Hunter's BBQ

High St

 Pre and Post refurb, bottom picture July 2010

Another go.... Dec '09 - for previous trip/blurb see below

We were hoping for Hunter's to prove us wrong this time - it was better, but only just.  The rice wasn't right  - either dried out in the hot container or undercooked in the first place. Our best guess was dried out as it was the end of the batch and there wasn't the tell tale pool of additional moisture caused by undercooking - which at noon on a Monday makes one wonder when this batch was first cooked. Worrying!  In fairness the place was fine and the service was helpful and polite. The range of curries was impressive too, however the potions were not very large and the cuts of meat somewhat fatty. A highlight was the slightly odd kofta - which consisted of seekh kebabs in a curry sauce, a bit unconventional but tasty. The different daals got mixed reviews and the whole meal was rather unsatisfying. At £3.95 is it fair to quibble?  People spending £4.60 at This & That round the corner would probably argue yes.

Key Ingredients 13.0 (out of 20)
Other Food 6 (out of 10)
Service Setting 7 (out of 10)
Value for Money 3.5 (out of 5)
Range 5 (out of 5)
Average Rating 6.9 (out of 10)

Like This & That, Hunter’s BBQ is a bit of an institution, which makes it difficult to say anything negative about it without provoking reaction. Some people love it like an old spicy friend and take great offence at anything other than glowing praise and ‘best kept secret’ or ‘for those in the know’ type phrases being thrown around – well to those people, sorry, but in our experience the curries are pretty poor. To put this in context: we pick a day to review and get what we get on the day and judge on those merits. We do eventually revisist and review but not for a while and on our last visit the curries were bland and lukewarm and the rice was badly cooked. Enquiries about the game dishes and specials led to confusion and vague mumblings and we were given the usual stuff from the pots at the front – no problem there if it had been good. It was the usual stuff – chicken, keema, lamb, chickpeas etc. Just pretty poor examples of it – the chilli, coriander and ginger garnishes/seasonings available elsewhere may have helped a bit but they were not on offer. There wasn’t even any water freely available. On the plus side the location of this place is excellent, being situated at the main crossroads near the end of Thomas Street – so there’s plenty look at as you sit and eat and the chapattis are very good. People who are familiar with, and like, the place may well cite the kebabs or game curries or whatever – or that it opens late and is great after a few pints, which is all fair enough but we have to go on what we got the day we reviewed and it wasn’t good, perhaps a revisit will change our minds.  As a side point the kebabs are fine if not amazing – though there’s far less competition for decent kebabs in this part of town, which may help please Hunter’s late night crowd.

Key Ingredients 12.0 (out of 20)
Other Food 5.5 (out of 10)
Service Setting 5 (out of 10)
Value for Money 3.5 (out of 5)
Range 5 (out of 5)
Average Rating 6.2 (out of 10)