The Cat's Pyjamas that used to be on the Headrow was a favourite for my family for a while before the city centre branch closed down.
We knew there was another branch in Headingley that remained - but it was more difficult to get to from where we lived, so we have been without a favourite Indian restaurant for several years. Last weekend, we finally made it out to Headingley to visit the branch here.
We had a bit of a travel nightmare en route which meant we ended up not being able to make our original booking. I rang the Cat's Pyjamas to explain what had happened, and they were very accommodating, and were eventually able to squeeze us in when we managed to make it to Headingley.
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The restaurant on Otley Road is small and cosy, with colourful, vibrant décor and very friendly staff. There was a nice buzz about the place both inside the restaurant and echoing from outside on the street.
We ordered two bottles of the house red throughout the meal, and my dad and brother also sampled the Malabar beers. The drinks all came quickly and were tasty and uncomplicated - exactly what we wanted.
Alongside that, we ordered poppadoms and a chutney tray. The poppadom portions are generous and perfectly crispy.
We followed that up with a selection of starters - the Chicken 65, which are spicy deep-fried chicken sides; the fish amritsari, a fish deep-fried in a spiced batter; and the chicken seekh kebab, which consists of chicken marinated in several herbs and spices.
These all went down very well with the table. The deep-fried dishes were crispy and full of flavour - I particularly enjoyed the fish amritsari, which had a lovely cumin-heavy spice to it that wasn't like anything I'd had before.
For mains, between the five of us we sampled the Punjabi Lamb, Hyderabadi Lamb and Bombay Keema curry. We paired these with a mix of rice and garlic Naans.
These were all wonderful - completely different flavours but all spicy, distinct and memorable. My mum was a particular fan of her Bombay Keema, and pointed out the wealth of gluten free options available to her.
We languished over the meal, which was generous in portion, and ended up being the last ones in the restaurant because we were having such a lovely time. This is a great spot for a family dinner that I'd highly recommend if you're looking for great tasting food, wonderful service, and a relaxed atmosphere.
Bill breakdown
- Four pints of Malabar: £19.80
- Two poppadom bowls: £4.50
- Chutney tray: £2.50
- Two bottles of house red wine: £45.90
- Fish Amritsari: £6.95
- Chicken Seekh Kebab: £5.95
- Chicken 65: £5.75
- Bombay Keema curry: £9.95
- Two Hydrabadi lamb curries: £23.90
- Two Punjabi lamb curries: £23.90
- Pilau rice: £2.95
- Steamed rice: £2.75
- Three garlic naans: £9.75
Total: £164.55
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