Finding nirvana at Amera Rani in South Croydon

BY PALOMA LACY

The last few years have found me searching for the culinary experiences of my youth and at the top of that list is a decent local curry house.

Recently, I finally discovered nirvana. We all know the kind of place – a short schlep from home, cosy, inviting, perhaps even a little on the warm side.

You enter to be greeted with a welcoming smile, trinkling music playing softly in the background.

Amera Rani in South Croydon is such a place. Owner Abdul appeared to know most of his customers by name, which was a good start.

Repeat business always makes the new customer rest easy for what lies ahead.

The food was either excellent or the packed house on a Wednesday night was a surprised as I was to find a three course banqueting menu on offer at just £10.95.

You can even add lobster for a little under a fiver.

The restaurant specialises in South Indian cuisine, taking inspiration from the dabbas – road-side food stalls – that line India’s streets.

We began with poppadoms – nothing unusual here but the array of accompaniments it came with was on another level – home-made pudina chutney, with its fresh flavours, alongside onion salad, raita and mango chutney.

The banqueting menu – starter, main, side and dessert, very nearly drew us in but with a view to trying as many dishes as possible, a thali seemed the best option.

Warning: there’s not a chance you’ll finish this 10-dish collection.

It’s the perfect sharer for a couple, with a few starters added. I’ll suggest this when I take my husband back but I know what the answer will be: “No.”

The thali looks impressive, which brings out the territorial in people.

My friend was quick to point out that we should stick to our own dish, given the pandemic.

Probably sensible but I know what she was really saying: “No sharing here.”

I’m never really very sure about quite how to best eat a thali but plumped for the tried and tested method of adding the surrounding dishes to the central pile of rice as go, breaking off pieces of naan bread and dipping as I go.

The curries were particularly good – Ghatti Lamb – slow-cooked to a soft and juicy finish and Chicken Malabar, which came with Tara Pallak (spinach), Dum Ka Ghobi Matar (cauliflower), Chana Masala, Raita, and a basket of freshly cooked naan that I wasn’t sure whether to eat or lay my head on, it looked that soft and pillow-like.

My friend’s thali of choice differed with the inclusion of Garlic and Chilli Lamb and Chicken Niravana so you see, we finally found nirvana.

Thank you, Abdul, and I’ll see you very soon.

In fact, anyone looking for me on a Wednesday will know where to find me.

Amera Rani, 248 Brighton Road, South Croydon, CR2 6AH.