I knew there was a reason I’d not written a review from a meal we had in September.  I’ve waited so long that the restaurant in question now has a web site and I can remind myself what we ate!  As a treat for H’s 40th birthday, we made a trip ‘up North’ (ie round the other side of Manchester to my parents) for a curry with a difference.  Having spent his student days eating and working in curry houses in London, and sampling the cuisine on his travels, H has always sung the praises of curries from South India, particularly the masala dosa.  Until recently, this wasn’t a cuisine you could try round here as the Indian population in the North West doesn’t tend to come from South India.

Which brings us to Sanmini – the first restaurant in the North West to serve only South Indian cuisine. Nominated for ‘Best Newcomer’ at this year’s Manchester Food & Drink Festival, it’s cannily located in foodie-centric Ramsbottom, an area making a name for itself as a mecca for those appreciate good food. The restaurant was quiet when we arrived, but that was an advantage for us as we were encouraged to sit in the leather sofas in the foyer and study the menu.

My initial reaction was ‘oh, there’s not much choice’.  However, when you realise that absolutely none of the dishes are the familiar ‘curry house’ dishes we’re used to, it all becomes much more interesting and time consuming.  Our genial host was interrogated about virtually every dish, and his gently enthusiastic explanations helped us make some interesting and tasty choices.

Sometimes you have to live a little dangerously – forget the usual bhajis, samosas, rogan josh and dhansak dishes.  My starter of Idli & Sambar (steamed rice cakes with a lentil sambar, or sauce), was a comfort-food-mound that had a mischievous kick that dealt swiftly with a cold I’d been struggling with.  H had a Masala Dosai (his ‘dream date’ of a South Indian dish) which when done properly, which this was, is a structure to behold.  About 8-10 inches of rolled up, light, crispy pancake stuffed with spicy potato filling and served with chutney – which made him a very happy birthday boy.

Sadly I can’t remember what starters my parents ate, but all the main dishes were very tasty.  These included a mutton masala, a chicken dish with poppy, fennel and cashewnuts, and a chickpea and spinach curry.  The pleasure came from trying a range of new flavours and gaining an understanding of the fact that ‘a curry is not just a curry’.  For anyone bored with the ’same old, same old’ curry, it’s worth making an effort to discover a new angle, and Sanmini does a great job of making that introduction.  The service was courteous and warm, the decor was neutral without a hint of flock wallpaper, and well worth a return visit.

Since visiting  Sanmini, we have also discovered a local restaurant in Northenden called Lotus.  They serve Malaysian and South Indian cuisine.  We sampled a takeaway, focusing on the South Indian side of the menu (as sadly most of the Malaysian offering was non-veggie friendly) – we found most dishes were a little doughy and carb-heavy, but perhaps we chose badly.  It may prove more interesting in the restaurant than via takeaway so perhaps one to revisit in future.

Or perhaps not the immediate future, ladies and gents, as we are now one week exactly from the expected arrival date of gastrobaby!  I am now steering well clear of any spicy curries, as I have no intention of this baby arriving early.  However, should another curry review appear on these pages in the coming weeks, you’ll know we went overdue!  In the meantime, there may be a slight lull in posts on this blog (what, another one?!).  I suspect that having a little screaming person to introduce to the delights of.. well just milk initially, may take up some considerable time.  Once we’ve recovered from the shock and have eaten our way through the stock of meals in our freezer (currently consisting of left over home made lasagne and ratatouille) I’m sure we’ll rediscover the world of restaurants and rejoin the rest of you in the real world!  Until then, here’s to 2010 – eat well!

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