Served til it lasts, is one of those phrases we all want to read at a restaurant: no freezers, no microwaves, no nonsense.
Ring bell to get service? Not so keen on this one. But let’s start at the beginning with fat food critic wandering into what looks like a gazebo, or a shelter, or a nice wooden hut slap bang on the very fringe of Glasgow’s west end.
Hold on, that’s not the beginning: I was here a few days ago. Trying to find the damn place. Completely failed. It’s invisible. Or secret. Almost.
Anyway, today. Friday. The evening. I’m inside. Standing right in the middle of an all-wood room, cute it undoubtedly is, everything in fresh green planks, no glass in the windows, but heaters on the walls, high tables, high stools.
Suresh and Sons The Kitchen (Image: free)
I’m trying to figure out who works here and who are the customers. Turns out everybody right now is a customer. I learn this when one of them sends me back out the door with instructions to press bell for service.
A bell? Hmm. That’s cute, I think. And at first it is. I press the bell. A nice lady comes. I QR code on my phone (not so cute) to get the menu. I order.
Indian Street Food then: Vada Pav, Bedami Puri, Chole Kulche, Aloo Paratha and Aloo Kachori. Hang on. These prices? Wow. From £3.25 to the not-lofty heights of £6.50 a dish. Refreshing considering Indian street food elsewhere has recently become just another excuse for full fat charging.
The Aloo Paratha arrives quickly, blistered from the oven, four triangles still steaming, butter melting into rivulets, the inside thinly lined with mashed potatoes doused in a peppy garam masala. A little (paper) dish of raita too. This is definitely good.
Two large kulche now, these fried bread pillows delicious and piping hot, a pickled green chilli on the side, a bowl of a boldly spiced chickpea curry alongside too. While I’m dipping into this, and taking pieces of that I’m also biting chunks from a Vada Pav (£3.50). You know? Kinda spicy fritter roll? A soft Scottish breakfast roll in fact, encasing a big fat spiced dollop of lightly battered mashed potato. There’s something crumbly, sweet and very red sprinkled across the top. What is this, I’ll ask later? Dry Garlic Chutney? Tamarind Chutney? The serving lady doesn’t know, but says she’ll find out.
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Actually? She won’t or if she does she’ll forget to tell me. Because they’re busy now. A guy with his little dog in the corner, bit of yappity-yap going on. A family over there, the woman saying, (honestly): we’ll definitely be back. A couple of students across from me, sharing stuffed Gol Gappe balls. All looking like they have the culinary cultural background to know that this is pretty good food.
And there are more people coming in. Doing what I did. Walking right by. Double taking when they realise that’s a door. And life inside.
Me. Slugging from a tin of Thums Up (cola flavoured) at £2, and guessing it’s Indian, while reading what Mr Google says; oh – it’s actually owned by Coca-Cola.
That Bedami Puri and Aloo Sabzi is in front of me. Waiting. Everything is served on paper plates btw, a jar of disposable cutlery on every table.
Now, I’m eating the best dish so far. A simple potato curry, the sabzi, properly spiced, a thin almost runny consistency, good spuds used, (£5.50), while taking bites of the Bedami Puri, big puffs made with dal and spices, that dal also making a deep, dark stuffing that counter punches the light bread. I want more. And I’ve had a lot.
So, yes, this is really new and pretty great. But a word of warning. The bell thing? Outside? No use. I ordered five dishes, but was only brought four. I want to tell someone but wait so long for someone to appear that I just give up. They need to do better than this when the crowds come. Because they will.
Suresh and Sons The Kitchen (Image: free)
Menu: Indian street food with style – Vada Pav, Bedami Puri, Chole Kulche, Aloo Paratha and Aloo Kachori. 4/5
Atmosphere: It’s a kind of wooden building, with no glass in the windows, but still fresh and well lit and kinda cool. 4/5
Price: Right now these are bargain basement prices with dishes ranging from £3.50 to just £6.50. Great value. 5/5
Service: Nice people, friendly but the daft bell thing is a recipe for trouble when it starts to get busy. 3/5
Food: There’s a knock-out Aloo-Sabzi, simple potato curry but packed with flavour, fresh parathas, great puffed breads. 8/10
24/30
Suresh and Sons The Kitchen
108 Elderslie Street
Glasgow G3 7AR
Opening: Fri 5pm-10pm, Sat 12pm-10pm, Sun 12pm-10pm