Shapla East Cowick Return Visit — Curry Bible Return Trip #01

Some curry houses deserve a second look.

Shapla in East Cowick already earned itself a strong place in Curry Bible history with a very respectable 8/10 from the full team. That first visit left us with the impression of a warm, calm, genuinely enjoyable curry house tucked away in a quiet village setting.

So, for Curry Bible’s first ever Return Trip, I headed back to Shapla.

This time, there was no full Curry Bible team.

No official scorecard.

No league table movement.

Just me, my Grandad, and a curry house that had already proved it could deliver.

Because this was not a full team visit, this review remains unscored. No official Curry Bible score will be changed, adjusted, upgraded, downgraded, butchered, massaged or fiddled with.

But if I had to give the night a personal rating?

Still a solid 8/10.

Shapla is good.

Very good, in fact.

But this time, there was one obvious problem.

They kept forgetting my Grandad.

Quick Facts

First Impressions

Shapla still has that familiar village curry-house feel.

It is not flashy. It is not trying to be trendy. It is not pretending to be something it is not.

It is a proper curry house.

The outside is simple and traditional, and inside it still carries that calm, comfortable atmosphere that made the original Curry Bible visit so enjoyable. It feels like the sort of place where you can settle in, relax, and actually enjoy the evening rather than feeling rushed through a meal.

That side of Shapla still works brilliantly.

The service, at points, was fantastic. Staff were polite, the atmosphere was easy-going, and there were moments where everything felt exactly as it should.

But then came the Grandad problem.

The Grandad Situation

Now let me make something very clear.

My Grandad is not a difficult customer.

He is not loud.

He is not rude.

He is not demanding.

He is not awkward for the sake of being awkward.

He is genuinely one of the nicest men you could ever meet. Shirt, trousers, polite manners, proper old-school decency — the kind of man who deserves a plate, a drink, and at the very least, to not be forgotten every ten minutes.

Unfortunately, Shapla seemed to develop some sort of Grandad-based blind spot.

First, he ordered a Strongbow Original and was brought Grandad bitter instead.

Then he did not get a plate.

Then his second drink was forgotten.

When he asked again, it was forgotten again.

Then, when I ordered a drink for myself and also got one for Grandad, suddenly both drinks arrived immediately.

So the system clearly worked.

It just apparently needed me to order on behalf of the forgotten pensioner.

That was the main frustration of the night. Not enough to ruin the meal, not enough to make Shapla a bad visit, but definitely enough to mention.

Because Curry Bible may love a good curry, but we do not stand for Grandad neglect.

Drinks

The drink selection was better this time, and there was one very important improvement:

They had John Smith’s.

That matters.

A curry house drink selection does not need to be enormous, but it does need to cover the basics properly. A decent pint option makes a difference, especially when you are settling in for a proper curry night.

The drinks themselves were fine once they actually arrived.

The issue was not quality.

The issue was remembering who had ordered what — especially when that person was Grandad.

Starters and Poppadoms

The pickle tray was nice, as it usually is at Shapla.

No drama.

No weirdness.

No attempt to reinvent the wheel.

Just a solid curry-house pickle tray, which is exactly what you want before the mains arrive. The poppadoms did the job, the dips were enjoyable, and everything started in a way that reminded me why Shapla scored well the first time.

There is also something to be said for a curry house that gets the simple things right.

A good pickle tray sets the tone.

It tells you whether the place is paying attention.

On the food side, Shapla was paying attention.

On the Grandad side, less so.

The Food

The food was excellent.

I had the Vindaloo, and it was exactly what I wanted from a hot curry: proper heat, strong flavour, and enough punch to make it feel like it deserved the name.

Too many places treat a vindaloo like a punishment. Heat for the sake of heat, no flavour, no balance, just chilli violence on a plate.

This was not that.

Shapla’s vindaloo had real flavour behind the fire. It was hot — properly hot — but still enjoyable. That is the difference between a lazy hot curry and a good one.

The naan was also very nice. Soft, fresh, and exactly the sort of thing you need next to a strong curry. The rice was good too, and the meal as a whole left me properly full.

That is always a good sign.

A curry house can get away with a few small service wobbles if the food delivers.

And Shapla’s food absolutely did deliver.

Value and Offers

One thing that stood out from the menu was the offer section.

Shapla has a Midweek Special on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and its official menu page also lists a Sunday Banquet — 4-course meal only £17.95, eat in only.

The offer details in your visit notes were:

Those are strong offers, especially in the current climate where eating out can quickly become stupidly expensive.

There are conditions, of course. The menu notes that offers are not available during December or other special occasions, and that any changes are chargeable.

Fair enough.

Still, for a proper curry night, those prices are very reasonable.

Compared to the Original Curry Bible Visit

The original Curry Bible review gave Shapla a final team score of 8/10, and that still feels about right.

The strengths remain the same:

Good food.

Warm atmosphere.

Comfortable setting.

Fair value.

A proper curry-house feel.

This return visit did not change my overall opinion of Shapla. If anything, it confirmed that the food quality was not a one-off.

The vindaloo was excellent, the naan and rice were good, the pickle tray was enjoyable, and I left full.

That is the backbone of a good curry-house visit.

But the service was more uneven this time. Not bad overall — and at points genuinely very good — but uneven enough that it deserves calling out.

Especially when the person being forgotten is my Grandad.

Final Thoughts

Shapla remains one of the stronger Curry Bible visits.

This was not a disaster. Far from it. It was a very enjoyable return trip, and the food once again proved that Shapla knows what it is doing.

But the night had one obvious flaw:

Grandad kept getting missed.

Wrong drink.

No plate.

Forgotten second drink.

Forgotten again.

That cannot just be ignored, because service is not only about being polite. It is about noticing people, remembering what they asked for, and making sure everyone at the table feels looked after.

And Grandad deserved better.

Still, the food was excellent, the atmosphere was comfortable, the offers are strong, and Shapla remains absolutely worth visiting.

This return trip does not change the official Curry Bible score.

But personally?

Still an 8/10.

A very good curry house.

Just next time, for the love of all things holy, remember Grandad.

Visit Shapla East Cowick

Website: https://shaplaindiangoole.uk/
Alternative site: https://shaplaeastcowick.co.uk/
Address: Snaith Road, East Cowick, DN14 9DA
Phone: 01405 861689
Email: info@shaplaindiangoole.uk
Tripadvisor lists Shapla at Snaith Road, East Cowick, DN14 9DA, with Indian and Bangladeshi cuisines, delivery, takeaway, reservations, full bar, table service, parking and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.