Kabana (Cheetham Hill)

Cheetham Hill Rd

Trip 1 - Rice & 3

This establishment is related to the Kabana in the Northern  Quarter – it looks similar, with similar layout, food and way of doing things. This place seems to have everything you’d want in a curry café, daily changing curries and a good looking grill selection - £3 chicken kebabs looking good value.  However the curries are some of the most expensive we’ve come across - £5.80 with rice, plus another 60p for a chapatti, which is pushing it for a lunchtime venue. Perhaps that’s why everyone else was having kebabs. But the curries were definitely up to scratch and good portions were given. The chapattis were good and it was heartening to see the little extras there too – chillies, ginger, coriander etc to be added as we saw fit.  The whole place has a different feel to the more vibrant and bustling Northern Quarter area, but no surprise there. Not quite as much fun as town and pretty pricey, but the food was good.  And there’s an added bonus of how close you can park (for free) - if things like that matter to you. Midday Monday is hardly the best time to visit anywhere, perhaps the atmosphere is better at other times – unfortunately the prices won't be. It might seem churlish to complain about such low prices but we have to compare like with like. This & That charges £5 for 'Rice and Three' with a chapatti which makes Kabana a bit dear by comparison.
Key Ingredients 16.5 (out of 20)
Other Food 7.0 (out of 10)
Service Setting 7.0 (out of 10)
Value for Money 3.0 (out of 5)
Range 4.0 (out of 5)
Average Rating 7.5 (out of 10)

Most recent trip 22/03/10 - Kebab

This establishment seems to qualify as both a kebab house and a curry cafe. Many of the people eating here on this visit were having kebabs, much more than is normally the case at curry cafes. It is related to the Kabana in the Northern Quarter. The guys in charge at both places look rather alike - and are in fact brothers. The kebabs initially looked reasonable at £3.70 - however this advertised price was without bread - so £4.50 with naan was pretty expensive. The kebabs were alright, but not up to the high standard of some of the places in Rusholme - or Lahore Karahi across the street. The salad and sauces were fine but not remarkable. The chicken was tasty with a nice marinade and the chapatti was good. However, the naan was pretty poor - not very warm, doughy and a bit lifeless. This is a pretty lively place, but the expense and the kebab quality mean that it is not up there with the best - it's certainly the busiest on this stretch so they're clearly doing something right.  One final point is that they seem to cook chicken kebabs on spec - so there's a good chance of very fast service, however it's only two at a time, there were three of us on this trip. The third diner got pre-cooked meat from a foil tray in the warmer. It wasn't bad and had probably been cooked not long before, but even so, this isn't ideal. On the other hand - the two who ordered first got fresh kebabs in double quick time.
Scores out of 10
Meat 8.0
Bread 6.0
Salad/Sauces 7.0
Service/Setting 7.0
Average 7.0

Kabana

Back Turner St.

Outside, Grill stuff - ready to go, specials board, portion of Karahi Gosht on the bone and chapattis.

17/06/10
Cracking rice & 3 with the keema potatoes standing out as both tasty and different. £2.80 for 3 seekhs on a chapatti was an excellent alternative as something a bit smaller and cheaper. It was ready quickly as the seekhs were microwaved - this wasn't greatly detrimental and the chapatti was fresh.


23/03/2010
Kabana serves tasty curry dishes at reasonable prices. The standard 'rice & 3 curries' deal is £5 no matter what you have, and this is reduced to £4.60 if you have a chapatti instead of rice. There is a decent range of curries available, and these are clearly displayed on a whiteboard. The sauces are subtly flavoured and the meat is of a decent quality. The service is swift and the large dining area is basic and definitely adequate for this type of place. The pricing policy is less confusing than many other curry cafes, which helps matters when choosing between dishes and different types of food. The last visit was very good, with all the curries dishes being up to scratch.


28/02/10 - Being a Sunday Nihari is the only way to go - well OK with chops too.  The Nihari was excellent actually - really well spiced, but without destroying the flavour of the meat, one of the best I've ever had.  The extras on offer were ginger, chillies and lemon.  The guy behind the counter said I was a brave man going for the Nihari - I didn't know what he meant until I tasted it, the hottest I'd ever encountered and I'd already added plenty of chillies, assuming it to be mild (as normal).  So, there was plenty of heat, but this didn't detract from the taste.  It was all part of it.  Chapattis seemed the only proper accompaniment and I duly scoffed a couple down with it, whilst doing the bulk their washing up for them.  We had the Nihari whilst the chops were on the grill and when they arrived they were large, juicy and really tasty - again with plenty of heat in the marinade, but also an excellent flavour. No complaints. Prices: £4.50 for pretty small bowl of Nihari was perhaps a little high - though it's not much for a good Sunday lunch, which it was. 60p for chapattis and £3.90 for four chops was fine. A recommended experience, though I'll probably check some of the other places' Sunday offerings before returning.


Key Ingredients 17.0 (out of 20)
Other Food 7.5 (out of 10)
Service Setting 8.5 (out of 10)
Value for Money 3.5 (out of 5)
Range 4.0 (out of 5)
Average Rating 8.1 (out of 10)