This Indian street food battle takes place in Wylam Brewery without any entry fee and is definitely one of the more fun ways to stay warm during the chilly month of November with all the different spicy dishes. Yes, pun intended.
At the front, we were given three tokens – two for food and one for a drink. Every dish and drink is worth one token that is purchased before entering the Brewery, but drinks can also be bought separately. Portions are smaller, allowing the guests to try out as many dishes as possible, which is something I was definitely happy for once I saw all Argie Bhaji had to offer. In the end, we settled for butter chicken – something I have wanted to try for ages but never had the opportunity to – and masala mac and cheese, which seemed like bit of an interesting combination until we gave it a try.
Some of the well-known names participating this year were SnackWallah, Redhead’s Mac ’n’ Cheese, as well as this year’s three podium winners: The Bombay Express in third place, Thali Tray in second, and the winner, retaining their Argie Bhaji championship status – My Delhi.
As someone who has never tried Indian food before, I went to this event with a lot of excitement, and just a little bit of anxiety, worried about my non-existent spice tolerance, but everything turned out to be just fine and even better. The food was delicious, the music fun and upbeat and despite the cool weather just a few bites managed to keep us warm.
If you missed this year’s Argie Bhaji, don’t fret – there’s always next time! However, if you can’t wait that long, keep a look out for all the other of the ‘Food Battles’ series such as Battle of the Burger, Slice Wars, or Lord of the Wings.
