The Vine, West Bromwich
Not for the first time, I found myself going round in circles looking for this week's chosen spot,
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Not for the first time, I found myself going round in circles looking for this week's chosen spot, writes our mystery meal reviewer The Insider.
Even with a trusty sat nav, it was proving hard to locate The Vine in West Bromwich.
Not that it's a particularly difficult place to find, but clever clogs here picked Tuesday - match day - to visit a pub which on its own website proclaims is a "stone's throw from the home of West Bromwich Albion".
On what would normally be quite a simple journey, the Insider spent a good 20 minutes battling through crowds of thousands of expectant fans on the Birmingham Road, while hundreds of cars clogged up the side streets, making some roads virtually impassible.
Eventually coming across our intended goal, the endless stream of cars parked bumper to bumper in every available spot meant yet another drive around. Finally a suitable nook was located a few streets away in Florence Road, and with the help of a friendly old soul who decided to become our personal traffic warden, the Ford Focus was squeezed in.
During a brisk five-minute walk, it was noted that it might be an idea to begin looking at the football fixtures for the first time in my life to ensure no future clashes between supporters and my growling stomach.
The parking problem - which is apparently non-existent when the Baggies aren't playing at home - was the first lesson to be learnt on the night.
The second was the old adage 'never judge a book by its cover'. Located on the end of industry-packed Roebuck Street, The Vine, with its traditional and unassuming exterior, looks like it should be filled with flat capped old men and overall-clad workers enjoying a post-shift pint or two.
Instead, owner Suki Patel has turned it into a thriving community hub where punters come from far and wide to sample its legendary Indian cuisine. And its growing reputation as a centre for good food and beer has seen it listed in both the Campaign for Real Ale's Good Beer Guide, as well as The Real Ale Pub Guide.
The door opens into a narrow corridor with two comfortable looking drinking rooms on the left. Continue walking and you will come to the bar, which occupies the corner of a huge dining room. With a block-paved floor and exposed roof, it has an alfresco yet cosy feel.
Around 14 wooden tables of four are arranged in two rows, stretching right across the room to some double doors.
Opening a tab, we ordered half a pint of Coors and a coke and sat down to peruse the menu, written on several blackboards on one of the brick walls.
After a head-scratching 15 minutes spent chopping and changing our minds, we'd both finally come to a decision when a man sitting to the left of us arrived carrying a steaming hot plate piled full of marinated chicken.
Sidling across, I politely inquired what he had ordered. "Chicken tikka," he replied hungrily. "And that," pointing to his partner's equally delicious-looking fare, "is methi .But you've got to order these through THERE," emphasising the final word to stress its importance.
Following his gaze through the double doors at the end of the room, my eyes fell upon what I had presumed was some sort of community centre because of its bright lights and mainly teenage occupants, all sitting on plastic chairs.
But on closer inspection, this second room was harbouring what turned out to be The Vine's main event, its colossal barbecue. Row open row of kebabs and chicken wings lay sizzling on several steaming hot griddles as three chefs busily turned them for their ever-growing queue of customers. It looked simply divine. Instead of changing our order, we decided to choose from both the barbecue and the bar menu, all in the name of research of course.
Around us tables were filling up with a diverse range of customers.
From young families to old couples, teenagers after a quick bite to friends enjoying three courses, it seems everyone, from whatever walk of life, loves The Vine.
What looked like enough food to feed the 5,000 soon appeared on our table.
I had chosen claypot chicken - shredded breast meat of chicken cooked in coriander and garlic chutney sauce with massala spices. The chunks of chicken were huge and the spices were fused to perfection. Hot and tasty, it had a really unique flavour.
My companion chose king prawn massala - huge fresh pan fried king prawns cooked in massala sauce, which she described as "fantastic".
We chose rice to go along with our main courses, but there's also a choice of chips and a naan to go with all curries.
From the barbecue, we decided to share chicken tikka, which was a very reasonably priced £3.25 for a extremely generous portion of large, tender chunks of chicken on a bed of crisp lettuce.
We also shared spicy chicken wings, a portion of around eight that tasted just like they had come fresh off a summer barbecue. With all this and some poppadoms dipped in lime pickle, mango chutney and yoghurt sauce, I'm pretty sure the table next to us raised their eyebrows at our extensive meal.
But it was simply too good an opportunity to pass up - and if I tell you the bill came to just £30.43 with two soft drinks and a pint and a half of Coors, then it's certainly worth trying as many dishes as possible.
I've definitely joined The Vine's growing army of fans, but on my next visit, I'll remember to try and avoid the other army heading to West Bromwich's other famous haunt.
ADDRESS
The Vine, Roebuck Street, West Bromwich
Phone: 0121 553 2866
MENU SAMPLE
From the barbecue:
Methi chicken tikka £3.25; pork steaks £3.75; Piri piri chicken £4.25
Curries:
Goat curry £5.75; Chicken tikka massala £5.50; Taka-tak Chicken £5.50; Lamb rogan josh £5.50 (all come with a choice of naan, rice or chips)
