Karachi, Bradford

What can you say. I've been here many times and the quality of the food is just megatastic. Saturday in May at about 2130 and it was quite full but a mixed starter nearly filled us up before we got to the mains. I had a lamb and spinach karahi and partner had a keema korma. Both were full of taste and reeking of local knowledge and culture. The salad that accompanied the meal was brilliant. The yoghurty minty stuff, lovingly referred to as toothpaste by our children, was really creamy and tangy at the same time. Fantastic meal. £13 for two. Rick Stein has featured this place on TV and for good quality local ethnic curries it's the bee's knees. Make a special journey. Keema and mushroom is also one of my favourites. If you don't leave this place full up to the gills and with change from a tenner a person and perfectly sated you're a philistine.

Shame to see a single person smoking out of 100 in the resto but things will change

The Stables, Maustin Caravan Park

Very secluded and reeking of quality. The resto itself was rather nice. A glass or red wine was thrown on the table (Shit - I'll get another...) Hairy Prawns ( I presume the noodles were the hairy part...), Rib eye steak, asked rare and got rare. Partner had black pudding salad which was also rather tasty followed by thai chicken curry. The quality was good and the shiraz was a nice wine. Pity I was driving and couldn't go for a bottle rather than a glass.

Asked specifically for half the number of chips they were going to give me but no chips arrived at all until we prompted them and then they overcompensated for their forgetulness by supplying far too many chips. When will they learn. I'm not an american I'm a brit. If I ask for very few chips I only want a few chips. Quantity never beats quality.

Bill was nearly £100 for 4 people but maybe it was the drink that cost the money.

Al Turka, Dewsbury

Turkish. New. Nicely set out, benches, tables, clean tablecloths. There's a good feeling to this place. We turn up and sit down and after a little while olives and sesame seed bread arrive and menus are proffered. We choose various dishes and a beer or two and a bottle of turkish red wine. The wine arrives with an ice bucket. I was thinking of saying something but receive a hefty kick under the table and decide I'll not say anything.

Food arrives very slowly. Others in the party suspect the gentleman who walked in and asked for a substantial takeaway. He had a little child with him and the speed of his takeaway arriving allowed the child to fall asleep while waiting. Maybe all the chefs were cooking the takeaway. Our predominantly lamb based dishes arrive eventually.

(Aside) The waitress was quite nervous and seemed a bit lost...

Good job at the ordering stage that someone asked whether we needed to order chips and veg as if we'd not all we would have received was lamb dishes. The dishes were OK but there was no tang, no zip, no pazzazz - just well cooked lamb. Quite a lot of food but I was expecting a bit more flavour.

Turkish coffee was OK but plenty of dregs in it. £68 for 4. Not sure if I'd do it again. The most significant part of the night was the dreadfully slow service.

Zam Zam (The curry man), Upper Briggate, Leeds

The Zam Zam curry house is as splendid as any you would find lining the back streets of Bradford, though rather incongruous just a couple of doors away from the lavishly re-furbished Opera House in Leeds. Basic, no-frills, no nonsense, Formica-topped, plastic seated eating house class 3 (as it would be in Bombay, though the staff are more likely from Kashmir). Quick service soon brings a chicken Rogan Josh with pilau rice, two chapattis and a glass of mango juice. Well worth waiting for if you ever have to wait. Full flavoured, rich sauce and tastes, good balance of heat and spice, good texture, more than adequate portions.

Cost £14 for two. A snip for central Leeds.
Star rating (see below) ***

Let's start using a star rating as follows:
* Adequate
** Acceptably Pleasant
*** Good
**** Very good indeed and worth seeking out
***** Fabulous - hope I visit here again before God takes me.