India was once considered the jewel in the crown of the British Empire but the halcyon days of the Raj are long gone. Yet the benefits of empire remain. Arguably the largest benefit to modern Britain from its once vast empire is a rich tradition of exotic cuisine. Indian food is the jewel in the crown of any British city’s cuisine. The British are experts in the wide variety of curries and Indian food in the UK is easily the best outside the subcontinent itself. Whether you are staying at a cheap hotel Liverpool centre offers, a posh five star in London, or a in the village of Whitchurch in North Shropshire, you are certain to find excellent Indian food. From the big city to the small town, Indian food is ubiquitous in England and it is ubiquitously delicious.
In Liverpool for example there are many great Indian restaurants, from East Z East’s Punjabi cuisine to Saffron’s contemporary Indian food. Maharaja on London Road is the best place to go for southern Indian food, more specifically from the Indian state of Kerala. The state tree of Kerala is the coconut and this is reflected in the local cuisine. Maharaja is true to this tradition. The chicken olathu curry is a lovely collage of chicken chunks, chillies, turmeric, tomato, and of course coconut slices. The lamb stew too is cooked in coconut. Another excellent Indian restaurant is Coriander on St John’s Road. Coriander is run by a woman from Indian and another from Sri Lanka, each of who populates half the menu with dishes from their home countries. Pork vindaloo is served up in a manner that reflects both the Indian and Portuguese culinary traditions of Goa. The Sri Lankan menu includes island crab curry (in the shell) spiced with lemongrass, cinnamon and coconut.
Even if you are simply passing through Liverpool, it is only a short distance from the Liverpool airport hotels or the train station to many fine Indian restaurants. This could be a delicious layover.
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