We got in at the second attempt, having been turned away at 6pm on a Thursday due to it being fully booked.
I’m referring to Syhiba, the Sowerby Bridge Indian restaurant which has been going since 1996 and whose fans claim produces the best curry in Yorkshire. An impressive boast, considering that West Yorkshire alone has over 2,000 restaurants, a hefty proportion of which are dedicated to that south Asian speciality.
“Second to none,” “incredible food,” “hard to beat” and “outstanding dishes” are just a few of the effusive comments posted on the Trip Advisor website. With four vacationing American relatives in tow, I was keen to show off Yorkshire’s best.
So after our initial disappointment – after which we returned for some very good curries at Shama’s on Bradford Road – I took the precaution of booking a table at 6pm on a recent Monday evening. You may snigger, but Syhiba’s was already half full when we arrived and the waiter ticked off our names from a long list of reservations.
This is despite the fact that Syhiba doesn’t accept credit cards, you have to take your own alcohol and you can’t book at weekends, you just have to turn up and wait. On the plus side, there is an off-licence and a cash machine just up the road and they don’t charge for corkage.
Their website guarantees a friendly welcome and we couldn’t fault it. After a warm greeting, and having confirmed the all-important reservation, we were promptly shown to a table in the functional interior on Sowerby Bridge’s main street.
Judging by the large plate glass windows, the restaurant was two shops in a former life. It is now decorated with traditional red and white Asian-style wallpaper, with one wall in black. Bare wooden floorboards and cafe-style tables with leather chairs add to the contemporary feel.
The poppadoms were crispy and accompanying pickles freshly prepared and piquant; a good start.
Not wanting to frighten our Transatlantic cousins, who enjoy excellent Chinese food across The Pond, but are relative virgins when it comes to Indians, we stuck to traditional starters. The sizzling seekh kebab with tender minced lamb was loaded with fried onions. It was tasty and just above medium on the spice scale.
Seafood tends to be overlooked in Indian restaurants, so we ordered a couple of portions. The large piece of masala white fish (3.95) was deep fried and lightly marinated. In contrast, the king prawn tikka (£4.95) was a little heavy handed, the pungent spices overpowering the delicate flavour of the large juicy prawns.
But the jewel in the crown was the succulent and tender chicken tikka. Coated with a delicate balance of yoghurt, herbs, garlic and lemon juice, and with just a hint of charcoal, this dish alone was worth the trek over to Sowerby Bridge. Next time I’ll order it as a main course.
From the Chef’s Specialities we ordered a shahi chicken korma, and a dish intriguingly entitled Punjabi Taste, both £7.50. The latter was flavoured with green chillies, cumin and cloves, although it was difficult to identify individual spices.
Myra was very pleased with the balti tarka dahl (lentils), which she said had “a depth of complex flavours.” She can come again, I usually have to cobble something together from “nice” or “not too keen on it” from my dining companions.
The korma was rich and slightly hotter than I’m used to, but it didn’t quite knock the Shama’s korma off top spot in my book. Tom’s Karahi lamb was meaty fare which he polished off without much help. The dryness of the dish enhanced the flavour of the lamb; the quality of all the meat and fish was good.
Ruby and Marco loved the giant fluffy family naan, which arrived with a grandiose gesture on a metal tree. We ate the branches bare.
VERDICT: It’s good and inexpensive. As to whether it’s better than Huddersfield’s excellent range of Indian restaurants, you’ll have to decide for yourself.
Wharf Street, Sowerby Bridge, HX6 2AF
Tel: 01422 835959
Website: www.syhibarestaurant.co.uk
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 5pm to 11.30pm, Friday and Saturday 5pm to 12.30am, Sunday 4pm to 11.30pm
Children: Welcome
Disabled Access: Yes
The bill: £9.10 a head, bring your own alcohol
Would you go back? Yes
