As curry cafés go, Kabana is an interesting option for the vegetarian foodie such as myself. This place I call 'Kabana 2' as there is a sister Kabana curry café in the Northern Quarter. Cheetham Hill is a bit off the beaten path, but as an enthusiast for urban bricolage, I've discovered a fantastic meandering approach footpath from Rochdale Road through new and derelict industrial sites. (More of daytime route, folks!)
It's the familiar curry café scenario here with the menu of the day on a whiteboard and seating for 30 at canteen tables. Both Kabanas are gleamingly whitewashed and clean. This Kabana wins foodie points for big, juicy chunks of aubergine, tomato and potato in the daily special, and also the range of complimentary (free) garnishes - coriander leaf, fresh ginger, fresh chilli, roast cumin seed and a sweet digestive masala for afters. Fried rice was OK, and the chapati was a bit elastic - I would plan asking for a couple of chapatis cooked to order next time and skip the rice.The spicing of the curries was significantly hotter than I normally prefer, with the heat drowning the other flavours a bit. However, the heat wasn't a straight blast of chilli, and I identified whole black peppercorns, whole clove and green cardamon. Between the spicing and the way the veg was cooked, this is a more authentic curry café.
Whilst wider Cheetham Hill is not much of a conventional tourist destination, the vibe in Kabana is lively and up there with the best egalitarian venues. There seemed to be enough tables - but only just - when offices workers converged en masse at 1pm. But customer turnover is fast, so there should always be a seat for everyone.
Curry cafés are good for foodies, vegetarian or not, as their foucs is all on putting great value on the plate - no staging, no marketing. I recommend trying Kabana alongside other top places featured on my 'Curry Cafés of Manchester' list. read more