Posts Tagged “curry”
The name Zaika means ‘fine flavour’ in a South Indian dialect, and this restaurant has been known for that since its opening in 1997, although now the owners, chef and managers have all changed. It’s a Grade II listed former bank building which would be described as having “many original features, with a striking dining…
From BBC Food This retro dish is delicious in sandwiches and perfect for picnics and street parties. Ingredients 1.5kg/4lb free-range chicken 4 spring onions, sliced 6 garlic cloves, peeled, left whole 1 tbsp sea salt 10 whole black peppercorns For the sauce 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 1 tbsp curry…
It’s possible that the names of both Arun Kapil and his company Green Saffron will be new to you but it’s likely that over the next year or so they will become, if not household, at least kitchen names. The man and the company are carving out a respectable place for themselves in Ireland and…
We in northern Europe have had a long and delicious relationship with spice. We tend to think it’s just been this modern era of the local curry house that has developed our taste for food with spice and colour. But consider those old recipes that predate the high-street Taj Mahal, those that go back further…
Perhaps ‘dinner on your doorstep’ is, for most of us, a bit of an exaggeration, but if you live in Putney it’s a fact and you will likely be grateful for that Ma Goa proximity. It has that comfy and cosy neighbourhood ambiance that is missing in some Central London restaurants, which have a local…
The untutored might not know that Imli Street is part of the celebrated Tamarind Collection which includes the world-famous Tamarind restaurant with Executive Chef Alfred Prasad at the helm, and Tamarind of London in Newport Beach, California. Imli Street is the casual-dining face of the group but the quality remains the same. Imli Street in…
Indian is perhaps my favourite cuisine. To be honest though, saying that one is going out for an ‘Indian’ tonight is as ridiculous as saying one is going out for a ‘European’ tonight. Think about the size of that country and you will realise that there must be many cuisines with their own characteristics and…
Atithi devo bhavah is part of a Sanskrit verse and means ‘The guest is God’ or ‘Guest become God’. It’s a thoughtful phrase and indicates that the team here have considered even the name of the restaurant carefully. I hoped it would be an indication of the general ethos …and it was. We arrived on…
Trishna was awarded its first Michelin star last September but to those in the know it’s always been special. Yes, special’s the word, but in a subtle and understated fashion. This is as far from your old-fashioned stereotypical Indian restaurant as you could imagine. It spans the temperature spectrum for ambiance, being cool in both…
We have always had those little red lentils on supermarket shelves. They seemed to be the only ones available when I was growing up. Mum would put them in a beef stew with half a cardboard tub of yellow ‘curry powder’ and call it ‘Indian’. We would eat that with mashed potatoes, as rice was…
[This venue is now closed] There are indeed many Indian restaurants named after buildings, but unlike curry houses claiming to be the Taj Mahal, Dockmaster’s House truly is the house of a dockmaster …or at least it once was. London’s Dockland has had a history of vibrant activity and that continues today, although the action…
Tamarind has long enjoyed a reputation for excellence and it’s been a deserved but hard- won accolade. Competition is fierce but Tamarind of Mayfair is thriving and has indeed blossomed into a creditable collection, which includes a Tamarind in the US along with Imli Street in Soho; Zaika in Knightsbridge has recently joined the group…
Café Spice Namaste is an icon of Indian food. It’s a beacon of culinary hope around the corner from The Tower of London. It’s a haunt of discerning businessmen, stars of film and the small screen, and indeed anyone who enjoys vibrant food and friendly service. Chef Cyrus Todiwala and his partner in life and…
Britain is an island. So it goes without saying that we are surrounded by water and have had a close relationship with the sea. Surprising, therefore, that are still so many of us who are not fish eaters. Home cooks have not had a good reputation for preparing tasty fish, and we so often resort…
Indian food in any country other than India would not seem the natural choice for the food-passionate traveller, but good food should never be overlooked and there is no reason to introduce geographic dining prejudice into one’s Singapore eating extravaganza. It’s a city-state famed for its quality and variety of food. It has a neighbourhood…
This corner of London remains one of the most expensive and sought-after. Cheyne Walk has a mix of stylish houses, and has been the address of choice for the worthy and notable for the past couple of centuries, although it might be best remembered as the home patch of Rolling Stone Mick Jagger. It also…
Potli is a little over a year old and it has already earned a mention in the Michelin Guide so you might be expecting something over-priced and glitzy. But this restaurant is the sort you would want as your local, your regular haunt for truly delicious food and a pleasant evening with friends, and at…
One might suppose that Secrets of Indian Gastronomy is a cookbook. Yes, it is. One will assume it is packed with delicious and authentic recipes. Well, it is. One might be drawn to the conclusion that those secrets will be bizarre cooking techniques or the necessity to poach a particular exotic vegetable on a moonlit…
I enjoy almost every book that crosses my desk (now a uni-leg computer stand from a Swedish lifestyle emporium). Some are simple but informative volumes, others are attractive and what I would describe as gift quality. Tasting India is in the second category but has raised the bar on that little phrase. It truly is…
There are myriad Indian cookbooks available to the European reader. Most of them are good, some of them are magnificent but all of them have something to offer. The problem is that so many of them present much the same thing. Curry-house favourites, standard restaurant items and homemade versions of your regular takeaway. Regional Cooking…