The Wee Curry Shop

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• What are these?

• Average price 2 courses:
   £11 (lunch)
   £11 (evening meal)
• House wine: £10.50 per bottle
• BYOB: £2.50/£4.50 (sparkling) corkage

• Hitlisted
• High point: Memorable dining experience
• Low point: Slightly cramped
• Food served: Mon-Thu noon-2pm, 5.30-10pm; Fri/Sat noon-2pm, 5.30-10.30pm; Sun 5.30-10pm
• Open since: 1996
• Also offers: Vegetarian options (at least 25% of menu), Childrens portions, Childrens high chairs, Take away

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

The aptly named Wee Curry Shop, the city centre flagship, offers a memorable dining experience. The aroma from the open-plan kitchen, coupled with the compact dining space, gives the feeling of comfort and familiarity. Service certifies the winning formula, as waiters chat and then recommend dishes, as if old friends. The menu is brief but incorporates a good vegetarian choice, while all curries are prepared to order. Aubergine fritters make a refreshingly light first course, with pieces coated in a thin and spicy batter. A more substantial starter of chana mushroom poori arrives with a crispy yet fluffy pancake, loaded with firm chickpeas, spicy mushrooms and a rich sauce flavoured with fenugreek. Main courses are plentiful. Chilli garlic chicken comes in a thick sauce, with an abundance of garlic pickle to add a slight sweetness, which manages to cut through the heat of fresh chopped chillies. The West End outlet on Ashton Lane delivers a similarly winning formula (with increased dining space that's a bit more formal and at a slightly higher ticket price). Green chilli and ginger fish pakora burst with flavour, while lamb achari uses tamarind, mango chutney and a variety of mixed pickle to give a rich and tangy sauce with a slight flavour of aniseed. Lunch here offers something different from the norm with a tapas-style menu.