For me Sundays are not a day for cooking, especially when youâve been out the night before. So after a whole day of chores and visits on not much sleep at all, curry was all I could think about.
Having not been very impressed with the curry mile recently, we went down to the Himalaya on Stockport Road in Levenshulme. Sat opposite the huge Nawaab, the marble-entranced three floored curry palace, this small restaurant often gets overlooked.
But this little Indian and Nepalese eatery creates some of the finest Asian delicacies in Manchester. Our rule is never go when youâre starving because food does take a long time to come out, but thatâs because everything is freshly made to order so thatâs not a complaint.
Having decided to review it after we arrived, I thought Iâd choose something different to the King Prawn Bhunna that is the usual. There is such a wide choice of food, and most of it completely different to the standard curry mile menu.
The Tikhey Jinghey (£10.95) sounded completely different to anything Iâd eaten before, and if it was fit for the Hyderabadi kings then it was fit for me and my hangover. A medley of tomato, onion and capsicum masala was cooked up with pickling spices in mustard oil, and topped with King Prawns. The hint of vinegar and mustard took the dish in a different direction, and combined with tiny whole peppercorns this was a really tangy and spicy taste-fest, mopped up with a buttery paratha (£1.90).
A Punjabi dish of Dhaba murgh (£6.50) was just as succulent and tasty, with a rich thick sauce combining chicken tikka, which had been cooked on a skewer, ginger, onions, coriander, fresh herbs and spices. A side dish of boiled basmati rice (£1.50) was just the right amount to balance against the rich spices.
This time we didnât order starters, but Iâve worked my way through a lot of them in the past. My favourite is the almost-unpronounceable Kairi Dhaniye Da Paneer Tikka (£2.95), which is cubes of paneer cheese marinated with crushed mangoes, coriander, ground chilli, and mint leaves then wrapped in green peppercorn batter and glazed emerald green in the tandoori oven. For something that sounds so over the top, this starter actually has a simple taste and is a great appetiser.
Another old favourite main dish here is the Thalis, offering meat, mixed (both £8.95) or vegetarian (£7.50). A thali is three small dishes of curries, served with basmati rice, tandoori roti and raitha. For the price this is a lot of food and a lot of choice all on one plate.
There is a fairly comprehensive wine list, and selection of beers, but Iâve not sampled many of them as I usually stick to soft drinks with a curry. This is a great place that is worth a trip to Levenshulme to sample these intriguing Nepalese delights.
Himalaya, 945 Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, M19 3NP.
T: 0161 248 8882
Open 5pm-11.30pm every day.