From the outside, nothing about Madina Desi Curry Co really says ‘come on in and get some good quality food’.  It looks cheap and cheerful so expectations were not high.  I had picked up a GrabOne voucher for €10 offering a ‘Curry in a Hurry’ meal for two with rice and soft drinks. I figured it would do for a cheap lunch around town after a few pints. It’s usually €9.95 each so it was a bargain.

They actually have quite a collection of positive reviews. Listed in The Dubliner top 100 restaurants in both 2009 and 2010. Also a glowing report from Herald.ie and a lot of good comments on Trip Advisor.

I visited on a Saturday afternoon and it was quite busy.  It was actually full of mainly Indian people, which according to legend, is always a good sign if natives of the country eat there.  The interior is nothing special, split over two levels, its café style tables and chairs and a large open kitchen so you can see everything being prepared.  The place does feel as though it could do with a belt of a JCloth and some Mr. Muscle.

But on to the food. I didn’t have great expectations despite all the great reviews.  ‘Curry in a Hurry’ did not look great on the plate. It’s not that my photos are just really rubbish, the dish actually looked like that. They could do with some presentation skills advice STAT!!  There was far too much rice and not enough sauce. I opted for the mild Chicken Curry and H opted for the Spicy version.

I was however proved wrong in terms of taste.  It was bloody gorgeous. It actually took a while to appear on the table but when it did the chicken, a mix of breast and on the bone, was cooked to perfection and so tasty, as was the sauce.  It’s a shame it just didn’t look great.  I tasted the spicy version also which was a bit too fire in the mouth for my liking.  As you can see the rice serving is more than ample.

We also went for a side order of Tarkha Dall which was equally as tasty and some of the best peshwari naan I have ever had.

We also tried a side dish of the Tikka Masala sauce which was equally good. In terms of taste Madina Desi are producing some great food but they really need to give the place a bit of a scrub. I’d still go back though!!

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Madina Desi Curry Co.
60 Mary Street
Dublin 1