As I think about the type of food we review, it often falls into two categories. The first is the small, artisanal places that require advanced notice of your order. We have found so many places like this, but the problem is that come Wednesday evening when the fridge is empty, they are of little help.
So enter the second category: places that can get food to you within the hour. These are often the COVID adapters - places that heavily depended on their physical presence and footfall, who have to work to different standards which favour speed. Or they are a tried and tested take away. But they can strike quickly, which is what we needed - dinner within the hour!
We were recommended Sahara by one of our followers. Sahara has been in Hemel since 1995, so clearly has an offering that has stood the test of time. They were also very flexible when I initially ordered for 6.15 and then rang back when the food was nearly ready to push it to 7! (Babies eh...!). Despite this, it arrived hot delivered by a man in a waistcoat! Why aren't more delivery people in waistcoats?!
We ordered a butter chicken, chicken jalfrazi, onion and bindi bhaji plus your standard rice/sundries, which came to £33 with Just Eat's fee.
The top-line is that Sahara is a solid curry. It's nothing out of this world and if pretty generic, but it gets to you quickly and hot which is exactly what we needed!
The onion bhaji was flavoursome, juicy and the onions were perfectly cooked with a crisp raggedy crust that was easy to pull apart. Sometimes you get bhajis that are rock hard and overcooked, or have clearly been defrosted, or are lacking in onion and just padded out with gram flour. But this was a pretty good bahji (to the extent that C was inly supposed to "have a bite" of mine but ended up eating it all!
Both curries were flavoursome and generous with the meat. My jalfrazi was spiced well - it had a fiery kick, but it wasn't the only flavour; I could taste a rich tomato depth and a lingering coriander and cumin hum. The gubbins in the sauce added to the texture. The meat was of good quality, if slightly overcooked - it was slightly dry. But I'd be happy to order it again. C's butter chicken came in a creamy sauce with a nutty texture. Perhaps it could have offered a bit more flavour - obviously mild, but it was lacking the butteriness and full flavour you usually get; it was a tad bland. But it was safe and comforting, and the chicken was nicely tandoori cooked - also slightly dry though.
The bindi bahji was really well cooked and offered a nice fresh side dish, but in all honesty this also left us yearning for a bit more flavour. I think we've been spoilt by the excellent spice blends and depth of flavours from places such as The Cochin and Khana's.
However, in my head I am creating a list of places that I know can be relied upon to deliver easy food to us at short notice. Because -for all the will in the world- you can't always plan a bespoke, artisanal meal many days in advance. I would happily put Sahara on that list. It could have been a bit bolder in places, but we both finished the meal satisfied and would happily go back.
Service:
Were really helpful when I (frankly) messed them around! Food came hot. Bonus points for delivery by man in a waistcoat!
Quality:
Good quality. Seemed to be fresh - nothing disappointed.
Value & Price:
Mains are around £9 - maybe slightly above average. But the food was of good enough quality to justify the price.
Overall:
GOOD- This is a safe curry, which hits the brief. While nothing pushes the boat out, it is a tasty curry that you will enjoy and can be at your door nice and quick.
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