Three unassuming sachets sit in front of a skeptical me. Nice packaging design, colourful, clean graphics- and the reassuring photo of Anjum Anand, noted for championing authentic, tasty Indian food. But, ambient curry sauces? Really, Anjum? With all due respect, I’m not sold. Until, of course, I unequivocally am. Tail firmly between my legs, I award a resounding victory to ‘The Spice Tailor‘.
Mama Lan – Brixton
What began as a supper club in 2010 by Ning Ma has become a hotspot in South-London and one of the standout arcade shops in Brixton Village Market. The corner unit – you can barely call it a restaurant, but rather a cross between street-food stall and Chinese canteen container – is first class for both its food output and as a working show of technical ability and craftsmanship.
Drink up: The Indian wine revolution
The wine list in the local Indian restaurant has long since been a source of amusement, befuddlement and woeful disappointment. And the appearance of bottles originating in the subcontinent is rare, if not exceptional. Perhaps because, until recently, the wines themselves were anything but. Acidic, thin, one-dimensional. But no more- with companies like Soul Tree, and now Ritu and Sula, slowly but surely seeping into the wider public consciousness.
Barbeque Wine List
Frustrated by just looking at his barbeque and not actually using it, Alan Kingsbury reviews some of the wines that will be accompanying all the summer fun when it finally arrives.
When the boat comes in. The other sides of Malta
Ancient and wonderful behind the facade that the cruise day-trippers never see, Malta is much more than an island Benidorm. A place physically and metaphorically between Italy and the Middle East, yet always very much itself and totally comfortable with it.
Patak’s New Stir-fry Sauces
‘People are always ashamed to admit they use their leftovers in curries,’ Anjali Pathak declares in her broad Northern accent, ‘But that’s what Indian families do. Whatever’s around, you throw in a few spices and turn it into something tasty- nothing’s wasted’. Hopefully the notion is one which won’t be wasted on the British public, either- especially when we’re all in dire need of a cheap yet fulfilling feed.
North London digs Unearthed
The Unearthed range is perfect for gatherings, all you mostly need to do is unwrap and serve. BIg green Kalamata olives flavoured with orange, an excellent pork rillete pate, mixed olives, slicedmeats were all served up in profusion before Tim’s big dish, Finocchi on a salami wrapped around a loin of lamb served with Bombay potatoes and a very zingy fennel and orange salad.
Champagne school at Flute Bar and Lounge
Masterclasses are much less about learning than an excuse to do something different and entertaining with friends or partners. They add an extra dimension to the day. They can also improve your dinner party chat, as Joanna Biddolph discovered at a Flûte Bar & Lounge tutored champagne and smoked salmon tasting.
Gurpareet Bains’ ‘Indian Superspices’ review
Having always fancied myself as a classical Kashmiri baker, I’m all over Gurpareet Bains’ recipe for blueberry and fennel flan, from which tradition this recipe originates. Out of the oven comes a rock-cake-like slab of deliciousness. Not sure how historically accurate my endeavour is, but it goes down a treat with the neighbours. And, apparently, has the ability to calm aches and pains. Bonus.
Eating ‘nicely’ with Mrs. Crimble’s biscuits
Nice isn’t just a tasty biscuit, according to small bakery brand Mrs. Crimble’s. It’s also, surprisingly, a characteristic attributed to the Great British public. A tenner on the lottery might come in handy when your round comes around, but a whopping 90% surveyed reckoned they’d rather experience an act of kindness from their fellow man- sharing the last Rolo, perhaps? Culinary karma- the perfect digestive.