Nadia Alkahzrajie

Formerly an agency copywriter for Senior King, in 2006 I graduated from the writer’s MA at Manchester University directed by Martin Amis. Subsequently I set up as a freelancer, specialising in, amongst other things, offshore wealth management. I’ve also ghost-written in many different voices, putting thoughts into words for performers, designers and corporate CEO’s.  Writing about food in my own voice helps me to keep (relatively) sane. 

  • Ruta del Veleta Spain

    Sunday June 16th, 2013

    Looking for a meal that isn't a rip off or worse, in recession hit Grenada in Spain, Nadia finally finds somewhere that's not a disappointment

  • La Brasserie at Sofitel, Gatwick Airport

    Tuesday May 28th, 2013

    Stuck in a hotel an evening before flying, Nadia Alkahzrajie finds that the Sofitel Gatwick is a restaurant that has wings.

  • The Macdonald Townhouse Hotel, Manchester

    Thursday December 20th, 2012

    The Macdonald Townhouse Hotel sits on the corner of Portland and Princess Street; tall and elegant with the kind of soaring gothic windows that suggests an architect with pious leanings, the Macdonald is the understated antithesis of those 21st century hotel blocks that resemble a giant Rubik’s cube.

  • Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

    Friday March 16th, 2012

    Like no other jilted capital Istanbul engulfs visitors with its razzled charms, the musk of rose petal tinged with rancid fish-heads the prelude to your renewed affections. Important things have happened in this city of minarets; here the past isn’t so much a passive resident but a restless dervish whirling down the backstreets off Taxsim square, where men smoke the hookah and sip coffee as thick and loamy as compost.

  • Glacé à la Moutarde: Are You Taking the Pistou?

    Wednesday December 14th, 2011

    Hot on the heels of his ‘straight from the freezer’ biscuit dough comes Heston Blumenthal’s new ice-cream for Waitrose. We’re probably all familiar with Heston’s jiggery pokery that gave us classics like bacon and egg ice-cream, but how do his haute creations translate to the mass market? The answer is rather emphatically, they don’t.

  • Patara Thai, Soho

    Saturday November 19th, 2011

    If you like Thai food then you’ll love Patara and if you don’t then I’d give it a shot anyway because you might just change your mind. It’s a good-looking venue and a great place to meet up with friends for some relaxing indulgence and a few bottles of lovely Singha beer – service is assured and the food demonstrates enough skill to put it head and shoulders above much of the competition

  • Cinnamon Club, Westminster

    Tuesday November 15th, 2011

    Its ten years since The Cinnamon Club redefined Indian cuisine for an English audience and although classical in execution the cooking remains innovative. The Anglo-Indian cuisine encompasses not only the hybrid cuisine evolved by Bengali immigrants with its vidaloos and tikka masalas, but also the traditionally refined food of India’s raj and royalty that celebrates subtly and quality ingredients.

  • Sam’s Chop House

    Wednesday June 22nd, 2011

    There’s something about Sam’s that’s immediately reassuring. Nobody has thought to disguise it as a gallery-come-boudoir and there are no students loitering at an open-mike like opportunistic flashers.  The Express Lunch Menu turns out to be a short and sweet celebration of classic British food.

  • The Velvet Lobster

    Sunday March 20th, 2011

    There's a kind of mutual osmosis between The Lobster and its diverse clientele, and this stops the place being hijacked by cliques; not everything is fair-trade or organic, not all the staff have dredge locks, and it's unlikely that someone will start strumming the guitar or free-styling poetry while you attend to your bagel. You can plug into the low-key buzz, or spread yourself out with the paper, a piece of coconut cake, and a view straight out of a great seafaring yarn.

  • The Great British Food Revival or Dead Air Time?

    Friday March 11th, 2011

    The latest episode in a show that attempts to resuscitate the lacklustre British palate started with restaurateur and part-time Frenchman Michel Roux exclaiming: “I’m Michel Roux and I’m passionate about bread.” From these unpromising beginnings you wonder how Roux is going to make a 30 min programme on bread interesting, and to give him credit, he tries.

  • Fit for Shabbat: Tracklements Beetroot & Horseradish

    Thursday March 10th, 2011

    You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy Tracklements Beetroot & Horseradish, which is just as well as  Nadia Alkahzrajie definitely isn't. She finds thouhg this vibrant kosher relish goes well with all kinds of food, so don't just save it for high days and Jweish holidays

  • Strange Shores: The Uncanny Pleasures of the Foreign Foods Supermarket

    Wednesday February 23rd, 2011

    Have you ever listened to one of those relaxation tapes? The ones where you’re told to imagine a ‘happy place’ then prodded in the right direction. Usually you find yourself directed to a beach.  Inevitably there’s a sailing boat and warm, golden sand between your toes. Can you hear the sea lapping the shore? Congratulations, you’ve found your happy place.

  • Caddyshack – Newby Teas Get the Once Over

    Friday February 11th, 2011

    Did I enjoy my Newby threesome? Yes I did, although I would have been interested to try one of their more unusual flavours which include saffron, chocolate, cardamom; pineapple and honey. Mine was a traditional selection and while I can genuinely say that Newby do a very good version of these teas with some rather snazzy packaging to boot, I’m still left wondering if they’re more Raj than original?

  • My Bloody Valentine?

    Friday February 11th, 2011

    Valentine's Day’s big business, but why do we willingly buy into the 'erotic' food scam every year? Rather than saying 'I love you,' isn't our shameful lack of originality saying something lacklustre or worse: is your partner initiating foodie foreplay with a symbolic asparagus spear, or deadly indifference?

     

  • 100 Years of Michelin in Great Britain & Ireland

    Wednesday January 19th, 2011

    It’s an impressive 100 years since Michelin first launched itself on the British public and in all that time it’s come a long way from a motorist’s guide to service stations with some helpful hints on car repair thrown in for good value.