Temple Bar, Crane Court off Fleet Street

I'm inclined to call this the best English curry in London. I won't, though, because there are too many I have not visited. The purpose of this blog is to sample as many curry houses (and perhaps restaurants of other cuisines) as possible. Work's local curry shop. A very fine establishment. I am biased because I went or had takeaway from there at least once a week for about three years. The staff are capable, and friendly to a familiar face (and presumably to unfamiliar ones but it has been too long since I was one of them). Off-menu orders are fine. After a while, the poppadums disappear from the bill. There seems not a great deal to add to this, but I will expand on the usuals: Sundries

• Poppadoms are fine
• Lime pickle is good, sour and not too salty
• Chilli pickle varies. Sometimes excellent and vinegary, sometimes a little too oily. Overconsumption (not uncommon) can play havoc with the guts though
• Mint yoghurt good
• Salads always ignored, especially when they have been warmed by sharing a bag with takeaway

Starters with which I am familiar

• No interesting specials on the menu
• Mulligatawny soup is good
• Onion bhajis are OK, if unremarkable
• Tandoori stuff is good (see below) though the portions can very in size

Curries

• They are oily, but not like overly so. I would say it's about right, if you aren't on a diet
• The usuals are good. Madras and vindaloo are good too
• I am particularly fond of the dhansak
• The pathia is a lovely sweet and sour thing. One of my colleagues likes lamb pathia, which is Just Wrong, though.
• My favourite is the lamb rezala. Lamb tikka in a slightly dry sauce (made with coconut powder appparently), with fried onions and green peppers and chillies. It can be a bit over-oily

Tandoori

• Tikka is fine. Heavily spiced, coooked until it's just about to turn dry, which is exactly how I like it
• Tandoori chicken is good. Get the whole tandoori chicken to take away and make stock from the bones.
• Sheekh kebab is moist and spicy

Veggies

• Sag bhaji - spinach fried with a lot of garlic. Yum
• Excellent (if slightly oily) chana masala
• Splendid runny, garlicky tarka dall

Other

• They don't ruin the rice
• Naan is a bit heavy, but this is probably better for takeaway. Keema and peshwari naan are better as they are helped a bit by the extra density
• You could beat someone to death with the paratha but it's flaky and buttery as it should be
• Chapathis are good

Basically, if you like "English curry" you should give this place a go.