It is certainly the weather for a warming curry, and when it comes to Indian food there is nobody we trust more than the Oakham Curry Club, or OCC (who helped out our sister site Urban Family over Diwali). With the motto, "May your poppadoms be crispy, your sauces be tasty and your curry spicy," these curry enthusiasts visit one Indian restaurant a month.
The Shanghai branch, the third internationally following on from the original in Oakham, UK and a second in Hong Kong, was founded at the beginning of 2017. It is now 17 members strong, and they grade each restaurant anonymously over five categories – service, quality, customer care, atmosphere and value – with an average score worked out from that.
Without futher ado, over to OCC Vice-Chairman Andrew Cameron, who is ready to announce the 2017 Curry House of the Year, or CHOTY.
Kebabs on the Grille
We were greeted at the door by the owner, while the waiters were knowledgeable, helped with ordering and ensured everything went smoothly. The restaurant itself was busy and pleasantly decorated, and prices felt to be reasonable for the quality on offer. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, the food itself was fantastic.
With this in mind, the Shanghai branch of the Oakham Curry Club is very pleased to present the Curry House of the Year award for 2017 to Kebabs on the Grille at Cool Docks.
OCC score: 8.2
Dish to order: Any of their kebabs
Kebabs On The Grille (Zhongshan Nan Lu). 505 Zhongshan Nan Lu, by Fuxing Dong Lu 中山南路505号，近复兴东路
For more venues see thatsmags.com
In addition to the overall CHOTY, any restaurant that scored above seven out of 10 also received the official OCC mark of approval; a sticker to be displayed proudly on the front of the venue. We’d compare it to a Michelin star, but with only six in existence, they’re statistically much rarer. It is the OCC’s hope that these stickers will serve as beacons to guide Shanghai residents towards the best curry the city has to offer. Here they are, starting with our CHOTY runner-up.
Masala Desi
Located next to its sister restaurant and the similarly OCC-approved Masala Art on Dagu Lu (see below), Masala Desi specializes in Indian street food – but don’t let that fool you into thinking they skimp on quality. The restaurant offers a homelier feel than Masala Art which goes well with the food on offer, while members were also impressed by the attentiveness of the wait-staff.
OCC score: 7.7
Dish to order: Samosa chaat
Masala Desi. 401 Dagu Lu, by Shimen Yi Lu 大沽路401号近石门一路
Kaveen’s Kitchen
Customer care – the willingness for a restaurant to go the extra mile – is constantly on display at Kaveen’s. The owner Vic (Kaveen is his son) spends the evening flitting between tables, making sure his guests are well taken care of. More importantly, he’s also an amateur magician and is more than happy to dazzle guests with an array of genuinely impressive tricks. The food itself was decent if not spectacular, but in a city where taking care of the customers is often an after-thought, Kaveen’s stands head and shoulders above the competition.
OCC score: 7.6
Dish to order: Samosas
Kaveen's Kitchen. 2/F, 231 Huashan Lu, by Yan'an Xi lu 华山路231号2楼, 近延安西路
Lotus Land
Nestled away in Tianzifang, Lotus Land stretches out over a number of floors with some nice views over the laneways. Some tables even have barefoot seating on the floor if that’s your cup of chai. Whereas other places in Tianzifang are often short on quality, as the scores suggest, Lotus Land is anything but. Worth a visit.
OCC score: 7.4
Dish to order: Salmon masala – a nice twist on a classic
Lotus Land. Tianzifang, Lane 274, Taikang Lu, near Ruijin Lu 田子坊泰康路274弄， 近瑞金路
Vedas
Although somewhat lacking in spice, Vedas just does quality Indian food, simple as that. The décor is a nice touch as well, with an atmosphere that lends itself well to a nice date night. End the night on a high and order a dessert to share.
OCC score: 7.3
Dish to order: Galub jamun (sweet milk dumplings)
Vedas (Hongqiao). 2F, 3729 Hongmei Lu, by Yan'an Xi Lu 上海市长宁区虹梅路3729号2层，近延安西路
Vedas (Jingan), 3/F, 83 Changshu Lu, by Julu Lu 上海市静安区常熟路83号3楼, 近巨鹿路
Masala Art
The second restaurant visited by the Shanghai OCC, Masala Art is an institution in the Shanghai curry scene, with a number of locations around Shanghai. The OCC has only trialed the Dagu Lu venue, but were very impressed by the attentive service and the quality on offer. As always, if a place is going to put a dish in their name, order it.
OCC score: 7.2
Dish to order: Any masala dish
Masala Art. 397 Dagu Lu, by Chengdu Bei Lu 大沽路397号(近成都北路)
Other restaurants visited:
Nepali Kitchen (6.8), 819 Julu Lu, by Fumin Lu 巨鹿路819弄4号,近富民路
Tandoor (6.6), Jin Jiang Hotel, 59 Maoming Nan Lu, by Changle Lu 上海市黄浦区茂名南路59号锦江饭店, 近长乐路
Nanak (6.1), 179 Maotai Lu, LG1, Room 505, by Loushanguan Lu 茅台路179号金虹桥商场LG1505号
Bombay Bistro (5.9), Found 158, B/1, 158 Julu Lu, by Ruijin Yi Lu 巨鹿路158号B1楼, 近瑞金一路
Rangoli (5.4), Room 203, 2/F, 169 Jianguo Zhong Lu, by Ruijin Er Lu 建国中路169号1号楼203室，近瑞金二路
The Indian Curry Co. (4.0), 87 Jiashan Lu, by Yongkang Lu 嘉善路87号, 近永康路
For each of the 12 curry houses above, members paid in the vicinity of RMB250-350 a head. It should be pointed out that the OCC is of the firm belief that much like a pencil without lead, a curry without beer is pointless – and this often plays a large factor in the ultimate price. Less thirsty curry enthusiasts could expect to pay considerably less.
Finally, as we venture into 2018 and begin the hunt for a new CHOTY, we congratulate Kebabs on the Grille once again on their performance in 2017, and hope that other curry houses around Shanghai can learn from and build on their example to deliver enjoyable and authentic curry experiences to the people of this great city.
To find out more, follow the OCC on WeChat and keep up with their Shanghai adventures, your taste buds will thank you for it!
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of That's Shanghai.
For more Shanghai Bars and Restaurants Reviews, click "Read more" (阅读原文) below.