?? Morley Street
Bradford

Review Date: 8/1/99

A return visit to the Evershine for the first curry of the New Year - the place we described last year as "a pretty standard Bradford curry house with that run-down, badly-decorated atmosphere that bodes well for the true connoisseur. Who's bothered about how much has been spent on the décor: it's the food that matters." We began with onion bhaji (80p) and potato bhaji (of the fluid variety) (£1.20). The onion bhaji was fine in itself, tasty fresh onions in crisp batter, but the portion were rather on the mean side. The potato bhaji was subtly flavoured and enjoyable. Last year, the service in the Evershine was appalling. The starters took twenty-five minutes to arrive, the main courses almost fifty minutes. Thankfully, the speed of service has improved, and was friendly and efficient. Our starters came in an acceptable ten minutes, our main courses in twenty. I sampled a chana mushroom, and it was superb. The chick peas were mushy - just as I like them - and the mushrooms succulent. The sauce is distinct to the Evershine, a thick, rich gold-brown gravy, uniquely spiced. (On the down side, however: the portion was a little on the small side.) The mushroom potato masala was much enjoyed, and the special chicken masala was full flavoured, although appeared no different to the standard chicken masala. We finished with an above average coffee (though, on the minus side, the Evershine doesn't serve barfi and the like.) We thoroughly enjoyed this meal, and wholeheartedly recommend the restaurant as one of the finer establishment at the cheaper end of the market. If the portions were just a little bigger, the Evershine would be knocking on the door of the four-star category.

(All dishes come with a choice of three chapattis or boiled rice.)

Review Date: 24/7/98

The Evershine is a pretty standard Bradford curry house. It has that run-down, badly-decorated atmosphere that bodes well for the true connoisseur - who's bothered about how much has been spent on the décor: it's the food that matters.

We ordered a variety of starters: onion bhaji (80p), mushroom pakora (£1.00), and potato bhaji (£1.50). We were caught out by the potato ... - it came as a miniature curry in sauce, and not in batter as we were expecting. Overall, we were disappointed by the starters - the mushroom pakora lacked spiciness and the portions were small. On the credit side, we were given free popadoms.

The service was slow, let it be said. The starters took twenty-five minutes to arrive, the main courses almost fifty minutes. Okay, we were a party of seven - but there were only three other diners in the place. How do they cope when the restaurant is full? Perhaps it was one of those bad nights in the kitchen, with staff missing and the chef on a go-slow.

Delighted to report that the overall standard of the main courses compensated for the delay. While again the portions weren't gargantuan, they were rich, spicy and fulsome. The meat-eaters amongst us - two tonight - were the most satisfied: both had chicken dishes and awarded eight and nine out of ten. Among the vegies, the chana went down well, and the dall mushroom while only garnering six from JM was appreciated by everyone else who dipped in. The mixed veg dishes didn't score so well, verging on the hot side. A word on the chapattis - EricB was very satisfied: they were lighter, thinner and softer than the average Bradford species, and had more taste.

Overall, the actual curries were much appreciated. We came here a year ago and weren't too impressed. Things have improved, and now I'd rate the fare as some of the best sampled in the past few weeks. And the service? Well, let's hope it was an off night - I wouldn't want to deter potential diners from having the enjoyable experience of a very good curry.

The Evershine doesn't have a licence, so if you want a drink bring your own.

(Each dish comes with rice or three chapattis.)