Great article. I have been grappling with my experiences of the Balti Triangle (Birmingham) in recent years - have had some pretty uninspiring food there including in some of the really big names of the area. I can’t figure out if the food isn’t what it was, or if tastes / pallets have changed. I certainly feel that in Sparkbrook particularly they compete on price first, and quality second, with predictable results.
Either way, pre-COVID the best curry houses in and around Birmingham were doing a fantastic trade and in my experience were attracting a wide range of customers (not just the “lads on the lash” crowds of decades past). I hope they can bounce back. Like so much of hospitality the are utterly dependent on wider social activity; it will be a long road.
Great article. I have been grappling with my experiences of the Balti Triangle (Birmingham) in recent years - have had some pretty uninspiring food there including in some of the really big names of the area. I can’t figure out if the food isn’t what it was, or if tastes / pallets have changed. I certainly feel that in Sparkbrook particularly they compete on price first, and quality second, with predictable results.
Either way, pre-COVID the best curry houses in and around Birmingham were doing a fantastic trade and in my experience were attracting a wide range of customers (not just the “lads on the lash” crowds of decades past). I hope they can bounce back. Like so much of hospitality the are utterly dependent on wider social activity; it will be a long road.
Excellent work on the politics of national dishes
Very interesting article. Did curry houses in other Western countries originate in the same way?
Brilliant writing--thank you!