Life outside London. David J Constable goes over the water to find that burgers and ribs are okay for jaded Londoners but in other places skill, ingredients and an interest in real restuarant food still thrives. And with a strong Northern Irish accent.
Foodepedia interviews Vivek Singh
Snaffling yet another of Cinnamon Kitchen’s smoky-as-you-like lamb seekh kebabs wrapped in roomali roti, I give silent thanks yet again that Vivek Singh decided to defy family expectation and become a chef rather than an engineer. He’s looking pretty relaxed, drink in hand, as he launches ‘Cinnamon Kitchen: The Cookbook’. So what, besides working a shift on the tandoor, gets the convivial chef all fired up?
No need to knead – Suzanne Dunaway
Kneading is the bit most home bread-makers fall down on – it’s such very hard work. Sure you can use the bread hook on the mixer but, unless you’ve paid for something serious like a KitchenAid, the thing will dance all over the worktop and probably won’t last ten minutes before emitting a smell of burning wires as a prelude to bursting into flames.
Book review: ‘Cinnamon Kitchen: The Cookbook’
‘Why are you doing an impression of Churchill?’ I’m asked by a housemate. No, I’m not puffing on a fat cigar and putting people down in a fabulously cutting manner- he means the nodding dog from the insurance ads. And, actually, he’s not far off the mark. It’s just I’ve got a copy of Vivek Singh’s’Cinnamon Kitchen: The Cookbook’ perched on my lap, and every recipe makes so much blimmin’ sense.
Interview with David Baker, brandy expert
‘Never swirl a spirit’ I’m told, as David pours a ten year old cognac into the glass and rolls it about gently. Apparently swirling the spirit releases the alcohol which blinds the delicate aromas of the drink.
Four Shades Of Rioja
Say the name’Rioja’ and an image of the densest red wine comes to mind, barrel aged, intensely fruity and unmistakably Iberian; but this most famous region of Spanish wine production is far from monotone. We took a look at a white, a pink and of course, a couple of contrasting red Riojas to see what’s currently available.
Roti Chai Monday Supperclubs
To mark its first birthday, Roti Chai is hosting a series of Monday evening Supper Clubs in its Dining Room with the emphasis firmly on having some fun.
Flavour by Scott Levi
This place isn’t going to feature on any food blogger’s radar, or that of the hair-shirt bien-pensants either who will only knee -jerk sneer at it, but overall the cooking is culinary-exam mode perfect, and yes it does have flavour but what it needs to do is break out, to have fun and to risk being more creative. Maybe even try some of that advertised fusion, of course no one wants to witness a car crash but it wouldn’t hurt Levi to loosen his seat belt just a little bit.
Beer and Food Matching Nights by Meantime
Guzzling bottles of lager in Indian restaurants has hitherto been the most prominent example of’beer and food matching’ but the new, distinctive, diverse range of brews hitting the shelves has got people considering the idea more seriously. To further encourage us to consider beer in this way, beer and food matching nights are regularly held by the Meantime Brewing Company at its Old Brewery restaurant in Greenwich
Plaimont wines in Gers France
A lover of foie gras, Nick Harman heads to Gers in France where the wonderful people of Plaimont wines take him under their (duck) wing and treat him to tastings of their fine reds, whites and the ambrosial, legendary Pacherenc. Two stone heavier, here is his report.