Situated in a small parade of shops in the residential area of Cliff Woods, near the village of Cliff, Kent, it first opened in 1998 as the Bolaka (when it had a Nepalese chef and offered some Nepalese dishes). However, it changed hands and name in about October 2002 and is now run by the same people who run Kohinoor in Istead Rise, near Gravesend.  The shoppers car park in front provides plenty of parking space for customers, although being tucked away from the main road it must rely on locals or regulars for business as it cannot get any passing trade.  

A small ordinary-looking restaurant with seven tables (28 seats) in a small, square dining area - presumably the same size as the adjoining shops - offering a standard level of comfort and decor and a standard menu.

My recollection of my first visit when it was the Bolanka was that the food was good, and I sampled some interesting Nepalese dishes. On my next visit in 2003 the menu had changed to the standard listings and I was prepared to be disappointed. However, my fears were unfounded and although without the different dishes of its predecessor, the food was good, and I gave it a good report for all dishes. I had this view was confirmed, when the following year the chef - Mohammad Luthfur Rahman - went on to win the 2004 Medway Curry Chef competition.

With that background I revisited this time in the opposite frame of mind. Instead of being prepared for disappointment I went prepared for a good meal. Unfortunately, like last time, my expectations were not fulfilled.

The dishes were not only all below the good standard of my previous visit, but below the standard found in the average high street curry house. All were in a tired, dark brown sauce, which tasted very similar. In fact, the Dal Samba (a dark-brown slightly oily porridge-like sludge of indeterminate content) tasted virtually the same as the Dry Mixed Vegetable, which was another dark brown slightly oily porridge-like sludge of indeterminate content (and certainly not a dry dish). Aloo Gobi did have pieces of potato and cauliflower, but in the same dark brown gravy. My Chicken Tikka Pathia did have the bite of chilli, and a discernible sweetness in the taste, but the sauce in which it was served had the same appearance as the others..

I was told that the chef who won the competition was still there (his success features on the menu, and the press cuttings of his win are in the window), but the food said otherwise, and I simply cannot believe he was there that night. This was not food prepared by the same chef as last time, or who won the Medway Curry Chef competition (when I was one of the judges). In fact, I would be a little surprised if he was still there, as I would have thought such an award-winning chef could have moved on from a small, unprepossessing restaurant in a rural backwater to better things, although I might be misjudging them.

Prices and portions about average  (I reported last time that although good, portions of the side dishes were a little less than average), and several waiters provided good service for such a small establishment. However, last time my report said that despite its size and location I was pleasantly surprised and would have no hesitation in returning, but I am afraid that this visit has given me no inclination to return.

Malcolm Wilkins - August 2007