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“Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.”— Leonardo Da Vinci
As you well know, Indian/Pakistani food is the most popular form of eating out in the UK.
However Indian and Pakistani cuisine is going through an exciting period of a renaissance.
The fearless trailblazers who moved from the deepest and darkest India and Pakistan in the late ’50s and early ’60s pioneered the restaurant business, they saved up pennies from working back-breaking jobs in shipbuilding and public transport to buy Italian cafes and turn them into “Indian” restaurants.
They did not have any written recipes, as many could not read or write but literally asked their mums how to cook, then through trial and error, they figured out what suited the western palette and developed dishes to suit.
The indigenous population loved the novelty of it all and the early restaurants were established, a case in hand is the Shish Mahal in Glasgow.
The Renaissance that is happening now is that the Indian and Pakistani restaurant scene is now changing, the grandchildren of the early restaurant pioneers are now bankers, doctors, lawyers, and tech entrapanurs and are no longer interested in restaurants.
In its place are passionate individuals who see restaurants as an Art and chefs as artisans, no longer is the food adapted to the western palette but authenticity is the buzz word, the new Renaissance men are Aktar Aslam of Opheem, Birmingham, Chet Sharma of BiBi Mayfair, Jaf Ali of Khai Khai Newcastle.
They have turned their back on successful careers in banking and science and followed their passion for food and restaurants.
This week we followed one such Renaissance Man and we visited Khai Khai in Newcastle.
KHAI KHAIKHAI KHAI
Khai Khai is the brainchild of the Indian Street Food pioneer Jaf Ali, who owns the Dabbawal chain of street food cafès, he made street food interesting before the likes of Dishoom and Mowgli got into the act.
The Chef is the Michelin-starred Alfred Prasad, so you know which way the restaurant is heading.
Pappad and dips £3.95
We kicked off the proceedings with the Pappad basket, the basket was a mixture of Tapioca furr furr , crackers, and poppadoms, the trilogy of dips was the mint chutney, tamarind sauce, and the smoked tomato
The dips and chutneys went well but we missed the spiced onions.
Beef Shammi Kebab £7.95
Next was the Beef Shami, the wee bite-sized tikkis looked delicious, however, once we delved into the shammis it was a little dense and dry for my liking, usually, the shammis are light and airy as the meat is very finely minced.
Chicken 65 £7.50
The Chicken 65 is once removed cousin of the Korean Fried Chicken, the medallions of chicken breast is marinated with freshly ground masala and cooked in oil, and dusted with chaat masala.
The Chicken was delicious, tender yet crisp and the seasoning was on point, tangy and mirchy at the same time.
Kolkata Chilli Chicken £7.50
The Kolkata Chilli Chicken is a Bengal street food classic, the hand-ground spices, and sun-dried chillis are rubbed into the chicken breast and stir-fried, again well seasoned it was very tasty or should I paraphrase… “Bangin”!!!
Josper Murgh Tikka £14.50
The Josper Oven is a combination of a grill and an oven in a single piece of equipment. It cooks the chicken using charcoal heat only. The Chicken Tikka is extremely tender and moist, which is the “holy grail” of Chicken Breast.
Signature Tandoori Broccoli £7.50
In Indian cuisine, Broccoli is a misunderstood ingredient, usually relegated as an ingredient used in Sagg.
Here the Broccoli has been elevated to hero status, the Broccoli is marinaded in paneer, cream, and masala and then slow-cooked in the tandoor, one word delicious. the Broccoli was soft but not mussy, the masalas did their job.
In Conclusion
Khai Khai promised
“Let’s take a journey back to the way things used to be. To heritage Indian comfort food expertly prepared with fire and smoke.”
In many ways they did exactly what it said on the tin, the meal was expertly prepared using fire and smoke, although the dishes were far from original, what was original was the innovation being used in the ingredients and the cooking.
The Service was professional and business-like best of all friendly without being overfamiliar
The Star of the Meal?
The Signature Tandoori Broccoli and the Josper Chicken Tikka were definitely the stars of the show
The miss of the Meal?
It would be unfair to say the Chicken 65 was the “miss”
Honorable Mention
So how did Khai Khai compare with its Indian Renaissance peers?
The Three best Indian Renaissance restaurants so far have been Opheem, Birmingham, BiBi Mayfair, and Jamovar Mayfair
Khai Khai holds its own against the London Hard hitters
Halal Rating
The Chicken, Beef, and Lamb are confirmed 100% Halal
Alcohol is served on the Premises
NO Pork is served on the Premises
100% impartial Guarantee
Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.
Hey Foodwala boys and girls… hope you are all safe and well
Please remember to subscribe to the Alfie Foodwala Facebook and Instagram pages, tag, and please share with six people if you like this review, message me if you have constructive feedback.
If you would like to “Eat with Alfie Foodwala” please email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com
Furthermore, if you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”.
You must think the above quote is a highly odd thing to write in a restaurant and food blog.
But humour me, all will be revealed.
The above quote was uttered by the physicist Robert Oppenheimer as he witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945.
A piece of Hindu scripture ran through the mind of Robert Oppenheimer:
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”.
It is, perhaps, the most well-known line from the Bhagavad-Gita.
Now what is the point of all this gloom and doom, well I visited BiBi, which is the brainchild of Chef Chet Sharma, he moved from India to Oxford University to train as a Physicist.
however Chef Sharma’s passion was food rather than theoretical Physics, so he made an unbelievably brave decision to leave his profession and go to work in a restaurant kitchen.
That is like saving all your parent’s money and buying a BMW and then trading it in for a Dacia Sandero!
He went on to catch the eye of the visionary owner of the restaurant stable JKS restaurants, Karam Sethi who harnessed Chet’s passion and bankrolled BiBi in Londons Mayfair.
BiBi
London was experiencing an Indian Summer when visiting the restaurant, the restaurant was a hive of activity.
The staff was very friendly, keeping in mind that the restaurant is bang smack in the middle of Mayfair, or in other words Mumbai upon Thames or Londongrad.
The street outside the restaurant was knee-deep in Rolls Royces and Bentleys.
The restaurant interior was a tastefully modern Rajhistani look with warm mango wood and wood kiln tiles.
Wookey-hole Cheese Papad (v) £7
I kicked off the proceedings with the Wookey-hole papad, the papad was what deceptively looked like a green mint chutney, which is standard fayre up and down the country, nothing special in that I hear you say. But this was not any old green mint chutney, under the green sauce was a layer of creamy soft cheese and then a layer of sweet mango.
I was absolutely bowled out, it was delicious exciting, and innovative… loved it
Nashpati Bhel (ve) £14
Next up was the Chaat course, I opted for the Nashpati Bhel Chaat,
Bhelpuri is a savoury Chaat from the beaches of Mumbai, It is made of puffed rice, vegetables, and a tangy tamarind sauce, and has a crunchy texture. Chef Sharma made the Chaat his own by cooking each element individually and constructing it using the finesse and then adding a watermelon granita on top to give the chaat a contrasting sweet frozen element, simple yet clever.
Dahi Aubergine (v) £14
Up next was the Punjabi Dahi Aubergine, the Aubergine is a fiendishly difficult vegetable to master, cook it too much it becomes a mushy glop, and cook it too early the Aubergine becomes rock hard and earthy.
The Aubergine in question was marinaded and then cooked in the Josper oven, resulting in a delicious smoked, meaty slice and topped with spiced whipped yogurt. tasty.
Sharmaji’s Lahori Chicken accompanied with Kaima Yakni Pilao £22
The Awadi Chicken is An integral part of every Royal Moghul banquet this dish portrays the true nuances of the Lahori Nawabs. Light, silky very fragrant, the sauce was constructed with care and passionate expertise.
In Conclusion
BiBi deserves all the accolades it is receiving and Chef Sharmas, audacious career move is definitely being honored, He was cooking in the restaurant when I visited, and it was fascinating to see the master at work.
The food was a labour of love, you could see the care and attention going into each dish.
This is a real passion, where you sacrifice for your art, as opposed to the woke sanitised muttering of snowflakes.
One small cloud in the sky was the chipped plates, I have always been brought up as chipped plates being a big no-no, maybe I am old-fashioned and chipped plates are the new drive to authenticity.
The Star of the Meal?
The Wookey-hole Cheese Papad was a revelation.
The miss of the Meal?
It would be unfair to say but I could have done without the chipped crockery.
Honorable Mention
So how did BiBi compare with its Mayfair peers?
The Two best Mayfair restaurants in London so far have been Gymkhana from the JKS stable and the sublime jamavar
BiBi is in a shoo-in for a Michelin star and it is deserving of the accolade (just watch the crockery)
Halal Rating
The Chicken is confirmed 100% Halal
Alcohol is served on the Premises
NO Pork is served on the Premises
100% impartial Guarantee
Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.
All reviews are the personal opinion of Alfie Foodwala based on his 30-year experience as a restauranteur
Hey Foodwala boys and girls… hope you are all safe and well
Please remember to subscribe to the Alfie Foodwala Facebook and Instagram pages, tag, and please share with six people if you like this review, message me if you have constructive feedback.
If you would like to “Eat with Alfie Foodwala” please email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com
Furthermore, if you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.
“The party of the century”
As you might know, Eid has just passed and as usual, we all over-indulged after the blessed month of Ramadhan, We spend time with loved ones and enjoyed a huge range of delicious dishes.
We all love a party, we spend time with friends and family, eat good food and generally, a great time is to be had.
But where was the greatest party of all time, was it thrown by a Roman emperor? or King Solomon? or was it Queen Cleopatra at her inauguration?
Well actually the answer is quite surprising, The party of the century was actually thrown by the Shah of Iran to celebrate 2500 years of the Persian empire, a new city was constructed in the Persian desert, everything was constructed by French artisans and even the food was flown in from France, however, oddly enough no Iranian person was invited and the Shah did not even invite his ministers.
Not surprisingly, that did not sit well with the Iranians, and the small matter that it cost a mere $250m meant that the Shah’s card was marked by Messers Khomani and co.
That brings us to Saffron by Paradise in the Kelvinbridge Quarter, It used to be a run-of-the-mill Iranian restaurant called Paradise and it had a weird waterfall in the windows with always made me pass water for some reason.
The restaurant was taken over by an enterprising Persian chap who reinvented it as a Persian bistro, he made it trendy by adding statues of Perian mythology and the Persian sun-god Mithra.
We walked in at Iftar time and were greeted by a lovely vibe and ambiance, and full of pretty young things.
Mokee Foodwala and I were absolutely famished so we dove right into the Persian Meze.
Red Pepper Hummus £4.95 Moosir £4.95
The Red Pepper Hummus was deliciously creamy with roasted red pepper folded into the tahini and Channa, delicious.
The yogurt Moosir dip was balanced with garlic and walnuts and the perfect viscosity for it to be scooped up with the piping hot nan.
Saib Zamini £3.95
The Persian Batata Harara was triple cooked so it was crispy on the outside and piping hot and fluffy inside, the sumac seasoning was on point without being overpowering.
Koubideh Kebab £14.95
The Koubideh Kabab was up next, Koubideh is made from ground lamb or beef or a mix of both. It simply translates to slammed kabab, because of how it was made traditionally in the past. The meat was placed on a large stone and got smashed with a wooden mallet
If I was honest it was good but definitely not the best, It was well seasoned but a wee bit dry and it was missing the trademark smokiness, possibly because it was made on a gas-fired robata, as opposed to a far more difficult to used coal robata.
Joojeh Kebab £15.95
Joojeh kabab is a quintessential Persian chicken kebab. Chicken pieces are smothered in a delicious saffron and olive oil paste and grilled on a robata, this simple dish separates the cooks from the chefs if the chicken cubes are cooked a few seconds longer and the diced chicken becomes rubbery, cook a few seconds too little then it is a health hazard.
In Conclusion
The Mezze was fresh and flavorsome expertly prepared, could not fault
The Grilled mains were again delicious, the Koubideh would have been even more delicious if it was prepared on a charcoal robata, but that is just a minor point, the Joojeh Kebab was slightly under-seasoned for my taste but was grilled on point.
The Service was perfunctory, neither excellent nor poor, it was just functional.
The Star of the Meal?
The Koubideh Kebab was definitely the star of the show
The miss of the Meal?
It would be unfair to say the Joojeh was the “miss”
Honorable Mention
So how did Saffron compare with its Persian peers?
The Two best Persian restaurants in London so far have been Patogh off Edgware Road and the sublime Berenjak in Soho.
Further afield the best I have visited has been Persopolis in Beijing! and the sublime Special Kebab in Dubai.
While Saffron was excellent for Kelvinbridge Quarter, Glasgow, but way behind its more cosmopolitan brethren.
Halal Rating
The Chicken, Beef, and Lamb are confirmed 100% Halal
Alcohol is served on the Premises
NO Pork is served on the Premises
100% impartial Guarantee
Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.
All reviews are the personal opinion of Alfie Foodwala based on his 30-year experience as a restauranteur
Six by Nico 1132 Argyle St, Finnieston, Glasgow G3 8TD
Hey Foodwala boys and girls… hope you are all safe and well
Please remember to subscribe to the Alfie Foodwala Facebook and Instagram pages, tag, and please share with six people if you like this review, message me if you have constructive feedback.
If you would like to “Eat with Alfie Foodwala” please email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com
Furthermore, if you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.
“Never Meet Your Heroes”
I never really understood why people say never meet you, heroes, surely the reason they are your heroes is that you want to meet them…sounds a bit like an Oxymoron.
My brothers and I are great cricket fans, but we love good cricket as opposed to supporting a certain team for jingoistic purposes, so imagine our excitement when we found out India was coming to Scotland to play a one-day international.
At the time the great Sachin Tendulkar was the captain of India and was one of the greatest batsmen ever.
We were giddy with excitement, so I set off with my brothers Goblees and Ralfy Foodwala to track down the elusive Mr. Tendulkar.
We set about the chase like a military operation, we phoned all the hotels until we found out where they were staying, we then went to the hotel to see him but found out he had just left for dinner.
The staff was not forthcoming or the whereabouts of the dinner venue, We eventually found the loose-lipped concierge who told us where he was after a few crisp twenty-pound notes accidentally fell into his pocket.
Sechin was at the Nandos at Springfield Quay… the chase was well and truly on, we piled into our bashed but trusted Toyota Camry and headed for Nandos.
We arrived at Nando’s as he was just finished his meal and was about to leave, imagine our excitement of meeting one of the all-time greatest cricketers.
We gingerly walked up to Sachin
“Sachin Sir…we are your greatest fans”
we breathlessly and nervously chanted in unison
“Can we have an autograph and a photo”
Sachin turns around from the people he was having an animated conversation with and said
“get lost yar…I am busy”
the words hung in the air like a bad smell, maybe we did not hear right or got lost in translation.
“Mr Tandulkar can we atleast shake your hand”
Sachin just looked at us aloofly and brushed our hands away and walked past.
To say that we were disappointed is an understatement, any enthusiasm for messers Sachin Tendulkar drained away from us like shaving foam in a sink.
We found out the hard way to never meet your heroes.
This week I was with Shai Foodwala and we visited one of our culinary heroes, Six by Nico
We walked into the restaurant and it was full of couples reverently sitting at the tables, there was a weird absence of conversation and atmosphere.
as if they were waiting to worship at the altar of Nico Simione.
The menu on this occasion was titled “Guilty Pleasures” and it was described as
“Prepare for 6-courses of pure indulgence, inspired by moments we all long to enjoy…
From staying in pajamas all day to binge-watching your favorite tv shows, or enjoying breakfast for dinner, or even singing cheesy pop songs we all have a secret guilty pleasure that we are not so quick to share…
However, with our next six-course tasting experience we invite you to embrace and celebrate your guiltiest pleasures with a complete disregard for what others may think!”
Croquettes £5
We kicked off the Six-course tasting menu…hence Six by Nico, with an amuse-bouche of potato Croquettes, with a dollop of white grape sauce.
The Croquettes were a little boring but tasted decent, I would not say they were fantastic, not poor, they existed as Croquettes.
Spaghetti Loops
The first official course was the “spaghetti Loops” and my expectations came to a crash, this was bland and boring, I don’t know whose guilty pleasure is spaghetti hoops but certainly not mine.
STRAIGHT FROM THE CAN
Round 2, Straight from the Can, Ceviche Of Tuna, Pickled Watermelon, Tokyo Turnip, Bonito, Dashi Jelly & Avocado Puree.
Sound delicious but in reality, it was not what I was expecting, Ceviche is fish in citrusy “tiger Juice” where the fish is slightly cured by the acidity, In my humble opinion this missed the mark as the dense Tuna needed some acidity to cut it but was lacking, the trace of watermelon did not help.
LAMB KEBAB
Course 3…Thankfully things started to get better, next up was the “Lamb Kebab” the spiced lamb belly kebab was cooked en point and the
Pickled White Cabbage, Rose Harissa Emulsion & Cucumber Chutney was a refreshing and imaginative accompaniment to the lamb.
FISH SUPPER 2.0
Course 4…The mini Fish Supper was a tongue in cheek reference of fish and chips, the Scrabster Cod was delicious and well seasoned, and replacing the chips was
Definitely an imaginative, delicious, and playful take on Fish and Chips.
NICO’S FRIED CHICKEN
Course 5 was Nicos Fried Chicken, I was fried chicken but not as you know it,
Chicken, Nfc Crumb, Leg Roulade, Barbecue Corn, Hen Of The Woods & Black Garlic Emulsion. essentially it was a deconstructed chicken in its elements and cooked in different ways, sounds a bit weird but tasted delicious.
NUTELLA & WAFFLES
Course 6, was my favorite..Chocolate & Praline Cremeux, Sour Cherry, Stroopwafel & Creme Fraiche, simply irresistible and yummy
the Cremeux was creamy and had a smooth chocolate moose, which was accompanied cleverly with sour cherry sorbet, a nice combination.
well-executed.
In Conclusion
The meal started off unsure, it was bland and boring
However by the 3rd course it actually got a lot better, I became a believer in what Six by Nico was trying to achieve.
There was a lot of imagination in the execution and the ingredients.
The temperature of the food was inconsistent, some elements were hot some were cold
The service was a little too efficient and felt a little rushed and conveyor belt-like.
With Six by Nico scaling up and opening numerous restaurants nationwide it has lost its authenticity and quirkiness and becoming an another chain restaurant
The Star of the Meal?
My star of the meal would be the Nicos fried chicken.
The miss of the Meal?
On this occasion, I have two misses, the spaghetti hoops and the straight from the can.
Honorable Mention
So how did Six by Nicos do against its peers?
Well, the peer is actually next door … Crabshak, Crabshak was in my opinion better in its selection of ingredients, service and taste.
Six by Nico, possible takes the imagination and creativity points
all in all, I would go for Crabshak.
Halal Rating
The Chicken served in the restaurant and HALAL
Lamb is not HALAL
Alcohol IS served on the Premises
Pork IS served on the Premises
100% impartial Guarantee
Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for meals
All reviews are the personal opinion of Alfie Foodwala based on his 30-year experience as a restauranteur.
Wharf 02, Jumeirah Fishing Harbour – 1 Al Urouba St – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
Hey Foodwala boys and girls… hope you are all safe and well
Please remember to subscribe to the Alfie Foodwala Facebook and Instagram pages, tag, and please share with six people if you like this review, message me if you have constructive feedback.
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Furthermore, if you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.
I once went to see the late great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in concert in Glasgow, as you can imagine Glasgow is pretty straight laced in terms of social conservatism, so the once old Nusrat started to sing his Qualis the atmosphere in the hall became electric, it was as if the audience was mesmerised by the poetic lyrics.
Mr Khan sang about how love is a greater intoxicant than alcohol… then something strange happened, an elderly “uncle” got up from his chair and with an aid of a stick shuffled to the front of the stage.
Firstly he took out a few notes from his pocket and reverently placed them in front of the Quali master as a token of his appreciation and then he started to gyrate, yes he started to dance, not in a disco or western dance but a dance of the mesmerised, he started to whirl like a Sufi dervish…one man, without fear of judgment or failure stood in front of the stage and started dancing. Then another “uncle” started to dance on his chair, and another and another until the hall was full of men whirling like dervishes in front of the master.
It was quite a sight to behold, and equally how a single act can kickstart a movement.
The point of the story is that the food scene of Dubai is dominated by behemoth 5-star hotels with its tightly controlled international restaurant scene, or restaurants opened under the banner of celebrity chefs who lend their name so restaurant owners can overcharge their customers and finally the franchised mall restaurants who bang out homogenized food.
However, there is a movement happening in Dubai – chefs and restaurateurs are breaking free from the safety of hotels, franchises and celebrity mentorships and are creating a movement – a portfolio of independent, quality destinations that resonate with Dubai’s community.
One of the trailblazers is Chef Akmal Anuar and his 3 Fils Emirati/Far Eastern restaurant, he turned his back on the safe 5-star residentship and ventured out alone into the tumbleweed wilderness of off the beaten track independent restaurant scene.
He is the first to admit that the risk in the early days nearly did not pay off and he struggled to get 4 paying customers a day, but he persevered and turn things around.
3 Fils has 20 cosy covers and the restaurant decor is what I can describe as fishing village industrial minimalist chic, with cosy brushed concrete walls and simple wooden benches.
The menu is a single card that doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the concept, It is cartoonish and illustrated, where the actual food is sophisticated and crafted. It is the only concept disconnect that I noticed.
I kicked off the proceedings with Scottish Scallops in Tiger Juice of Mandarin Soy juice and Sumac.
Scallops in Mandarin and Sumac Jus AED 52
The Scallops are notoriously difficult seafood to get right, any lapse in focus and the scallop is overcooked and becomes a rubbery mess, however, these scallops were in the Loch near Glasgow a few hours ago.
The scallops were oh so gently seared and placed in the “Tiger Juice” of mandarins, sumac and rice wine vinegar, and basically, it was absolutely divine, the buttery scallops lent themselves perfectly to then citrusy tangy juice, I loved it.
Spiced Lamb Ribs AED 54
The Spiced Lamb Ribs…nearly made me cry…they were so delicious, the ribs were seasoned to perfection and then cooked until they were falling off the bone with the merest nudge of the fork, the fat of the ribs had a nutty buttery flavour and with the seasoning, it was definitely a symphony for the tastebuds.
Dragon Sushi AED 42
The Shrimp Dragon rolls were next up, The Shrimp Tempura was accompanied by the Umami Korean gochujang sauce and pickled shallots, it was decent however the seaweed hair like garnish was disconcerting and should be asked not to be used, kind of spoilt the effort.
Fish Burger AED 62
The Fish Sandwich was a special of the day, the buttery brioche bun was the right bun to use and the slab of perfectly fried whitefish in batter was cooked endpoint and topped with kimchi gave the right about of acidity to cut the fried fish and buttery bun.
In Conclusion
If you want my 2 fils worth on 3 Fils,
I think Chef Akmal should be very proud of what he has achieved. The space is casual with a touch of industrial fishing drama. The setting is fantastic, overlooking the fishing harbour. The staff are Filipino efficient and friendly, and the food is cool, inventive, unpretentious and accessible.
The Star of the Meal?
My star of the meal was definitely Spiced Lamb Ribs…superstar
The miss of the Meal?
I honestly cannot think of anything, but maybe the hairy seaweed garnish…
Honourable Mention
So how did 3 Fils do against its peers?
I am going to broaden my peers’ horizon on this occasion
Definitely on par with Cranshak and Catch in Glasgow
I loved it equally as Gamba
Halal Rating
The Chicken, Lamb served in the restaurant and HALAL
Alcohol is NOT served on the Premises
Pork is NOT served on the Premises
100% impartial Guarantee
Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for meals
All reviews are the personal opinion of Alfie Foodwala based on his 30-year experience as a restauranteur.
Hey Foodwala boys and girls… hope you are all safe and well
Please remember to subscribe to the Alfie Foodwala Facebook and Instagram pages, tag, and please share with six people if you like this review, message me if you have constructive feedback.
If you would like to “Eat with Alfie Foodwala” please email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com
Furthermore is you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.
“Rendere pan per focaccia”
this means to give back the bread or give back to the community.
I am a great fan of celebrating with the community and breaking bread together
One of the most memorable food festivals was on my visit to Naples, I was staying on Via Gaetano Filangieri midway up the Chiaia Staircase overlooking the palazzo Mannajuolo.
it was a beautiful summers morning and I got up for Fajr, and you knew it was going to be a warm day as there was a stillness in the air.
As I looked out of the open floor to ceiling windows I saw an old man walking up the Chiaia Staircase shouting something, it was as if he was announcing an event
“Santa Lucia sta arrivando nessuno avrà fame”
he kept repeating this every few steps, Which obviously piqued my curiosity, as I did not speak Neoplolitan so I recorded the gentlemen’s mournful cries and translated it.
It translated as
“Saint Lucy is coming…no one will go hungry”
I was even more confused, in the street I was staying was a Louis Vuitton and a Gucci boutique, I doubt the residents of this area would be going hungry.
so I got dressed and decided to investigate this a wee bit more, so I went to the local bar for an espresso and I asked the Barista
The Barista told me to have a seat for a few minutes and all will be revealed.
Sure enough, a few minutes later a procession slowly appeared walking up the street, everyone was dressed in white and were carrying a statue of Santa Lucia.
It was a very cheerful and colourful profession and the participants were handing out candy and cake.
Apparently, every July the people of Naples celebrate the festival of Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia is the patron saint of the blind and the hungry and to commemorate, the feast of Santa Lucia is prepared and food is given out to everyone.
I love this community spirit and more importantly, food being the catalyst to bring people together.
So to celebrate our own festival the Alfie Foodwala family went out to the Santa Lucia restaurant in the Merchant City.
MARGHERITA D.O.C £11
To kick off the proceeding, we always chose a pizza, the reason being that if the pizza is made properly, using the proper 000 flour
then you know the chef is decent.
The Pizza base should be elastic and chewy without being soggy, the dough should bubble when in the wood-fired oven giving the tell take black bubbles on the crust.
The Pizza ticked all the boxes, the buffalo mozzarella was creamy and the sugo had a sweet tartness.
RISOTTO DI MARE £17
Carnaroli rice with chillies, mussels, clams, langoustine, squid, king prawns in a shellfish sauce.
This was a revelation, the fresh seafood was perfectly balanced with the al dente rice and the shellfish sauce stock made the rice plump.
I loved this dish, The seafood was prepared with an expert hand.
GNOCCHI AL GORGONZOLA E PISTACCHIO £12
The Gnocchi potato dumplings were prepared with creamy blue cheese sauce and crushed pistachios.
WOW! what a paring, blue cheese and cracked Pistachios, who would have thought that two diverse ingredients would make such a delicious combination. The Gnocchi was soft and pillowy, not at all stodgy.
Our taste buds were singing like Pavarotti.
POLLO ALLA MILANESE £15
Cream soaked and then Pan-fried breaded chicken breast with rosemary. The chicken Milanese is a simple dish but difficult to master.
The chicken breast is a notoriously difficult protein to master, Cook it too much and it becomes dry and stringy, cook it too little it leaves it unedible and dangerous.
This was cooked just right, the breast was light and fluffy, the breadcrumbs were golden and crispy.
Penna Arrabiatta £11
Arrabbiata sauce,
or sugo all’arrabbiata in Italian is a spicy sauce for pasta made from garlic, tomatoes, and dried red chilli peppers cooked in olive oil.
the Sugo was delicious, tart yet sweet, shiny with Olive Oil yet not greasy
In Conclusion
Santa Lucia was excellent, they did all the basic things with the proper effort so that the complex elements were made to look effortless.
The Pizza dough was using the right blend of 000 flour
The seafood was fresh and succulent
The Sugo was made from vine-ripened tomatoes and virgin Olive oil
The service was polite and efficient
The Star of the Meal?
My star of the meal was definitely Risotto Di Marre, a complex dish of many elements done right.
The miss of the Meal?
I honestly cannot think of anything, I don’t want to name something just to fill this section.
Honourable Mention
So how did Santa Lucia do against its peers?
Definitely on par with Oro and Cafe Parma
I loved it equally as La Lanterna.
Halal Rating
The Chicken served in the restaurant and HALAL
Alcohol is served on the Premises
Pork is served on the Premises
100% impartial Guarantee
Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for meals
All reviews are the personal opinion of Alfie Foodwala based on his 30-year experience as a restauranteur.
Hey, Foodwala boys and girls…hope you are all safe and well.
Please remember to subscribe to the Alfie Foodwala Facebook and Instagram pages, tag, and please share with six people if you like this review, message me if you have constructive feedback.
If you would like to “Eat with Alfie Foodwala” please email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com
Furthermore is you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.
“if the train doesn’t stop at your station, it’s not your train”
I love traveling by train but particularly I enjoy observing life around the train station.
You can judge the pulse of a city by watching the ebb and flow of humanity around the station.
In fact, my favorite railway station is the grandly known Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai but known simply to the locals as Bombay Victoria station.
The imposing Colonial Gothic structure was built in 1887 and the interior is like a soaring Gothic Cathedral as opposed to a mass transit point.
I love sitting outside the Leopold Cafe and watching humanity flow in and out like the tide of the Indian Ocean just a couple of blocks away.
We have the locals scurrying out of the station going to work in the morning or wearily scurrying back depending on the time of day.
Then we have the begger class, beggers are classed as an unofficial profession in India and a whole cottage industry has grown around begging.
we have the beggers themselves who often maim themselves to make them more feeble and pathetic so to attract the big bucks from gullible western backpackers.
Next up we have the western backpackers who stick out like a Celtic fan at an Orange parade, they are the easy prey that all the scheming locals target.
The beggers know that backpackers’ misguided sense of “savior complex” will generate big bucks for anyone looking pathetic enough and need a savior from the pradomitaly affluent middle-class gap year saviors.
The most fascinating substrata of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus are the Dhabbawalas, which constitute a tiffin delivery and return system that delivers hot lunches from homes to people at work in the Bombay central business district.
The Dabbawalas deliver 200,000 tiffin boxes a day and the dabbawalas make less than one mistake in every six million deliveries.
The theme of Dabbawalas at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is actually the central premises of this week restaurant, Bombay Bustle
Bombay Bustle is in Maddox Street in Mayfair which soon could be called Curry Alley if they are not careful as the street has three Indian restaurants.
The interior is designed like a luxurious train cabin with quaint period features.
BOHRI LAMB SAMOSA
We kicked off the proceedings with a Bohri keema samosa, the hand-ground Hampshire Mutton was delicately spiced with Kashmiri chili and the pastry was thin and crispy, the chili sauce had a smooth kick yet fruity.
MURGH MALAI KALI MIRCH
The Black Pepper, Cheese, Mace, Green Cardamom marinade chicken tender was delicious, delicate in its make up yet the different elements made themselves known, a definite master’s touch.
PRAWN CALDEEN
The Goan mild Peppercorn, Coriander, Curry Leaves, Coconut Milk based non-spicy shrimp curry was smooth yet surprisingly flavorsome, the prawns were firm without overcooked
Dum Lamb Biryani £28
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Dum Lamb Biryani was a revelation, the second coming, the piece de resistance…I cannot give it the superlative it deserves.
simply put the biryani was absolutely delicious, the lamb was cooked in its spicy stock until it was falling off the bone, it was then added to the rice and sealed and cooked until the rice was fluffy yet individually standing to attention like soldiers on the parade field.
The spice was rich and pungent yet did not overpower the different elements of the meal.
i loved it, a wee bit of cloud in the sky was there was some bone still in the biryani and could cause someone to chip a tooth.
In Conclusion
I loved the Bombay Bustle, its from the stable of the Leela Hotel group and the sister restaurant of the Jamavar, the cooking was top notch as well as the ingredients, the Leela touch could be evident as they have some of the best chefs and the training id industry standard.
The decor was fresh quirky and playful and that translated down to its food.
I was looked after by Rodger from Barcelona, who was knowledgable and friendly, and attentive.
The Star of the Meal?
I would make the 400 mile trip to Bombay Bustle again and again just for the biryani, who cares it costs £28
The miss of the Meal?
The rogue bone in the biryani
Honorable Mention
So how did Bombay Bustle do against its peers?
Definitely on par with Jamavar, Kutir, Kahani, and Indian Accent
I loved it equally as the Gymkhana and Opheem
Halal Rating
The Chicken, Beef, and Lamb is Served in the restaurant and HALAL
Alcohol is served on the Premises
Pork is served on the Premises
100% impartial Guarantee
Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for meals
All reviews are the personal opinion of Alfie Foodwala based on his 30-year experience as a restauranteur.
Hey, Foodwala boys and girls…hope you are all safe and well.
Please remember to subscribe to the Alfie Foodwala Facebook and Instagram pages, tag, and please share with six people if you like this review, message me if you have constructive feedback.
If you would like to “Eat with Alfie Foodwala” please email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com
Furthermore is you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.
Hey Guys…. truth can be stranger than fiction, as they say
“you cannot make this up”
So apparently in the 1920’s the resistance movement against the Englisher colonial rule was being conducted by the Indian resistance led by Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi.
The resistance was being carried out in London as well as India.
The urbane and charismatic barrister turned resistance leader Jinnah was in charge of recruiting sympathetic public figures in the United Kingdom to further the non-violent agenda of the independence movement.
Jinnah would recruit and meet the supporters in secret, Mr. Jinnah is an affluent barrister as well as a dapper young man who stayed in Mayfair, as he wanted to stay close to home and his supporters and he did not want to cramp his style so he would arrange recruitment drives in various locations in Mayfair.
He would hold decadent parties where the who’s who of the English social establishment were invited and from there Jinnah and his band of subversives and Indian Princes would recruit.
One of the venues for the recruitment parties was the Claridges Hotel in Mayfair, Mr. Jinnah’s parties were the talk of the town and he would hold court in his Saville Row tuxedos.
One unlikely recruit from the party was one Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, or as me and you know him…Charlie Chaplin!
Mr. Chaplin was a vocal supporter of the Indian independence movement and used his stature as the leading film star of his time to spearhead the agenda.
Mr. Jinnah being sophisticated and clever
discovered the best recruits came from the world of showbiz and media, as they would then carry out the PR required for the independence movement.
After recruitment the resistance movement would meet in clandestine at the then newly opened Veeraswamy restaurant in Regent Street, this venue was chosen as the owner was sympathetic to the cause and apparently, Charlie Chaplin was a descendant of Indians and loved his Indian food, his particular favorite was Lamb Rogan Josh!
This amazing story of Spies and the resistance movement got me wanting to visit the Veeraswamy as well, who had just won its first Michelin star.
Veeraswamy
The restaurant had recently been refurbished during the lockdown to celebrate the Michelin Star, I particularly loved the quirky display of turbans as wall art and the coloured glass jars as lights, very creative.
Amuse Bouche Dahl and Saib soup
We kicked off the proceedings with this wonderfully quirky Dahl and Saib shorba ( yellow lentil and apple soup) it was a playful concoction of earth-spiced lentils and fresh green apple, imaginative and delicious…definitely a great start.
Wild Tiger Prawn mint and chili
Since I chose the tasting menu, the chef brought out his greatest repertoire, so this was Tiger Prawns with Mint, Corriander, and Chilli. Tiger Prawns are notoriously difficult to get right, cook too little they become soft and mushy, cook too much they become chewy and inedible.
This was en pointe, well marinaded with the hand-ground mint, chili and coriander paste, the masala complimented the delicate prawns rather than overpower.
Murgh Masalum Boti
The boti used chicken thigh to great aplomb, the nutty masala was delicately placed on top and pan-cooked to give tender but flavorsome tasting notes.
The Thali
Next up was the thali consisting of the Lamb Rogan Josh
lamb Rogan Josh
Butter Chicken
Butter Chicken
Prawn Moilee
Prawn Moilee
The Lamb Rogan Josh was rich, pungent, and fragrant, with the right blend of masala, the lamb was tender and cooked until it fell apart on touching with the fork
The butter chicken was mild with a little spicy kick, the spicy kick was more of distant memory after the mildness, the chicken again was cooked to perfection.
The prawn Moilee, paid its due to its Bengal heritage, with tasting notes of cream, mustard and maithee it was smooth and flavorsome.
The Pineapple Quorma was not to my liking, overly sweet and cloyingly clingy to the palate, I would definitely have given it a miss.
Halva Tart
Dessert was the Sojee Halva tart, Halva is a reduction of semolina boiled with milk, almonds, sugar, butter, and cardamom on a tart base.
It was good, but not amazing, the halva did not lend itself to being a tart however the sorbet helped cut the sweet halva.
In Conclusion
I loved the veeraswamy, being a legacy restaurant it did not rest on its laurels, the decor was fresh quirky, and playful and that translated down to its food.
The Michelin Star did not make the food or service stuffy and overbearing.
The service was friendly and efficient
The Star of the Meal?
I would make the trip to Veerasweamy for the Lamb Rogan Josh.
The miss of the Meal?
I would definitely give the Pineapple concoction a miss.
Honorable Mention
So how did Veeraswamy do against its peers?
Definitely on par with Jamavar, Kutir, Kahani, and Indian Accent
but not as good as the Gymkhana and Opheem
Halal Rating
The Chicken, Beef, and Lamb is Served in the restaurant and HALAL
Alcohol is served on the Premises
Pork is served on the Premises
100% impartial Guarantee
Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for meals
All reviews are the personal opinion of Alfie Foodwala based on his 30-year experience as a restauranteur.
Hey, Foodwala boys and girls…hope you are all safe and well.
Please remember to subscribe to the Alfie Foodwala Facebook and Instagram pages, tag, and please share with six people if you like this review, message me if you have constructive feedback.
If you would like to “Eat with Alfie Foodwala” please email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com
Furthermore is you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.
This week was a trip down memory alley
I was in deepest darkest or rather whitest Cheltenham and I felt a craving for some old fashioned, salt of the earth desi salan roti so there was only 3 places that fit the description closeby, which was, Southall, Balti Triangle Birmingham or the Curry Mile Manchester,
I did that eeny meeny thing and chose The Curry Mile=, AKA Wilmslow Road in Manchester,
The last time I was in Rusholme was about 20 years earlier and it was a fascinating place, a cross between Anarkali Lahore and Deira Dubai.
If you ever wanted to study the Sociology and socioeconomics of post-war Pakistani immigrants then all you needed to do was sit on Wilmslow Road on a Sunday and watch it all unfold in front of you,
On the bottom of the triangle you have the newly arrived immigrants from Mirpur who went straight to work in the Manchester Mills, they had one day off and they descended en masse on Wilmslow Road to buy their weekly rations.
Next up in the chain were the waiters of the restaurants on the curry mile,
they were usually from the “Pindi” triangle and they looked down on their mill working brethren but looked up at the owners of the restaurants and aspired to own their own curry houses.
At top of the pile were the garment factory owners from the “Manchester of Pakistan” which is Faisalabad, they had done well in life and went to Wilmslow Road to enjoy being at the top of the socio-economic pile, they would drive up and down Wilmslow Road in their Mercedes and BMW;s and blasting the latest bhangra track from Alapp .
As I negotiated past Birmingham to manchester traffic and then around the confusing Manchester ring road I arrived at the Curry Mile…but wait ? was I at the right place?
The Wilmslow Road I had known had disappeared, in its place was what I could only describe as a Kurdish Benidorm, the restaurants had been replaced by Shisha lounges and Kobida Cafe’s garishly decked out on neon and blasting out “Arabic trash” pop songs.
The mostly male clientele smoking the shisha and watching the girls go by like lizards basking in the sun.
You had the wanna be Bradford and Oldham roadmen who were the descendants of the mill workers driving up and down Wilmslow Road in the rented sports cars and calling each other “bro” and “yarra” and generally making a nuisance of themselves,
The only place that was not changed from my last visit was the Sanam sweet house and restaurant, so I quickly made a beeline for the Sanam.
Sanam Sweet House
I walked in and felt at home, no garush neon and loud music…just an old school Manchester curry shop… bliss
I kicked off the proceedings with some popaddoms and dips
Poppadoms and dips
Next up was some lamb seekh kebab
Seekh Kebab
The kebab hit the right spot, the keema mixture was the right ratio of lamb mince and fat, the kebab was moist and delicately spiced with a nice charcoal flavour from the charcoal tandoor.
Ajwain Lamb Chops
the Lamb Chops was equally good, tender lamb with a touch of ajwain, definitely not overpowered by masala.
Karahi Gosht
the Lamb Karahi was not bad not the best I have tasted but a decent effort, the diced lamb itself felt a little dry and little bit grissly , could possibly be frozen New Zealand mutton
The spices were subtle.
Chicken Ja;frazi
The Jalfrazi was average, it was full of green peppers for my liking and under spiced. especially as the manager said it would be spicy.
In Conclusion
The Sanam was a welcome bit of old fashioned sanity in the middle of “Kurdish Benidorm”
the food was above average and not over-spiced,
The service was basic and functional with a weird point, I asked for a glass of tap water and the manager said we only do bottled mineral water, very odd indeed,
The Star of the Meal?
I would go for the Seekh Kebab and maybe the lamb chops?
he miss of the Meal?
definitely the Chicken Ja;frezi and no tap water!
Honorable Mention
How did The Sanam compare against its desi peers?
It was not as good as Tayabbs in Whitechapel nor was it as food as Giftos Lahore Karahi in Southall
However, it was better than the Kebabish Original.
on par with the Mumtaz in Bradford.
Halal Rating
The Chicken and Lamb Served in the restaurant is 100% HALAL
NO Alcohol is served on the Premises
Pork is NOT served on the Premises
100% impartial Guarantee
Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not except free meals in return for meals
All reviews are the personal opinion of Alfie Foodwala based on his 30-year experience.
Hey, Foodwala boys and girls…hope you are all safe and well.
Please remember to subscribe to the Alfie Foodwala Facebook and Instagram pages, tag, and please share with six people if you like this review, message me if you have constructive feedback.
If you would like to “Eat with Alfie Foodwala” please email me at alfiefoodwala@aol.com
Furthermore is you know of a restaurant that I should review please let me know.
Show me the way to go home, I’m tired and I want to go to bed, Cos I had a little drink about an hour ago, And it’s gone right to my head, No matter where I roam, On land or sea or foam,
(JAWS original motion picture soundtrack 1975)
I am a great fan of movies and the iconic scene where the above song comes from is the seminal movie Jaws by Steven Spielberg when he was a young edgy rookie director as opposed to the shadow of himself now.
In the scene, the Quint, Brody, and Hooper are having a dinner of seafood and in a show of camaraderie sing this song all while they unknowingly are being dinner plans for Jaws.
I have always been fascinated by the majesty of the sea, I love to wonder about the immenseness of the Ocean and have loved the varied treasure trove that the sea provides as a way of sustaining us.
This is particularly evident when I visit the waterfront fish market in Deira Dubai, This is the Dubai the tourists don’t see.
I visit the fish market at Fajar time when the fishermen are just landing their catch, the market is an, amazing atmosphere of hustle and bustle, we have Indian fishermen offloading the dhows with the days catch, cigarettes nonchalantly hanging from their lips, and wearing cut off denim shorts or lungis, their mahogany skin wrinkled like flaking varnish,
Then we have the enterprising Iranian auctioneers who sell the fish, they prance from one basket to another and shout in some indecipherable language while the buyers use hand and finger motions to buy the fish,
All this is closely monitored by the fish market and dhow owners they are the local Gulf Arabs in their splendid ice white Kandoras, they watch the action like pit bosses watching the croupier and punters at a Casino.
After watching this theatre I proceed to the fish stalls and inspect the displayed dish, the Tiger Prawns from the Bay of Bengal, the size of fists, Angelfish, butterflyfish, and cuttlefish are among the fish of the Indian Ocean. Giant clams, gray reef sharks, manta rays, and spiny dogfish are other marine animals on display,
I then purchase my fish and prawns and take them to a wee Dhaba where the Bengali owner, splendid in his lungi and vest cooks the fish in some spices and butter and serves with some chilli sauce and fresh pitta now that is what I call breakfast of champions.
Shai Foodwala and I decided to visit Crabshakk, after many a recommendation.
Crabshakk is a compact wee restaurant in the deepest darkest Finnieston,
As we walked in we were welcomed with the smell of the sea mixed with the sweet-sharp smell of malt vinegar.
we were promptly seated on the mezzanine by the jolly owner and then he announced the specials of the day
we kicked off the proceedings by choosing the fresh Loch Fyne Oysters
Oysters £8.00
The Oysters were served on a bed of crushed Ice and accompanied with a shallot vinagrette the Oysters can only be discribed as tatsting of the the sea, absolutely delicious
Whiyebaite £7.95
Next up was the tiny whitebait which was dusted in plain flour and flash cooked in golden oil, the fish was light and fresh and prefect with some cheeky straw fries.some wou;d say posh fish and chips
Twmpura Squid £8.95
The one fish that challenges a chef is the Squid, this seperates the proverbial men from the boys, Squid if overcooked becomes rubbery and foul,
this Squid was done to perfection the temputa batter was light, flakey, and crispy the Squid was firm, not rubbery. very enjoyable.
Scallops om ancjhove butter £9.95
The amchove butter cooked scallops…what a masterpiece the natural aweet nutty tasting notes of fresh Scottish Scallops was enhanced by the anchovy infused butter, eaten with fresh rte bread
baked Halibut £22.95
Halibut is a hard fish to master, the cousin if the Tilapia the firm sweet flesh is easy to over cook and equally under season, this was dusted with flour and baked and accpmpanied with creamy herb potatoes.
Absolutely point on, the seasining and technique were excellent.
Crab Cakes £9.95
The House Crab Cakes were wee but packed with serious flavour, crabby but not stodgy,
In Conclusion
The Crabshakk was fantastic, the food was fantastic pure and simple, i can go on with superlatives but basically, Crabshakk is very very good,
The superior local ingredients did the talking rather than complicated names and egotistical dishes.
Simple and delicious and attentive staff not to mention friendly
Lets save the OCEANS its the largest eco system and the planets life support sysytem
The Star of the Meal?
I would go for the Baked Halibut and the Crab Cakes
The miss of the Meal?
I would not say miss but less good of all the famtastic dishes was the Musselsm the other ingredients overpowered the Mussels.
Honorable Mention
So how did The Crabshakk do against its peers?
Definitely on par with Gamba
Halal Rating
The Chicken, Beef, and Lamb is NOT Served in the restaurant
Alcohol is served on the Premises
Pork is NOT served on the Premises
100% impartial Guarantee
Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not except free meals in return for meals
All reviews are the personal opinion of Alfie Foodwala based on his 30-year ex
