Little Aladdin

High St

Most recent visit Jan ’10 – (see below for general blurb)
The short review is: same as before – but a bit better.  Again 5 curries available, again slightly tepid, again with a distinct stock (or something) aroma. However on the plus side, the meat was better quality and better cooked. The distinct flavour was subtler and came as a welcome change from more generic tasting curries. Like last time there were dark specs in the food – possibly indicating greater usage of pepper than other places. It was hard to tell exactly what or why but the food here is a bit different – both in look and taste. The rice was well cooked and properly flavoured and the chappati was crisp, fresh and steaming. As in some other places, diners can add chillies and coriander as they see fit too. Prices have been rising a bit lately so a straight £4 for a decent Rice & 3 was a pleasant surprise. Being small can be a slight advantage to less busy places - as they never seem empty. Every so often I could imagine Little Aladdin tempting us away from the longer queues and bustle of This & That or Yadgar - though it'd be more likely if the food were a fraction hotter.

Key Ingredients 14 (out of 20)
Other Food 8.5 (out of 10)
Service Setting 7.5 (out of 10)
Value for Money 4 (out of 5)
Range 3.5 (out of 5)
Average Rating 7.5 (out of 10)

This very small corner café was the previous site of ‘Green Chilli Café’. It’s quite nicely appointed, featuring a surprising amount of seating, a charcoal grill and extra cooking activities in the cellar.  The menu is slightly more extensive than some, with pizzas and kebabs in evidence. Five curries were available for the “rice & three” combination and they were OK. The negatives were the mixed vegetable was a little too cool, the lamb a tad fatty and the chicken over-boiled and beginning to disseminate into its fibres – this might sound disastrous but the food was, in general, tasty with a rich stock flavour coming from either the rice or curries or both. It was a bit too strong to tell the precise source – but Curry Café’s can be like this.  Wholesome enough stuff, and for £4, good value. There were chillis available to add to the meal, but no coriander. Little Aladdin is fine but not of the same calibre as the best of the others.

Key Ingredients 10.5 (out of 20)
Other Food 8.0 (out of 10)
Service Setting 7.5 (out of 10)
Value for Money 3.5 (out of 5)
Range 3.5 (out of 5)
Average Rating 6.6 (out of 10)