Barinda Balti Cottage

Barinda balti cottage is such a mouthful isn’t it? Which is probably why it is not called that anymore. The owners decided rightly to shorten it to just Barinda.
Now it’s a well established fact that Manchester is one of the best cities in the UK if you like south Asian cuisine. Not only do we Mancunians have the curry mile. Fantastic restaurants are littered across greater Manchester and Cheshire like hidden treasure for foodies like me to find. Unfortunately Barinda doesn’t quite make the cut.
Tucked away cosily in the leafy suburbs of Cheadle Hulme, this Bangladeshi establishment has kept the locals happy for a long time. Then again that isn’t an achievement as Cheadle Hulme people tend to be a happy bunch. (or so I’ve been told)
As Most of you will know, for the most part my merry Unilocaling ways make Mary Poppins seem like Jack Dee. But I assure you at times I can also be one miserable penguin (Yes i said penguin, and what? (Pingu was on my mind innit, don’t ask why)
My beef with this place is that it’s serving average food to locals who probably don’t know any better and think that the lamb Shashlick (that’s how it was spelt… I KNOW!!) is the best in UK. I say this because A) I was taken here by a local who thought so and B) everyone appeared to have nicknames for the waiters (some weird and others mildly passively racist, which was amusing because the waiters had insulting names for those diners too)
The food was so bog standard it deserves no special mention at the price it was served in not so generous portions. On a positive note, the naans were exceptionally well Cooked, tender and crispy at the right spots and the popodoms were magnificent!
With its close proximity to my cricket club, no doubt the person (who shall remain un-named)who dragged me to this place insisting he could get a discounted bill (and failed, with £15/​head for takeaway standard food) will try again. Luckily I have penciled a long list of innovative rain checks for future reference.
And It’s all such a shame for Cheadle Hulme because Cheshire is full of cute little authentic foreign eateries for foodies to discover. My tip is, if you’re treating someone to a nice Cheshire country road trip/picnic/wine&dine, drive a little further down (15 minutes) south to Mughli in Knutsford instead. Because not only is the food much better, you can also treat the other half to a few cheeky cocktails. Mughli has a suave cocktail… Wait for it…(drum roll) «Bar-​in-​da» place. Click click boom, andddddd alligator till next time Unilocaladonkadonkdonks!