Jaldi Jaldi

Plastic food with no love.
This place is resting on the reputation of the original Bradford branch. The shelves are often very low of Lassi and no food is cooked fresh here, it’s reheated in microwaves. Nan breads awful.
The food itself I found ok but it’s not a place if go again unless I wanted a takeaway and I was desperate.
Kabana on Back Turner Street is in my opinion the best of the Indians on this area.

I agree with the other review that there’s something just not right about a place that openly microwaves the food in front of the customer.
I got a take away from Jaldi Jaldi yesterday and if it wasn’t for the microwaves and a seasoning problem then it’d be alright (just alright). I ordered a lamb and spinach curry which was blasted with radiation until scorching point, which made the lamb quite dry. To accompany my curry I also ordered a naan and a chicken pakora, both of which were microwaved meaning the naan was soggy and the pakora oozed grease.
Overall I like the concept of being able to go in and see the different dishes like a deli and order a pot of what you want, but for the cost of approx £5 a curry there’s a lot of better options.

Jaldi Jaldi is the new takeaway format from Mumtaz which is apparently a renowned Indian restaurant mini-​chain in England’s North & Midlands. I just had a look at the main Mumtaz website which features a quote from satisfied Mumtaz customer Queen Elizabeth II — as head of the Commonwealth you would expect her to have consumed a few curries in her fifty years on the throne!
However, whilst I have no problems with Mumtaz restaurants which, by all accounts, use the best ingredients to very good effect, I’m pulling up short from dining at Jaldi Jaldi. The mainstay of the menu here is curries which have been cooked at a central location which are then displayed in Jaldi Jaldi’s display fridge ready to be ladled into a proprietary J-​box or J-​tray and reheated in the microwave. I confirmed with the staff here that there are no conventional (non-​microwave) ovens on the premises and also no a tandoor for making fresh chapati and naan bread. If you don’t mind microwaved food or maybe you want some cold curry to reheat at home, fine. But I personally have serious misgivings of the modus operandi of this place which bills itself as ‘The Future of Britain’s Curry’ — and with such a renowned restaurant behind it and already 11 Jaldi Jaldi outlets and counting that is not all empty talk!
Two-​stars is for the bright, fresh looking store design and branding, and also for the deli fridge unique items such as Mumtaz brand mango lassi, kheer and ras malai. A dozen or more seats are available if you wish to consume the microwaved contents of your J-​tub on the premises.
Thing is, I feel a bit uncomfortable slating this place given how erratic some of the curry cafés I’ve eaten in have been, wide vegetarian choice never being a strong point. And what health-​conscious person would actively seek out food cooked in ‘vegetable oil’ or ‘vegetable ghee’? Jaldi Jaldi at least has three or more vegetarian curry choices ready to go.
India’s gifts of knowledge to the world include the world’s oldest healthcare system, Ayurveda. I want to see more Indian restaurants and takeaways which put Ayurvedic principles up front and centre, starting with food freshly prepared on the premises. The independent owner-​manager places need to roll their socks up but so do places like Jaldi Jaldi. OK, I’ve had some great meals in This & That and Kabana Cheetham Hill but the Indian food generally available in Britain could be *so* much better and healthier!
Disclaimer — I’ve not eaten in Jaldi Jaldi for the reasons outlined above. I might partake of a mango lassi from their fridge on a warm day and also am glad to see Indian sweets made available on the high street. I look forward to trying Mumtaz proper restaurants in the near future.