Something Fishy Going on in Hull

Cinnamon Indian Restaurant

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Restaurant | "Some Like It Hot at Cinnamon"

Main courses at Cinnamon Photo - Cinnamon Indian Restaurant, Hull, England

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Hull’s Cinnamon is an Indian restaurant on Anlaby Road just around the corner from the city’s train station. The receptionist in our hotel told us that, although she didn’t like Indian food herself, she’d heard good reports of the restaurant so we quickly checked in and went in search of dinner. It was by now after 9.30pm on a Friday night and we didn’t want to be roaming the streets for too long so we were relieved to find the restaurant open with plenty of free tables. We did wonder about the quietness of the restaurant on a Friday night but we subsequently realised that this restaurant is not really in the right location for a night out. The style is contemporary with a heavy tendency t...Read More

Hull’s Cinnamon is an Indian restaurant on Anlaby Road just around the corner from the city’s train station. The receptionist in our hotel told us that, although she didn’t like Indian food herself, she’d heard good reports of the restaurant so we quickly checked in and went in search of dinner. It was by now after 9.30pm on a Friday night and we didn’t want to be roaming the streets for too long so we were relieved to find the restaurant open with plenty of free tables. We did wonder about the quietness of the restaurant on a Friday night but we subsequently realised that this restaurant is not really in the right location for a night out.

The style is contemporary with a heavy tendency towards traditional British "curry house" but without any flocking. As you enter there’s a seating area with low sofas, presumably for those people waiting to collect a takeaway as it seemed unlikely the restaurant would ever be so busy that you’d have to wait for a table to become free. We were shown to a table near the door and I suppose I’d have preferred to sit further inside the restaurant but we didn’t think of asking at the time. I thought it was a nice touch that rather have lots of garish stylised pictures of scenes of India, the lovely pictures on the wall showed scenes of Hull and the Humber.

We were given menus and asked for our drinks order which came without further ado. I’d asked for a Diet Coke but was sure I’d seen the waiter pour from a Coca Cola bottle; when my drink came it certainly didn’t taste like Diet Coke and it was also flat. A quick word with another passing waiter saw a swift resolution and a glass of fresh, fizzy Diet Coke was on the table in no time at all.

The menu included all the usual "curry house" dishes with chicken, lamb, prawn and vegetable options but there were also quite a few duck dishes too. Then there was a list of specials of which most sounded great. The prices were excellent with typical dishes such as a chicken madras coming in around the £4 mark before accompaniments were added (king prawn dishes were priced around £7.00).

A useful key next to the names of the dishes indicated the likely level of heat; dishes either had no rating, or one two or three asterisks to denote heat. I pointed this out to Himself who gave the impression of listening but clearly wasn’t as his reaction when he tasted his meal proved. We ordered from the "Chef's Recommendations" and "Cinnamon Specialities" sections of the menu respectively. I cautiously decided on "lamb hallim" (£5.95) which had been awarded a heat rating of one asterisk while Himself boldly chose the "lamb chilli bom" which was deemed to be worthy of three asterisks on the heat scale. Only chicken chilli bom was listed on the menu but the on request the chef was happy to make a lamb version. Two chappatis and a portion of pillau rice were ordered to share.

Due to the late hour we declined the offer of poppadoms and decided not to have starters. The dishes that came were generous anyway so we had made a wise decision. Given that only two other tables were occupied the food took a while to come but we weren't in any particular hurry.

The presentation of both dishes was a little disappointing. My main course was served on a large and more or less flat plate and as a result it wasn't very easy to spoon it onto my dinner plate. The shape of the plate wasn't really ideal for keeping the food warm as it was too open and there was no plate warmer to at least slow down the loss of temperature.

My dish was described as "lamb cooked in lentils, fried ginger and garlic". I had been saying earlier that evening how I fancied a dhansak as I hadn't eaten one in a while and Himself had reminded me of a dhansak I'd ordered a while back that had proven infernally hot. I love lentils but didn't want to repeat that ordeal so this dish (which I'd not encountered before) sounded just the ticket. When it comes to curries I'd describe my tolerance of chilli heat as a little above average.; however, I wasn't expecting my dish to be quite so fiery and was quite alarmed to find out how hot it was. Minor ordeal it might have been but I feel that by working through it I've stepped up a grade in terms of heat resistance. Fortunately the heat did not mask the flavour and as well as bags of fire power, there was plenty of lovely garlic and warm frangrant spices to enjoy with the sauce having lots of depth. The garlic was sweet and mellow rather than sharp and as a result I didn't feel later on as if I'd eaten a surfeit of it. The lamb pieces were generous and the meat was cooked well, still tender very succulent, falling apart with the slightest touch; the lamb was the same in both dishes. The lentils were excellent, cooked just how I like them with some of them nice and soft and some still quite - well not "hard" but still defined.

The chilli bom used hotter spices and included liberal amounts of fresh green chilli. When I saw how much green chilli I gasped but Himself merely shrugged and said he expected it to be like a jalfrezi. A few minutes later with perspiration on his brow he declared it to be " a builder"; not that he didn't enjoy it, it's just that there's a fine line between pleasure and pain and this dish was clearly close to the border. Out of curiosity I dipped a piece of chappati into the sauce and can report that it was indeed very, very lively. When I called the waiter over to request a lassi to try to cool down, we remarked on how hot both dishes were. About the chilli bom he said "oh yes, that one contains a tiny amount of naga" (one of the world's hottest chilli peppers) - thanks for telling us AFTER the event!

Our waiter proved very knowledgeable on chilli peppers so we had a good chat with him about some of the crazy chillies out there and those reportedly in development. He also gave us some pointers for real ale pubs in the city and tourist attractions worth seeing.

The rice and chappatis were pretty standard but I would like to mention that I thought the colours running through our pillau were really pretty.

At just £24.20 for two mains, rice, chapattis and drinks (two pints, a coke and a lassi) you just can't fault Cinnamon on value. The food was tasty (although I'd err on the side of caution next time and either ask for the curry to be slightly milder or else order one with no heat stars) and the portions were generous. The service was really excellent and the staff were very friendly and welcoming. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 7, 2011

Cinnamon Indian Restaurant
17 Anlaby Road
Hull

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Marrakech Avenue

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Restaurant | "Fizzytom Becomes Morocco Mole"

Lamb tagine with sesame seeds & prunes Photo - Marrakech Avenue, Hull, England

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The rather useful information pack in our room in Hul's IBIS hotel informed us that the Princes Avenue area is the place to head for good restaurants and nightlife and having read about a couple of restaurants we’d be happy to try we decided to head there for our Saturday night’s entertainment. The little map we had for the city centre didn’t appear to show Princes Avenue so we made a quick visit to the Tourist Information Centre to ask for directions. The assistant there asked where we were thinking of eating and we told her that our first choice was Marrakech Avenue; she said she’d eaten there and that the food was very good. She also asked if we had a reservation and we did think about ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 6, 2011

Marrakech Avenue
58 Princes Avenue
Hull, East Yorkshire
01482 343 746

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Mercure Hull Royal Hotel

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Hotel | "The Shower from Hull"

Mercure Royal Hotel, Hull Photo - Mercure Hull Royal Hotel, Hull, England

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We made our reservation for a one night stay when the Accor, the parent group of Mercure who own the Royal Hotel in Hull, was offering half price rooms. We decided to book one night in the nearby IBIS and the other in the Mercure with the latter costing just over £40 for a double room on a Saturday night. The hotel is directly adjacent to the station and there is an exit from the rear of the hotel, just at the back of the large lounge, that leads into the station. Location-wise you’re also close to the main shopping area, the bus station and a ten minute walk from Hull’s old town and the marina. There are restaurants nearby but the best area for restaurants is Princes Avenue which is a lit...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on August 31, 2011

Mercure Hull Royal Hotel
170 Ferensway
Hull, East Yorkshire HU1 3UF
44 1482 325087

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Arctic Corsair

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Attraction | "When the Boat Comes In"

The 'cod end' of the Arctic Corsair Photo - Arctic Corsair, Hull, England

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Although, after several unpleasant nautical experiences I am now a confirmed landlubber, I still have an interest in maritime matters, especially those connected with the Arctic so a tour of the Arctic Corsair, the last sidewinder fishing trawler to work out of Hull, was, naturally, an appealing prospect for me. The Arctic Corsair was built in 1960 and it fished until 1988. She's had an incident packed history; in 1967 she collided off the coast of Scotland with the Irish collier Olive and as she made her way to Wick for repairs, was beached. Of course she was repaired and refloated and continued to make more tough trips. In 1973 the Arctic Corsair broke the record for the landing of cod a...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 30, 2011

Arctic Corsair
Back Of Streetlife Museum, High Street
Kingston-upon-Hull

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Ibis Hull

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Hotel | "IBIS Hull - Still Good at Twice the Price"

Ibis Hull Photo - Ibis Hull, Hull, England

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Walking into our second floor room in Hull’s IBIS hotel I had an awful feeling of déjà vu; it could have been any of the IBIS hotel rooms I’ve stayed in over the last couple of years in Carlisle, Sheffield and Leeds. (The IBIS in Graz in Austria was a welcome breath of fresh air and a complete contrast to the UK IBIS hotels.) You could argue, that with chains like this, you know what to expect, and I know that there are people who find that comforting (a bit like going on holiday to the same Spanish resort year after year, I imagine); on the other hand you’re unlikely ever to step into an IBIS room and say "Ooh, isn’t that nice!" After receiving an email from the Accor group announcing hal...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 16, 2011

Ibis Hull
Osbourne Street Ferensway
York
+44 (1482) 387500

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