Indian restaurants in north Manchester have come and gone over the last three decades. But only one has stayed the course, under the same family ownership and maintaining the identical high standards it promised us back in 1989.
Forts of India of Radcliffe New Road, Whitefield was innovative when Abdul Haris opened it 26 years ago
It came as something of a surprise to local aficionados of Indian restaurants that there were no red banquettes, dreary carpets or starch white tablecloths
In their place was elegant furniture, a lavishly carved bar, discreet lighting and two giant size fish tanks – all set out in a fashionable environment that seemed to have come straight out a five star hotel rather than one that you’d find in a suburban restaurant.
Abdul, who had already owned and managed five successful restaurants in Scotland over the previous 23 years said at the time
“I have never run a rubbish restaurant in my life, I have always believed that if you make something you should make something nice and my new restaurant is not like any other, around here everyone seems to follow one another, I want to be different, with my own style and my own ideas”
He also promised that Forts of India would never fall victim to the philosophy of producing a kind of diluted Indian food purely designed for the British palate and nothing to do with any authentic preparation, presentation or taste.
Abdul wanted us to enjoy and experience the same kind of food that he and his family ate.
Over the years Abdul has passed the responsibility of maintaining the standards over to his sons, Haf and more recently, Mr Haris and you can see that they have been determined to continue their fathers original vision. Forts of India is a very special kind of place
Like virtually all good restaurants, their reputation starts with the food, or more to the point, the kitchen and the dedicated chefs. You may think that all Indian restaurants would have a genuine tandoori clay oven but that’s not always the case. You could also assume that all chefs are trained & qualified but alas, that’s not always true either. However, the food preparation at Forts is a matter of great importance – just as Abdul always demanded it should be.
Sunday lunch at an Indian restaurant seems as normal now as Monday night football on TV but back in the eighties it was a pioneering idea that was introduced by Forts of India and it’s been a terrific innovation. Today, Our Sunday lunch is terrific value at £16.45 for adults and £13.45 for children and is served from 1.30 to 5:30pm.
The menu is always developing and changing and Mr Haris has introduced a number of interesting and ‘exclusive’ dishes that you won’t find anywhere else.
Although the restaurant looks very different now from the days when it first opened, the overall style, elegance and quality of the surroundings still has and always will be a special and important part of the Forts experience.
If you like your Indian food and have not yet been to Forts, you really must make an effort to sample North Manchester’s favourite Indian restaurant, quite honestly, there’s nothing quite like it.
Indian restaurants in north Manchester have come and gone over the last three decades. But only one has stayed the course, under the same family ownership and maintaining the identical high standards it promised us back in 1989.
Forts of India of Radcliffe New Road, Whitefield was innovative when Abdul Haris opened it 26 years ago
It came as something of a surprise to local aficionados of Indian restaurants that there were no red banquettes, dreary carpets or starch white tablecloths
In their place was elegant furniture, a lavishly carved bar, discreet lighting and two giant size fish tanks – all set out in a fashionable environment that seemed to have come straight out a five star hotel rather than one that you’d find in a suburban restaurant.
Abdul, who had already owned and managed five successful restaurants in Scotland over the previous 23 years said at the time
“I have never run a rubbish restaurant in my life, I have always believed that if you make something you should make something nice and my new restaurant is not like any other, around here everyone seems to follow one another, I want to be different, with my own style and my own ideas”
He also promised that Forts of India would never fall victim to the philosophy of producing a kind of diluted Indian food purely designed for the British palate and nothing to do with any authentic preparation, presentation or taste.
Abdul wanted us to enjoy and experience the same kind of food that he and his family ate.
Over the years Abdul has passed the responsibility of maintaining the standards over to his sons, Haf and more recently, Mr Haris and you can see that they have been determined to continue their fathers original vision. Forts of India is a very special kind of place
Like virtually all good restaurants, their reputation starts with the food, or more to the point, the kitchen and the dedicated chefs. You may think that all Indian restaurants would have a genuine tandoori clay oven but that’s not always the case. You could also assume that all chefs are trained & qualified but alas, that’s not always true either. However, the food preparation at Forts is a matter of great importance – just as Abdul always demanded it should be.
Sunday lunch at an Indian restaurant seems as normal now as Monday night football on TV but back in the eighties it was a pioneering idea that was introduced by Forts of India and it’s been a terrific innovation. Today, Our Sunday lunch is terrific value at £16.45 for adults and £13.45 for children and is served from 1.30 to 5:30pm.
The menu is always developing and changing and Mr Haris has introduced a number of interesting and ‘exclusive’ dishes that you won’t find anywhere else.
Although the restaurant looks very different now from the days when it first opened, the overall style, elegance and quality of the surroundings still has and always will be a special and important part of the Forts experience.
If you like your Indian food and have not yet been to Forts, you really must make an effort to sample North Manchester’s favourite Indian restaurant, quite honestly, there’s nothing quite like it.
