Bath BA2 4BA (01225 466833; www.rajpoot.com)

Rajpoot is justifiably proud of its accolades, including those from the likes of Brooke Shields (“Yum!”), Lionel Blair (“Great hot stuff”), and Ken Livingstone. Opened by Ahmed Chowdhury in 1980, it was once dubbed “Aladdin’s Cave” and the name has stuck. Set in a series of “caves” below street level, Rajpoot has been hugely popular for years and will soon double its size.

Try the Rajpoot spicy salmon steak, served with Rajpoot style Potatoes, Puloa Rice and salad, or perhaps one of the chef’s selection menus from £16.50.

Judges' verdict: "One of the many restaurants in the industry that has maintained very high standards over a long period of time yet is always prepared to innovate and move forward."

For when we do the 'Bath Visit'?

What hell happen?

Hello Dukes.
I don't know whats gotten into you lot but one evening of moaning about not being able to post under your own names and hey presto! The magic of curry! You can suddenly post under your own names. I loves curry me.
Hats of to top arm wrestling snapper and father of three strapping lads, Mr Pete Thorpe. A splendid evening.
Anyway as this is a blog, here's an amusing picture.

A Review

I thoroughly enjoyed last night's first official Dukes of Mumbai do, shame the food I chose didne match up to the Dukes general chitchat, wit and diversions.
A poor pickle selection imo, onions cut too large and lack of coriander(?) and what was that soy sauce type 'pickle/chutney'? WRONG!
Chef's Recommendation, Chicken Panch Mahal, was a huge disappoinment and tasted like minced chicken with bisto. I wish the curry house standards agency could decide what mild, medium or hot really is. On the menu my dish was listed as medium when this was clearly mild as milk. The Saag Bhaji wasn't too my taste either. Paratha just average.
Score: 4/10
Highlight/Odd moment? Dukes arm wrestling in the Victoria afterwards with tales from Pete Stilly of arms snapping at previous arm wrestles between butch men. And to end the evening, being turfed out of the pub by surprise celebrity barmaid Simon Amstel.

Hello chap(patti)s,

Splendid curry last night - my congratulations to Mr Peter Thorpe for a quality curryhouse selection. And welcome to Mr Spex - a new Duke!

Poppadom Crunch hits new low sez Thorpe. But can Spex save day?

So....It falls to me to organise the next one.

Could have, maybe should have used the blog but not had great success getting in,it seems (admittedly without spending almost any effort ), a bit of a faff !

Anyone missed off the list,please forward ta.

What about w/c 20th ? It's half term the week after this,I'm mostly about but maybe some folks will be away then ????

Thinking of the Eldon house pub,followed by the http://www.rajmoni.co.uk/ which is next to the Victoria Rooms,don't know owt about it but happy to give it a bash,anyone been there ?

Hopefully we can have the pleasure of the company of Mr Spex too.

Let i know how you are all fixed ( by email !!!

HOLBYITIS

I've just dropped something off at my parent's house. They were watching Casualty. 

"Look" my old man shouts at me "it's Stokes Croft... on the Telly".

How long has Casualty been a staple of Saturday night  TV? 100, 150 years? Long enough to be in desperate need of a hip replacement.

And long enough for anyone living in Bristol not to be surprised by seeing the city popping up in the background. Surely?

I tried not to be interested in Stokes Croft being on the telly. I'd just driven up there to get to my parents.

But...

"hey! You're right...I've just driven up there...and look, it's Lakota!"

I think it's the Holby effect. 

They film the show in Bristol, but the place it's set in is Holby. 

So the left side of your brain is saying this is Holby, this is fiction. 

And the right hand side of your brains os going, no hold on a minute, that's Park Street and that's Barton Hill round-a-bout, and look there's the Tesco at Eastville.

Meanwhile the little walnut sized blob at the back of your head, the bit that controls all reason and sense (hey, I'm no brain surgeon), is squeaking, "this is shit, this is shit, turn it off". But of course you're not listening to that because, "Holy fucking shit, look! There's a fictional fucking ambulance driving up Ashley Down Road!!" 

There's talk of moving the filming to Cardiff.

That's a nice touch. A TV medical drama is going to lobotomise Bristol from itself graft on Cardiff and still call itself Holby.

They say that  successful transplant patients never fully 'accept' their new organs. That although they're grateful and delighted to be alive they always 'know' the life saving replacement was from someone else, IS someone else's.

Will it be the same with a newly Welsh Holby? Who knows, but I bet the storylines will still be shit. 

In Bristol With a Pistol

I am officially old.

I was just on Park Street, window shopping and the like, and walked past the flyer pushing kids at the top o' the hill, toting for the Thekla. 

They didn't hand me a flyer. They made a point of it. Everyone else got one, 'cept me.

I was going to the Thekla before they were born for Christ's sake!

Maybe that's why I  didn't get me a flyer. 

Kid's today...they can smell the old folk coming up the hill.

Imelda May

Hello,

Christ knows who I've signed in as, this blogging is confusing the hell out of me!! Anyway further to Rich's recommendation about Imelda May I watched the Jools Holland show and she was very good. I then got an e-mail of Mig with the upcoming shows at the Louis and on 18 November Imelda May is playing. Anyone fancy a DukesofMumbai cultural evening at the Louis. I'm game. Mig might even do us a group discount.

Cheers

Tom

When he becomes President

Perhaps Mr McCain would like to join us for a meal when he visits the UK. Looks like he enjoys his tikka masala!-)

I know I'm banned from talking about it but....