Bollywood Dhaba

During a bit of a spending spree in the January sales, I was in need of a quick lunch. I did a bit of a double-​take at the flamboyant signage at the place which used to be Ethnic Bites, but the Indian man and lady there are the same as before and reassured me that only the name has changed. The artwork is really nice (see photo) and now they are called Bollywood Dhaba. A dhaba is a roadside café serving hearty, inexpensive, homemade meals.
I can’t claim to have visited India, but given the choice between a dhaba and my experience of overpriced rubbish food at motorway service stations in the ‘developed’ west, I know what I’m having!
Prices are still rock-​bottom — I paid just £3.60 for half portions each of potato & aubergine sabzi and pakora curry over basmati rice. Half the curries are vegetarian and for a market stall the choice is quite extensive, maybe eight vegetarian options with another eight non-​vegetarian. Portions are ample. At this price point, it was nice to see a good ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ ratio of aubergine to potato in that curry, and also you need to check out the pakora curry which is plain pakora in a silky, spiced sauce, maybe some yoghurt or buttermilk in there (not sure)?
I’m tipping my hat to Arndale Market for giving us authentic mom & pop ethnic food places such as Bollywood Dhaba in Manchester’s main shopping district. I’m reading references to Pancho’s Burritos in the national press as a budget food highlight of Manchester. OK, so Mexican food is more novel to the UK, but let’s not get so blasé about Indian as to forget the value of a freshly-​made curry for £3.60!

Ethnic Bites is a rubbish name for an Indian restaurant. Even for a small Indian fast food café.
We’ve established that the name bites, so it’s a good job the curries make up for it. They usually have about 12 different curries on offer — 6 veggie and 6 meaty. I usually have the chana masala. When I brought my sister here she opted for the vegetable korma. The friendly woman behind the counter made sure that she was aware that this was a very mild dish and recommended that she would mix something else with it. Basically, you can choose a few different curries and they’ll whack them all in your polystyrene dish for you with a whopping helping of rice. You then get to help yourself to a variety of salads and sauces. Well, as many as you can balance on top of your curry. I even went back for more salad and they didn’t seem to mind.
At £3.30 for a massive dish of rice, a couple of different curries and a salad, this is a truly bargainous place for lunch. Of course it’s not as good as proper restaurant curry but for it’s tasty, filling and cheap, so get yourself down to the Arndale Market.