Curry Up Lunch Time Treats

What do you do when a friend asks if you want to try out the lunch menu from Curry Up? You immediately say yes!

The ever-lovely Katie Coetzee from Lume Agency has built up an incredible portfolio of clients (who will be scattered throughout my blog) and receiving an email from Katie is probably the adult equivalent of waking up to presents under the Christmas tree!

So when I saw that I could try out the new lunch time portions from Curry Up, I thought I was in heaven! This restaurant had been recommended to me to try, but I never got around to trying it - but fate has a way of aligning things! Curry Up has taken their customers’ favorite meals and made them available in smaller portions that are friendly on the wallet. What a cool concept!

It was a tough choice between the 7 lunch size curries:

• Magical Mushroom Curry

• Sugar Beans and Potato Curry

• “Feels Like Home” Chicken Curry

• Velvety Smooth Butter Chicken

• Mighty Chicken Korma

• Coconut, Prawns and Chicken Curry

• Aunty’s Lamb Curry

Those who know me very well will know that I’m extremely predictable when it comes to curry - I also opt for the butter chicken. My philosophy is that no two butter chickens taste the same - so I need to try them all! As tempted as I was to try Aunty’s Lamb Curry, I asked to try my good ol’ faithful butter chicken.

What was even better - the friendly owner of We Sell Flavourz, Alex Zohany, personally delivered my lunch! Other names in their portfolio include Thai Me Up and Pastaworx. This was surprise number 1. Surprise number 2 was Alex telling me that although he knows I asked for the Velvety Smooth Butter Chicken, he’s added Aunty’s Lamb Curry in too (“perhaps for dinner”) & 3 milktart samosas! Yes - this is my version of heaven! I wish I could have spoken to Alex for longer - he seems like such a happy and vibrant person (he had more deliveries to make so I couldn’t take too much of his time).

Before I even get in to the food, I need to comment & commend the packaging! And I went on about this in my instagram stories. I always feel better when my food arrives in pretty packaging & they got it right! All the containers were well sealed - nothing spilled or leaked. I am also obsessed with the little elephant on their logo.

Now - unboxing my treasure trove… inside Curry Up had places the 2 curries along with 2 butter naans, 2 portions of rice and the 3 milktart samosas. I was so tempted to try the butter chicken first, but thought I thought I should give Aunty’s Lamb Curry a try first. My expectations were high (despite not really ever ordering lamb curry). Mainly because, as a farm child, I grew up with the best quality lamb - so I’m extremely fussy about any form of lamb -and actually avoid ordering it all together to avoid disappointment of it not tasting like true Karoo Lamb (a.k.a. not that thing sold at the fancy food market we have here in SA).

Let me tell you, my unreasonably high expectations were met - possibly even exceeded with the lamb curry… The lamb was soft and had an incredible flavor. The gravy! Oh the gravy!!!!! I gathered up every last bit with my naan. Hold on, let me share the description on the menu with you so you can have an idea of what I was experiencing.

“Carefully trimmed, de-boned Leg of Lamb cubes marinated overnight. Slow-cooked on a bed of chopped Onions, crushed Plum Tomatoes which are infused with grated Ginger, Garlic, and hand-selected Whole Spices. During the long hours of slow cooking creating a beautifully aromatic and richly textured gravy surrounding the soft lamb pieces.”

It was so incredible that I even said I might need to change my order from butter chicken to this lamb curry. Yes, THAT is how good it was!

I thought - to be totally impartial - that I needed to try the butter chicken for lunch the next day, so the memories of the amazing lamb curry were not as fresh. Opening the container, I could see from the texture that this curry is not named Velvety Smooth for nothing! One bite and I lost my soul (sorry lamb curry - it was good while it lasted). I mean - how can you disappoint when you’re named Velvety Smoothy Butter Chicken? The sauce was also the perfect orangey color I like and was the perfect blend of spicy with a hint of sweetness. I love the menu description:

“Chicken tikka pieces cooked in a rich and oh so comforting tomato gravy. The undisputed KING. Rightfully so. Unashamedly a crowd-pleaser.”

Oh, and I forgot the best part! My newly discovered favorite dessert: the devilishly delicious milktart samosas! When I opened the packet, I smelt cinnamon and happiness. Biting into one of the samosas conveyed just that. It was incredible how the samosas kept their crunchy exterior with a soft, creamy milktart filing.

If your mouth isn’t watering at the end of this post, then I think we need to get you to the nearest Curry Up to experience this for yourself. A 10/10 without a doubt!