Restaurant review: Curry Express, Larnaca

The short, sharp lockdown over Easter put a dampener on any plans to go out and do something interesting. With our ability to leave the house at the mercy of an approved text message, the one permitted outing a day became something precious. Naturally, I used mine on one of the days to go and pick up a take away!

With my partner and I being fans of Indian food, we were thrilled to discover somewhere new to us. Curry Express is a self-proclaimed ‘British Indian’ restaurant. I had not been there before so I went online and found their website. I loved that they have included a section about the history of British-Indian food.

Looking at the menu, it seemed concise and yet includes all the favourites from the mild and creamy Korma to the super-hot Vindaloo! I didn’t feel like there was anything missing or something I had hoped for but wasn’t available. They’ve even managed to squeeze in some wraps if you want to grab something on the go!

What did stand out though was how reasonable the prices are. Especially the starters. Three onion bhaji’s for only €3? Sold! Feeling a bit over excited at the prices, I also added a serving of garlic king prawns. You can’t go wrong with anything that’s cooked in garlic butter!

For main, I ordered Tikka Masala and my partner, who loves hot and spicy, went for the Vindaloo. The website informs customers that the dishes are made with the western palate in mind and are not too spicy, which is good for people like me but my partner had to ask for it to be extremely hot. I sometimes wonder if it is a ploy so that I don’t eat any of her food! We added a side of plain basmati rice, a garlic naan and my standard pashwari naan as I enjoy something a little sweet after my food.

Message sent and armed with a thermal bag in an attempt to keep the food warm on the journey home off I went to pick it up. Curry Express is located on Makariou, not too far from the port round about so it isn’t somewhere you would just happen upon if you were walking around the centre of town looking for a bite to eat.

Walking in to the restaurant, you’d think it had literally just opened. It was spotless! One of the cleanest restaurants I have ever seen. The kitchen is all open plan and you can see the staff cooking the meals from scratch. Also on display is the clay oven used to make the naan bread and tandoori dishes. I was very impressed and was already thinking about ordering a tandoori dish next time! I had to wait a couple of minutes for my food which really wasn’t a problem because I was enjoying taking in all the aromas.

Luckily, the food was still at a good temperature when I got home. No time wasted, the plates and cutlery had already been laid out in preparation for my return. I took the lid off and my partner took in a deep breath as she was also taking in the aromatic spices that just burst out of the container. After having seen that clay oven my first instinct was to get myself a piece of garlic naan! It was warm, fluffy and packed with flavour. My tikka masala was cooked to perfection, the flavours blended so well together, extremely tender pieces of meat and a creamy texture. I could tell from the ‘mmmm’ coming from across the table that my partner was also more than happy with her food. She could have handled it a little spicier but there were no complaints.

After finishing my meal I left it a little while to enjoy the flavours before trying the pashwari naan. I’ve been a little disappointed with my pashwari at other Indian restaurants but being cooked in an authentic clay oven already gave this one a head start. There was just the right amount of plump raisins stuffed in to the naan to not make it too sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Without a doubt, I will definitely be ordering from Curry Express again. Five-star flavour at low prices. You can’t argue with that!

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALTY Indian

WHERE Curry Express, Archbishop Makarios III, Scala Court 69, Larnaca

WHEN Daily 12pm-11pm

HOW MUCH Starts €3, mains from €7.50

CONTACT 7777 1771, curryexpress.com.cy