This has become our go-to curry house. Being born and bred in Yorkshire, not far from Bradford, means I’ve had over 40 years of eating and enjoying authentic, good curries. What I’ve also found in Spain is the majority of curry houses just do not deliver, but the Punjabi Virsa Catral really does hit the mark.
Since we moved to Catral, this has become our first choice for a good Indian meal, but it’s not always a great experience. The food is always excellent; I’ve tried at least 7 different main courses, probably 4 different starters, and never have I not enjoyed any of these. Soph prefers different dishes to me, so she’s probably tried the same number and enjoyed those, too.
What has previously let this place down is the slow service. In the past 12 months, there seems to have been a big turnover of serving staff, and I wonder if this is what causes the inconsistencies.
Prior to this recent visit, I’d say to people not to go if you have a schedule to keep. This is a slow service, so don’t expect anything any different. Each dish is cooked to order, though and you don’t mind waiting for good food to be brought out.
Now that is out of the way, the Menu Del Dia and Menu Del Noche both offer really good value for money. You get a small drink with your meal, poppadoms with dips to start, then a choice of any starter, any main, any rice or naan bread followed by a dessert of ice cream or fruit. Depending on who is serving you, when you ask for the bill, you sometimes get offered a free shot. This can include baileys, whisky etc.. Look upon this as a nice freebie if you get this offered and not as part of the meal.
What We Had To Eat
I had my usual Seekh Kabab starter, followed by a King Prawn Karahi with a Gateway Special Naan. Soph opted for Chicken Chat as her starter, with Chicken Punjabi and a garlic naan for her main. We both went for the ice cream for dessert, sadly, there was no chocolate available, but the mango was tasty if almost liquid, by the time it got to the table.
What We Liked
Service was much improved; the two staff seemed quite new but were keen, attentive, and on the ball. A huge improvement to our last visit, where we were there for over 2 hours and ended up leaving before dessert was brought out. On that Monday evening, it was the owner working on his own, as one of his staff had called in ill. This was meant to be a quiet evening, but he found himself trying to deal with 7 tables of diners.
The food was, as ever, excellent!
What Could Be Improved
Nothing really stands out, but as mentioned above, it’s nice to get a free shot at the end of the meal. This time, it wasn’t even offered. So consistency is key here.
How Much Did It Cost?
For both of us having the 3-course evening menu, it was €39.00 in total. As you can see, there was no itemised bill, just the post-it note as in the photo below.
Would We Return To Punjabi Virsa Catral?
Of course, this is a top-quality Indian who serves excellent food. Another point to note is here you can order tikka and prawn dishes as part of the fixed-price menu options, whereas a lot of other Indian restaurants charge a supplement for these. Also, you can have any naan bread as part of the meal. We have noticed most others limit you to a plain naan or a garlic naan.
How To Find Punjabi Virsa Catral
Situated on the main street, next door to the wonderful bar and Spanish restaurant El Burladero
Punjabi Virsa Catral
Calle La Purisima 55, Catral, Spain
With plenty of outdoor seating as well as air-conditioned interior seating options, if you love a good curry, give this place a try; just don’t be in a rush!
