Jinnah, 19 Cheltenham Crescent

Harrogate’s newest addition to the curry scene, this restaurant is one of a chain operating throughout Yorkshire. It is unusual in that it is situated in a converted stone chapel, which was part of a Wesleyan school and is now a listed building. The interior is pleasantly different, being cavernous with its high chapel ceiling with two large hanging lights. The seating is either in the main well or along the slightly raised (just a few steps) area around the edge. The main restaurant is no smoking with a few tables in a small alcove at one side for smokers. A bar and two lounges for those taking coffee or awaiting take-aways is at one end. The whole lot is pleasantly decorated in a mix of terracotta and green colours, with brown and beige chairs, green imitation marble easy-wipe tabletops, wall lights and plates and cutlery (yes, even the knives and forks) with the name of the restaurant engraved. The waiters are smartly dressed in dish-dash suits and the whole place imparts the look of quality. Saturday night and it was packed, which is just as well as it would be like eating in a barn if it were empty.

The menu lists most of the favourites – albeit some under different names – and a few others. However, I felt the menu was almost ‘too clever by half’ in some descriptions, which ended up being meaningless. For example, Fauladi was described as ‘fairly hot – marinated in aphrodisiac’ (what does that mean?), while Afghani Chicken was described as ‘a classical Afghanistan dish…..which considering the expense – it’s normally cooked for royalty’ (again, a sentence without meaning). And too many dishes were described as ‘amazing’!!

The wording of the menu aside, it offered a reasonable number of intriguing dishes, although starters were all the familiar names. The onion bhajias were two large flat patties like hamburgers in shape (they could have been put in a bun and called a bhaji burger) and were OK, but no more. They were pleasantly spiced and the edges were nicely crisp but the middles were a little solid and stodgy.  They came with a small salad garnish and interesting, spicy pink riata.

My main dish of Pepper, Garlic & Chilli Chicken was good. In a thick, tomatoey sauce it had a pleasant, underlying spicy hotness which percolated through with eating rather and an immediate assault on the tongue. My wife’s Chicken Tikka, however, was disappointing. Unusually it was in slices rather than chunks, and although I assume it had been cooked with charcoal they looked very much as though it had been fried. (Interestingly they don’t do tandoori chicken, so perhaps it had!). It had very little of the usual spicy marinade or taste associated with the high street style of tandoori chicken, and had the dryish texture which comes from re-cooking pre-cooked meat.  However, the Vegetable Bhaji was good, and had an excellent selection of vegetables – okra, aubergine, courgette, peppers, cauliflower etc. Peshwari Nan also good being light and well filled.

I’m unconvinced about the table reservation system (aren’t I always!). I had booked but when we arrived the waiter didn’t check any list of reservations but cast an eye around hopefully for a vacant table. Luckily there was just one free, to which we were taken. But it hadn’t got a reserved sign on it. The only reservations are the ones I have about whether there is a reliable booking system! However, once seated the service was friendly and efficient, although I’m not sure about the ‘helpful and knowledgeable waiters’ which I saw described in a local advert. I asked three questions of our waiter as follows – “what does cooked in aphrodisiac mean?” (he smiled and replied ‘cooked in something warm’!!) ; Is the Chicken Cafriel the Goan dish of Cafreal (he didn’t know but said it was ‘ordinary chicken curry cooked with coconut’) and lastly, was the Panch Rangia (described as a Hydrabad speciality cooked in tantalizing mixed pickles) the same as Achar Gosht (he didn’t know). Well, so much for knowledgeable, but he was very friendly and pleasant.

All in all a pleasant meal (except the chicken tikka) in comfortable and unusual surroundings which lend an air of extravagance to which the food, whilst enjoyable, doesn’t quite live up to.

Malcolm Wilkins - January 2004