Our For Dinner At Gurkha Dine In Pye Bridge Near Alfreton
Published On Sunday 13 Oct 2024 by Sticky Beak
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I love a surprise, especially one that involves me not cooking. The Man Bird had spotted what I’d got out for dinner and clearly wasn’t feeling it, as he piped up “Shall we nip down to Gurkha Dine at Pye Bridge for their Wednesday night special?”. That idea was more than fine by me, though I wasn’t too sure about walking down in the pouring rain! In a flash, His Nibs and I had gone to get changed out of our lounge-wear, and got in the trusty jalopy for the short journey of about 1.5 miles.
Despite some rather ‘creative’ parking from a Landie owner, we managed to grab a spot in the onsite carpark; if you struggle to find a space, there are also plenty on the main road. In complete contrast to the horrible weather outside, the greeting we got was lovely and warm, and we were shown to a booth table. There were plenty of other diners eating already, no surprise as we do like a bargain in this area.
Décor-wise, things have remained unchanged since our previous visit here under previous owners; not that this is a bad thing because there was nothing wrong with the set-up before. As they say: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The pale blue banquette booths, dark grey free-standing chairs and double-cloth laid tables were still all present (white cloth overlaid with a deep red one), and there were fresh flower arrangements and tealights on each table.
The Man had spotted that Cobra beer was on draught, so he ordered a pint of that, and I opted for a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Originally, we were going to have a cheeky Poppadom – it is pretty much the law, after all, in an Indian/Nepalese – but, after a bit of discussion, decided against it as we were getting a starter, main, side and rice/Naan in the deal. I have to say, it was refreshing to not have tea/coffee or ice cream as one of the courses.
So, to kick things off, I fancied the Chicken Momo (dumplings); I’ve had these before elsewhere, so I knew that you need to allow extra time for the Momo to be steamed. It only takes about 10 minutes, but it’s nice to be informed about the longer wait you’ll have if you order these. The Man Bird chose the Choila: Marinated Lamb cooked with Fenugreek.
When our server brought the starters out, we took a moment to appreciate the care that had clearly gone into the presentation. My five Momo had each been precisely placed next to their neighbour, then a colourful side salad and fresh Lemon wedge arranged to the side. The final element was a jewel-toned, spicy dip that was housed in a separate, black pot. The piping hot, pillow-soft dumpling outers hid a filling of minced, seasoned Chicken that had me smiling with happiness as the flavours bounced over my palate.
Pieces of succulent Lamb formed the mainstay of His Nibs’ starter, partnered again by crisp, cool Salad. The meat was beautifully spiced to impart a gentle heat and the curiously sweet Fenugreek complimented the earthy Lamb perfectly. If The Man Bird had accepted the offer of Mint sauce to go with the Choila, it would’ve lifted things wonderfully in the mouth – although the meal was perfect as was, in His Nibs’ opinion.
Check-backs had been done to ascertain our happiness with the dishes, the evidence of which was a pair of clean plates that winged their way back to the kitchen. Returning to our table, our server asked if we’d like a couple of minutes before Chef began to cook our mains: a nice touch, I thought. Another nice touch was the platter of Garlic Chilli Chicken (one of Gurkha Dine’s signature starters) that was brought out for us to enjoy whilst we awaited our main course delights. The Chicken breast had been cut into small pieces and coated in a lusciously sticky glaze that had intensified in flavour during cooking to become a real fiery minx. The garnish of fresh Coriander and more cool salad helped mitigate any lip tingle that thought about creeping in.
As a nod to the Gurkha name, we both ordered Nepalese Curries: Gurkhali Lamb with Onion, Peppers and Green Chilli for His Maj, on-the-bone Goat Curry that was spiced with Cardamon, Cinnamon, Ginger, Garlic and Chillies for me. To go with the curries, we ordered Bhindi Bhaji (Okra and Peppers) and Chana Masala (spiced Chickpeas) as sides, and Garlic Rice and Garlic Naan to share between us.
Chef is clearly a feeder as all the dishes were a generous size; fine by us, we thought, as we got stuck in with our usual gusto! Instead of the Goat meat being shank-style, it had been cut into smaller, bite-size pieces; not to panic though, the bone was still clearly discernible and easy to cut away from the tender meat. If a curry could be described as a comfort food, this would be it; the goat was incredibly soft and flavoursome, and its thick sauce was gorgeously sweet and fragrant thanks to Cinnamon and Cardamon. The fluffy grains of the roasted-garlic and Spring Onion-pimped rice added another delicious layer of taste to the meals.
His Nibs’ Gurkhali Lamb was in a lighter sauce than my curry, but it certainly wasn’t lighter in terms of its flavour profile; complex and multi-layered, the sauce paired excellently with the super-tender meat and its sweet-yet-earthy taste. As with my dish, there was certainly no lack of meat to satisfy the appetite. Another dish that quells even the keenest hunger was the protein-rich Chana Masala; the Chickpeas were still nicely firm (nothing worse than mushy stuff) and had been skilfully seasoned by Chef and his kitchen team.
I had had to utilise my persuasive powers in order for The Man to order the Bhindi Bhaji; although he is undoubtedly getting braver in his eating habits, the thought of an unfamiliar green vegetable passing his lips had him flapping like, well, the [Man] Bird that he is! In the event, he agreed that the Okra was a brilliant vessel that the spices soaked into, and that their inherent taste was pretty neutral and inoffensive.
Any remaining sauce from the curries was scooped up with the butter-glossed slices of Garlic Naan, the liberally present spice (though Garlic is botanically a vegetable!) bringing even more oomph to the flavour party. From the first mouthful to the last, this had been an absolutely wonderful meal and we said as much when our server took away the multitude of empty plates and bowls.
Hot Wings are happily awarded to this Pye Bridge restaurant! This 4-course offer is available every Wednesday and Sunday between 4-10pm; even better, the only exception are the King Prawn dishes. To book a table ring 01773 475944. You can visit the Facebook Page ‘Ghurka Dine’ for more information and for the opening times.
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