I don't find myself in Rusholme very often these days. It's odd, my other half is not into curry…read morewhatsoever but his father absolutely loves the stuff. Go figure. If I was ever to take the in-laws on a big tour of Manchester, we'd head straight to Rusholme with a bag of beer and munch some spicy delights. My memories of more regular boozy dinners on the Curry Mile are not as you might expect. A good few years ago, socially, I hung out with many gentlemen. It was the result of being in a circle of friends via ex partners and what-not, thus there were generally few females lurking about and I was one of them. Now, some men simply see a curry as something to wolf down as fast as possible when you've had a skinful. Others take it very, very seriously. I was in a group where no less than three members claimed to be curry connoisseurs. It wasn't just that they were very critical of their Indian food when they ate out. They made the stuff at home. From SCRATCH. That is, they bought curry pastes (sometimes even forgoing the paste to gather all ingredients themselves), natural yoghurts, garam masala, tinned tomatoes... and they were very, VERY fussy. As in, my ex partner point blank refused to eat a Sharwoods, Asda or even Mardhur Jeffrey sauce from a jar. Yes, these were not boys to cook for. So when one of these males, also a militant vegetarian (in fact two of the three were militant vegetarians... am I spotting a pattern here?) said that his favourite spot on the Curry Mile was Tabak, I had David Copperfield-esque Great Expectations. Tabak swiftly became one of my favourite spots alongside Lal Haweli, although I didn't think it quite compared to the latter at first. It's had very mixed reviews on the Curry Mile website, however one positive review was written by an actual Indian person, and I must confess I've seen many dining in Tabak. So if you're after authentic Indian cuisine this is probably your best bet. And it's a lot more subtle and lower on carbon emissions in the form of neon lights than a great deal of the others, which is probably a good thing. If the militants, and Indian people, the best judges of all (remember what I told you about how my parents taught me to eat in ethnic restaurants? If people of that origin eat there, it must be good) eat there then it's definitely worth a try. It also has all the essentials of a great Curry Mile restaurant - bring your own booze, student and group discounts, and it also has a function room for hire as well as a buffet service with an all-you-can-eat policy. Now that'd be great for those lager-swilling revellers who like to fill up on poppadoms to sober up slightly. Perhaps not so great for the discerning 'curry experts' I dined with.

NB: This review solely concerns the buffet lunch deal…read more Tabak has a pair of shining reviews from a pair of shining reviewers on this site, but I'm afraid I can't add to that. I half suspect that this is a buffet vs a la carte thing, but regardless, I must report what I experienced. I took a group of 7 or 8 friends to Tabak recently for the buffet, and what we got was classic curry mile stuff. I didn't pay too much (though I wouldn't remark on the cheapness either) but I didn't get too much either, and I felt slightly queasy afterwards. The buffet is large and well stocked, but so stodgy and dodgy that I regretted the experience somewhat. Would I go again? If others wished to, but give me Swadesh or another city based offer any day.

I read a review about how this is one of the best restaurants on the "curry mile". We went in at…read more2ish on a Saturday afternoon. There were plenty of tables. The waiter was extremely nice and helpful! What I ordered: I decided to do the dansak curry with vegetables. The curry was delicious; although, I kind of wished I would have tried something a bit spicier. It was a very sweet curry! If I lived here, I would be back to try some of their other Indian dishes!

There's definitely something for everyone on the menu - plenty of meat and vegetarian options and…read moredetailed descriptions of ingredients and spice ratings. As soon as I sat down I decided that I was going to try something different to my usual choice of meat samosas and lamb rogan josh. To start I had the chicken tikka pieces. The chicken was juicy and the spice balance was perfect, it even came with a little side salad to help cleanse the palate. For main I opted for Haleem, which is a dish made from a mixture of lentils cooked with ground lamb cooked in a rich sauce. It came topped with crisp onions, stem ginger and coriander. This was a bit of a let down to be honest, the texture was peculiar and reminded me of melted cheese in that it was quite clumped together and stringy. Bit off putting really. The peshwari naan was exceptionally sweet - a little too close to being a breaded dessert to be honest. It wasn't the best food I've had on curry mile and the service was pretty average.

Vindaloo is amazing spicy but overly hot to the point you cant taste the spices used…read moreSaag lamb meat was soft and cooked well Peshwari naan is my my favorite with the sweet desiccated coconut complement the hotness of vindaloo Service was good we were assist quite fast, staffs and possible owner also checks the people of they are okey Ambiance was okey but the choice of music is very traditional which is not for everyone.plus ambiance is a big dark and gloomy due to all dark color contrast

There is no doubt that this is the best Nepalese restaurant in Manchester. You have to look past…read morethe no-frills decor, because the main focus is on the quality of the cuisine here. Some of the best dishes I've had here are Bhotowan Chicken, Chicken Khorsani and Fish Tikka. What I love about a lot of the dishes are that they're spiced correctly - in other words, they're hot! If you're suffering you can always order yourself a Tiger beer or a Mango lassi though. The staff are always smiling and friendly, and have never, to date, got the bill wrong. Comes highly recommended, and voted but Harden's as one of the best of its kind in the country.

Really disappointed in this place, which we were so excited to try and walked 3 miles to get to on…read morean (of course) sprinkling mancunian afternoon. Chicken tikka masala tasted like butternut squash. Is this supposed to be the dominant flavor of a dish which I've been eating my whole life? It was weird. It also lacked any hint of heat. Garlic naan had no hint of garlic. Perhaps our waiter forgot that we specifically asked for garlic, which leads me to the biggest downer of this visit: customer service. Service was BAD. We were two of the four customers in the entire restaurant and everything was so slow to come out, drinks were forgotten, and no one ever came to ask if we might need anything else. We basically got unwanted houseguest vibes. So all in all, a disappointing stop to curry mile. I hope the other restaurants are better. This wasn't worth the mileage on my sneakers.

I don't eat Indian food very often but when some friends suggested we go to Curry Mill in…read moreManchester and had a place in mind, I thought why not? I was pleasantly surprised. The food from start to finish was not only not crazy spicy or hot (unless you wanted it that way) but simply delicious. We ordered a variety of appetizers and entrees and each was super tasty and flavorful. Service was great, especially considering we were a table of 26 and a lot to deal with. There are scores of Indian restaurants to choose from on the Curry Mile, but I would definitely take family or friends here on my next visit to Manchester.

Namaste Nepal is located in the heart of West Didsbury and is run by the daughter of the owners of…read morethe Great Kathmandu restaurant. The Neon signs and safe interior are clearly not the reason locals and people further afield are drawn into the restaurant. It's the wonderful quality of the Nepalese cuisine and the friendly staff and ambiance. I always get very excited with Nepalese food, because the flavours, although similar to Indian, seem so much deeper as they mix sweet, spicy and unusual savoury ingredients particularly well. There are 2 dishes that I always have to order, without fail. The first is their famed starter, Momocha: steam-cooked dumpling filled with minced lamb and served with a spicy sauce; positively delectable. The second is Himalaya Chicken: boneless chicken in a cashew, fresh cream and mango sauce. Sounds simple but delivers a multitude of rich flavours to your tongue, I can't recommend it enough. The portions are large, the accompanying wine list has been well selected and it's likely to cost you less that £20 including 2 courses. Fantastic value.

Namaste Nepal on Burton Road is the ultimate neighborhood favorite in West Didsbury for brilliant,…read moreauthentic Nepalese food. The staff are exceptionally warm and welcoming, and the relaxed vibe makes it just incredible. The portions are ample enough to share or takeaway. Incredible flavors that pop in your mouth with every bite.

Best curry. I have been eating here for 15 plus years and the food is always great. Rice and three…read morecurries is perfect, with a rotating selection every day. Recommend to get there early as they close by 5pm most days (whenever the food runs out).

CASH ONLY. Yes, this place is THAT GOOD; Indian home cooking at its best . Nothing fancy. Except…read morethe tongue-dazzling flavors. Fareed is a super-nice guy who does it all...cooks and serves. He's been at it for 30 years and his culinary skills are exceptionally high for an astonishinglu low price. The curries rotate but don't worry, it's all excellent. I had a chicken curry, daal, and spinach with potatoes over rice. In the UK this is known as "rice and three." All for £7.50.

Excellent service and food. Quick serving, even the plate was warm. The chicken was juicy and the…read morelamb was cooked just right. Will definitely come again for other dishes.

When I first moved to Manchester this was the first Indian restaurant we stumbled across…read more Apart from the garish green lighting and glittery walls this a nice place. When you walk in you are asked to seat at a small coffee table bearing Bombay mix then ushered to.a table. The furniture is swish, with cream leather seats and sturdy tables. Opening a new looking menu it contained the same exciting variety as last time ;). For seafood lovers you can choose from lobster, salmon, sea bass and prawns. For veggies they offer standard veggie dishes to some special Himalayan ones..And for meat eaters the world is your Oyster! We ordered two pints of kingfisher and starters only, wanting to take our time. So two poppdums and daal soup later and we were happy ;) the dips accompanying the poppdums were well made , they consisted of generic mango chutney, lime pickle , raita and a curry sauce. The soup was of perfect consistency .. Potentially a dash more of lemon was required. Starters gone I then chose the curried seabass, rice and chappati. Himself selected the chicken curry. The sea bass was one of the most expensive dishes but when it arrived sizzling on a hotplate I was pleased. On the side it came with a gorgeous veggie curry sauce. The portions were massive unlike some places you go that offer no more than a sliver of fish. Even digesting this with red wine I waved the white flag at half way point. To end we were given segments of orange and the bill. Everything was reasonably.priced, well made and the service attentive. I had the feeling they were offended when we kept telling them we weren't ready to order the main but again we did it so we were not rushed. Honestly try this place I much prefer it to Akbar's

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow!!!!!…read more Have you ever eaten Tibetan food? If not, you really need to try it. This place has just opened up, literally, been open a week and the flavours are just spectacular. Started with Momos: little dumplings, full of either beef or vegetables. I went for the beef, delightful, light and puffy pastry, with a really juicy beefy filling. To accompany these, they have a chilli sauce, great flavour, not too hot, some garlic, maybe a hint of ginger, some sesame too? Gorgeous none-the-less. Then moving on to the main dishes. A sliced beef, green pepper & red onion stir fry and a tofu & mixed vegetable stir-fry. Both of these were brilliant. Juicy pieces of beef and no insipid tasteless tofu, there was really good flavour and a great blend of spice to make the dishes really interesting. I'd happily eat either again. Finally, the prices are spectacularly reasonable, especially for Chorlton. Two full meals and a couple of Momos for less than £15! I'd get in quick before they put them up, they are definitely undercharging at the moment for the quality and flavour, plus... everything is organic where possible, they use the best quality ingredients that they can source and cater for any special diets or allergies. They have a decent vegan offering and will cater for gluten-free by adjusting the recipe slightly. You can eat in or take out, but to eat in you'll want a warm coat or hope they fix the door that blows open a bit too easily!! Would thoroughly recommend this place, it's just brilliant, and the owners are really friendly and pleasant.

Wow, I eventually made it to the promised land of fine Tibetan food in Manchester and I wasn't let…read moredown one bit! After visiting the TK pop up van at food festivals a couple of times over the last year, I was super excited to hear these guys were setting up a proper bricks and mortar store in Chorlton. I was in town hitting a few pubs with friends and I had to make it the number 1 priority to get here at some stage of the evening. First off it's very casual, mainly a takeout but there was enough seating at the front for around 10 people if you want to eat while popping in for 20 minutes. The layout is of a food counter style and there are a number of exciting combos and thali's that you can order direct from the informative chef. I went for the thali which was absolutely fantastic, giving me a combination of most of the dishes they had on offer including pork, chicken and goat, loads of vege plus a Momo on the side. In fact I love Momo's so much that I actually ordered a separate plate which were amazing - every time I'm in town I may just pop in for some now. You can eat for £4 upwards and the Thali was around £6.50. What's refreshing about this place is that I was out for beers and that usually translates into me eating a dodgy burger or something equally unhealthy on a night out. With TK, it's really nice to be able to get a big plate of something that tastes amazing but comes with loads of greenery and you know is better for you than the usual casual food outlets. Tibetan Kitchen, I'll be back soon! ps - I'm keeping one star back for my next visit, as I want to try a few more dishes!