It’s been the best part of two years since I’ve sat down in King Karai to enjoy a curry, and it’s fair to say it’s not changed a bit.
Walking in was like entering a friend’s place you haven’t been to for a while, or coming home to your parents house and finding that yes, the food really is still as good as your remembered.
Karai has a nice ambience to it, with booths running down booth sides giving you some privacy while dining.
My wife and I were joined by a friend and proceeded to discover that since we moved to London the portion sizes we’ve been getting down South are ridiculously stingy.
A mixed platter to share between us was monstrous but delicious, while the popadums are always flowing as freely as the Kingfisher.
I went for a King Karai for my main, the signature dish. It’s a tasty fusion of almonds and chicken but with a bit of a kick.
The wife went for her usual, a vegetarian thali which filled her to the brim but the flavours are fantastic.
A lamb Parai was my friend’s choice and he underestimated the heat he would feel from it, ending the meal in a sweat and our garlic naan also untouched due to the copious amounts of rice we consumed.
Some curry houses pile on the food to compensate for a lack of flavour and/or originality, not so at King Karai. Despite being a bit out of the way and not looking anything special from the outside it’s worth heading down to Ashton and checking out the King of Preston’s curry houses.
Rating
Food 4/5
Drink 3/5
Service 5/5
Atmosphere/decor 4/5
Value for money 4/5
Overall: 20/25
Need to book? We visited on a Saturday night and there were still a fair few tables free, but if you want to bag a booth it’s worth ringing in advance.
Phone/email/website/address: 01772 736 838, www.kingkarai.co.uk, 28-30 Watery Lane, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, Lancashire, UK PR2 2NN
Further reading
Former editor Joseph Stashko visited in June 2010 and was impressed