The curry scene in Manchester is a-changing. Whereas Rusholme, the neon-heavy, curry theme park sitting south of the city centre, waving its tempting, competitively-priced array of spicy fare in the direction of the student population and beyond, has had rumblings and mumblings of discontent, stemming from stories about hygiene and credit card problems, not to mention a perceived decline of general standards. It’s still a unique area, though, with buses, cars and taxis shuffling interminably through with futile persistence; the smell (oh, the smell) as you exit one of said vehicles vivid and unmistakable (it helps that hunger is always at a peak at such junctures). But, while the very centre of Mancunia used to be lumbered with dated, lacklustre curry venues (Gaylord; Rajdoot – still open, incidentally; Piccadilly Indian Restaurant, to name but a few), the restaurateurs began to sense that the locals wanted something a little different. And so the upmarket curry house in the city was born, started (in Manchester anyway) by Shimla Pinks, but perpetuated by Akbar’s (branching out across the Pennines) and EastZEast, and these new kids on the block have offered curry clientele a whole new range of options.
