PUBLISHED March 16th, 2014 05:23 am | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:31 pm
What do lads want after a few beers on the town…a curry and another pint! What better then, than finding a reasonably priced British-style curryhouse in the heart of Clarke Quay from the folks behind Bar Bar Black Sheep, serving the classic male trio of curry, beer and sports.
Despite the limits of the location, Pint & Curries makes the most of its space with small tables in front, an open kitchen where everything is made freshly and long shelves showcasing their range of craft beers and ciders including Brewdog Punk IPA, Wyldwood Cider and the even more obscure Redor Pils, which are great value at $9.90 before 8pm and $11.90 afterwards.
Regulars of Bar Bar Black Sheep will find the menu reassuringly familiar with firm favourites such as the silky smooth Butter Chicken ($12), stacks of steaming Garlic Naan ($3.50) and the stellar Palak Paneer ($9) which was rich, but less creamy than the usual incarnation of this dish, opting instead for a decisively savoury tone, and dense chewy chunks of cheese, which we all voted to be the dish of the night.
There were a few misses along with the hits. They have kept Bar Bar’s ‘no service charge’ policy, but since we waited for almost an hour to get our food (with fewer than 10 tables, half of which were empty) incentivizing the staff wouldn’t be their worst plan.
The Chicken 65 ($9) is a new item unique to Pint & Curries, offering snack size chicken bites in a spicy coating which sounds like the dream beer snack but turned out to be rather disappointing. The chicken was not great quality and the coating managed to be neither very spicy-hot, nor very spicy-interesting, with the kind of artificial flavour associated with cheap crisps. Not all chicken dishes are created equal however, and the
Chicken Malai Kebab ($14) restored my faith with big blushing chunks of chicken breast marinated in yoghurt and herbs which was light and fragrant, and provided a nice counterpoint to the heavier Indian flavours on offer.
Speaking of heavy Indian flavours, the chef has harnessed some of his favourite childhood food memories to create Pint & Curries’ signature dish: Lamb Chop Masala ($14). Perfectly slow cooked, the lamb fell off the bone in lovely meaty swathes, like a glacier breaking off and tumbling into the sea. It was too fatty and the sauce too overpowering for my personal taste, but bolder palates would appreciate the tender lamb with gelatinous seams of fat surrounding the chop and resonating with all the flavours from the dark tamarind, tomato and onion gravy. Be warned, a single portion includes 4 chops, so we recommend sharing with friends alongside some of the lighter options!
In short, Pint & Curries does exactly what it says on the tin: great beer, good value food, no fuss. Some of the menu items are exceptional, some not so much, but choose well and you will leave full, happy, and with enough spare change for the taxi home.
Top tip: Got the humpday blues? Head down to Pint & curries on a Wednesday to pick up a curry and a Kronenbourg 1664 for just $19.90.
Read more at D’Bell – North Indian food with a little luxe and Cook & Brew: Matching Beer with Comfort Food