Anyone who has ever visited the Punjab, that culturally rich area straddling the North West area of India and eastern Pakistan, returns with the same enduring memory: the heady aroma of spices - cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cassia, mace - and, of course, that all-important spicy catch-all garam masala. I can remember once stepping into the kitchen of an Indian restaurant in Croydon, of all places, and, when the smell of spices hit me, I immediately flashbacked to the vivid streets of Mohali. In the Punjab, the aroma is everywhere, sometimes sweet, sometimes smoky, sometimes sticky - and it stays with you - it is this that foodies are searching for when they talk about authenticity in Indian cuisine.
Hasan's is new (it opened last December) and comes with good credentials, being closely linked to one of Leeds's best and most enduring Indian restaurants - and boasting a head chef from a Pakistani five star hotel. But Hasan's pitch is different from the traditional Indian - the modern interior, flat screen televisions and Bollywood glamour should entice Leeds's younger curry disciples - and if there's one type of cuisine that breeds customer loyalty it's a damn fine curry. It's a smart move by Hasan's and there's a smart space to enjoy too - elegantly lit, colourful without being garish and lively without being irritating.
So does the food live up to the location?
Starters of Grilled King Prawns (£5.50) were surprisingly light, delicately battered and full-flavoured and the spice-marinated and chargrilled lamb chops (£3.50) were a zingy delight. A nicely soft (not mushy!) Aloo Gobi side (£3.50) accompanied a fine, standard Chicken Masala (£7.90) but the star was a full-flavoured Lamb Nihari (£7.90). Prepared by marinating a lamb shank in intricate spices for 5-6 hours until the meat simply falls from the bone - here was that authentic Punjabi taste encompassed in a single dish. If you need one good reason to visit Hasan's, here it is.
Interesting too that the desserts were not, as is often the case in Indian restaurants, an afterthought. A Crème Cappuccino (£3.50) was hardly authentic but that didn't stop it satisfying my sweet tongue and a Banana Split (£3.95) was, well, sweet, creamy and a little bit over-indulgent! The Frankie & Benny's-style dessert menu did the dishes a slight disservice but, take heed; it's worth not overdoing the naan bread for once and to leave some space for a decent dessert.
With the rise-and-rise of the Indian super-restaurant dumbing down authenticity and, therefore, flavour to favour blander western palettes it's good to find a new Indian restaurant venture that caters for old-fashioned taste as well as new-fangled style.
The next time that unforgettable aroma of the Punjab tempts your senses, or if you're simply on the lookout for a fine, modern Indian restaurant, Hasan's can come warmly recommended.
(this review originally appeared in ISSUE 15 of 'On: Yorkshire Magazine) read more
