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Tag: gourmet

October 1 2019

The IVY, Glasgow

mayfair, PASTA, Provençal alfiefoodwala, comfort food, glasgow, gourmet, grill, italianfood, mediterranean, PASTA, soho 0

Hey, Foodwala’s… Welcome to another tale of the trials and escapades of yours truly, Alfie Foodwala

Last week Rarri Foodwalee suggested I watch the much-lauded Top Boy on Netflix, This is the show that Drake loved so much that he collab with Netflix to produce the show, much like Victor Kiam and his Remington Shavers.

Basically the premise of the series is the trials and tribulations of Dushane and Jaime’s battle to become top boy in the world of recreational pharmaceuticals in the present prohibition era.

This got me reminiscing, in the ’70s and 80’s the Top Boy in the Indian restaurant scene was the Shish Mahal, everyday owners of the other restaurants in “Curry Ally” used to send out waiters to stand outside the Shish Mahal, when the Shish Mahal was full and the queue was formed the waiter from the Koh i Noor would run back to his restaurant and tell Uncle Russel that the overflow customers are coming, Mr. Russell would then tell the chefs

“Get ready Chaps…fire up the cookers the customers are coming”

When the Koh i Noor filled up the waiter from the Shalimar would run to Uncle Rehmat and tell them the customers are coming and Mr. Rehmat will cry…

“listen up Old Boys… the customers are coming so crank up the old cookers”

When the Shalimar filled up the last remaining waiter would amble down Park Road to the Taj Mahal and tell Momoo Tariq that the great unwashed would be descending soon and get his uncle the chef to heat up the pot of gravy, lamb, and chicken.

This battle for Top Boy has just heated up in Glasgow, The IVY has just opened in Buchanan Street and is vying for the Glaswegian nouveau riche pound also sought after by 29 on Royal exchange square, Anchor Line around the corner and Rogano close by, so you can just imagine shadowy figures standing outside the IVY waiting to see if it is busy.

We visited the IVY on a Thursday afternoon to celebrate Rarri Foodwala’s sweet 16th birthday and the Glasgow Instagram crowd was just getting started, fashionistas in their disposable Boohoo dresses and wannabe Top Boys were descending on the restaurant.

The IVY menu is wide-ranging Bistro style dining, from dishes ranging from Fish and Chips to Monkfish and Prawn curry.

We kicked off the proceedings with the famous IVY fish and chips, the Cod was smothered in the signature bubbly batter and was accompanied with thick-cut fries and mushy peas, the batter just as I

liked it, a cross between a crispy shell and soft interior and the pearly white cod flakes was cooked just right.

The Chicken Milanese was decadent, the Brioche crumb coated the buttermilk chicken breast and was topped with a fried egg and then showered with parmesan flakes and with a truffle cream jus.

The chicken was lovely and tender and the parmesan flakes gave it umami tasting note and when dipped into the Truffle Cream sauce, all three elements worked well together.

The oriental style sesame and soy marinade Cod was subtle in its tasting notes, It can easily be too sweet with a cloying aftertaste can be like a clingy friend, but this was cooked well and the Yuzu mayonnaise, The Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit like a tangerine and using that to flavour the mayonnaise was very creative.

Frozen Berries and White Chocolate
£8.95

We opted for dessert instead of starters so next up was the IVY signature dessert, Frozen berries with limoncello sorbet and topped with Hot White Chocolate, this was summed up in one word…WOW!!!!!!

The limoncello sorbet with the hot chocolate sauce and the berries was a taste sensation, the different textures, and temperatures played havoc with the old taste buds, but havoc in a fresh playful and zesty sensation, I would return to the IVY just for this magnificent dessert.

The classic Crème brûlée is such a simple dessert but can easily be a hit or miss affair, gladly the IVY Crème brûlée vanilla custard was creamy as it was dreamy and topped with a nice layer of caramalised sugar.

In Conclusion

The IVY is a welcome addition to the Glasgow restaurant scene, however, the debate has started that the IVY in Edinburgh is more classy than the Glasgow one, but that’s the way Glasgow likes it, we are non-pretentious and definitely not like Edinburghs “fur coat and nae knickers”

The IVY looks splendid in its 1930’s theme cruise ship/Downton manor chic and it feels like the IVY has always been there.

The food in the IVY is bistro style and all the elements are presented in the correct manner, the service was cheerful and non-obtrusive.

However, in my humble opinion, it lacked a certain “je ne sais quoi” after all the IVY is just an upmarket chain restaurant and it was slightly clinical, it lacked owners personal touch, much like great car companies are started by obsessive individuals like Ferrari and Honda as opposed to large corporations like Toyota and Cadillac.

The frozen berries dessert was just sensational.

Halal Rating

The IVY serves alcohol.

The Chicken was certified Halal by the management.

September 3 2019

Turkyie, Glasgow

Food, LEVENT, MEZZE alfiefoodwala, arabic, BBQ, business, citycentre, comfort food, gourmet, grill, LEVENT, mediterranean, merchantcity, middleeastern, rustic 0

97/99 Candleriggs,
Merchant City,
Glasgow, G1 1NP

Hey Foodwalas… Welcome to another tale of Alfie Foodwala

One of my most favorite cities in the world is Istanbul…the place is absolutely captivating, I love sitting on the balcony of the Four Seasons hotel in Sultanahmet, which incidentally was a prison and watching the ships politely waiting to cross the Bosphorus and the majestic Blue Mosque on the right with six minarets framing the picture-perfect view of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.

I also love the dark clouds who mournfully sit on top of the Bosperous like petulant gargoyles watching the ships slip effortlessly down the strait that divides Europe and Asia.

The gaze then falls on the enigma that is the Hagia Sofia, which charts the history of Istanbul from the godless Romans to the Christian crusaders and then to the Muslim Ottomans. in the distance is the Topkapi Palace where the Ottomans ruled their empire and equally contributed to the advancement of the trilogy of arts that is science, cuisine, and calligraphy.

The Old city of Istanbul feels like a time machine into the past and the feeling you get touching walls that are two thousand years old is truly humbling.

One the other hand I also love the juxstopition, across the Galata Bridge you abruptly enter the modern Istanbul, and Istanbul where Giorgio Armani boutiques rub shoulders with Lora Piana and Ferraris cruise the boulevards of Nisantasi and the fine young things sit in cafes and you could think you were in Paris or Milan.

The thing that connects the two opposing worlds together is the cuisine of Turkey, which amalgamates in Istanbul, the Kebabs of Adana and the seafood of Bodrum, the donnars of Anatolia with the fruit and nut Baklava of the Trabzonspor. They are all curated in the amazing restaurants of Istanbul, which was beautifully showcased by the great and late Anthony Bourdain.

This week the Foodwala jeeajunt sought out the newly opened Turkiye in the Merchant City.

We kicked off the proceedings with some hot mezze, The Lahmacun was delicious, thin-crust dough topped with seasoned ground lamb, the flavour was subtle yet noticeable.

The prawns in Halab sauce was equally good, fresh prawns were tossed in Halab sauce and sauteed with green peppers and mushrooms, the peppers were not too soft, just right and the sauce had a delicious ambiance about it, I would have happily eaten the prawns with some rice as the main course.

The Haloumi and pan-fried sojouk sausage was also a hit, the salty halloumi was cooked just right so it did not become rubbery while the spicy sojouk sausage countered the salty halloumi…yum

The Turkish Falafel was a little different from its Lebanese counterpart, apart from the sausage shape, the falafel mixture was more smooth, i preferred the Lebanese falafel with its crispy crust and the soft centre.

we loved the hot freshly baked balloon bread, i am sure it has a Turkish name but that is what we called it

The main event was next, The Adana Kebab, this is my favourite kebab the lamb mince was well proportioned with the white lamb fat so it was moist and juicy and also just enough spice as not to overpower the mince, unfortunately, they did not use tail fat in the mixture.

The Chicken cubes were lightly marinated and cooked over the mangal, the chicken could have been slightly more tender and moist, however, it could be just how the chicken fillet was cut.

The Salmon was delicious, it was firm yet flaky and was also lightly marinaded without overpowering and since it was cooked on the mangal it had a slight charcoal taste which was pleasant, the accompanying seafood jus was a nice touch and added another element to the Salmon

In Conclusion…

Turkiye was very pleasant and the food was fresh and well presented, the Adana kebab was well seasoned and cooked on a mangal which is absolutely mandatory.

we were looked after by Kamil and the service was excellent without being intrusive.

The food is authentic as the other two tables in the restaurant were Turkish, a definite sign of a good establishment.

August 1 2019

GAMBA, Glasgow

finnieston, Food, london, mayfair, Provençal alfiefoodwala, emirates, fish, glasgow, gourmet, MICHELIN, oysters, salmon, seafood 0

Hey, Foodwala’s…Welcome to another tale of Alfie Foodwala

On this occasion, I was honored to be joined by a brother from another mother, or specifically Ralfie Foodwala, all the way from the metropolis of Dubai.

I have always loved what mother Acqua has provided us, be it Freshwater clams or Wild Alaskan Salmon or prawns from the depths of the Indian Ocean or Scallops from the wild West Coast of Scotland. I loved the diversity and the fragility of the delicate creatures.

I suspect I got the love of Seafood actually from Papa Foodwala, some of my earliest memories is waiting for my dad to pick me up and us going on our next culinary adventure, I can always remember dad impeccably dressed in his Yves St Laurent shirts and his Saville Row suits and we would fire up his Fuji White Jaguar XV12, which he changed annually!! and we would go to his favorite place, The Danish Food Centre on St Vincent Street.

When dad used to walk in it was like the scene from Goodfellas where he would walk through the restaurant and he knew everyone by name and if there was a line waiting to be seated dad, the manager would take dad in through the side entrance and magically an empty table would appear!

I was always mesmerised by this opera, but dad was always humble and down to earth, he would then take me up to the open seafood display and we would choose which fresh fish was going to be our lunch, the display always looked fresh and shiny, the aroma of the fish was like fresh sea air, none of the fishy smells associated with old fish.

It is the enjoyment of having lunch with dad and the love of the enchantment under the sea that brought me and Ralfie to Gamba

We kicked off the proceedings with six Holy Island, Northumberland Oysters, we gingerly topped the fresh quivering mollusks with tobasco and shallots and downed them all in one…. absolutely amazing the tangy salty jelly tasted of fresh pure ocean…deelish!!

Next up was the Seabass Tartre, fresh raw seabass flavoured by goats cheese and tomato and topped with a chilled tomato and basil sorbet, wow!!

what a combination of textures and flavours, the tomato sorbet added a chilled fresh element to the raw seabass, it was absolutely wonderful.

The slivers of Yellowfin Tuna was next up, Yellowfin tuna lends itself perfectly to the Sashimi style if you cook Yellowfin Tuna it becomes like cardboard, so it lets itself perfectly to be eaten raw, the Tuna was firm and flavorsome, the flavour was enhanced with a touch of wasabi and virgin soy sauce.

The Monkfish was firm light and firm and lobster tasting while the seared scallops were sweet and buttery and the accompanying soy jus was a perfect accompaniment.

The Delicious Freshwater Stone Bass fillet was light in texture and cooked to perfection, the accompanying King Prawns were seared and tossed into the greens, the citrus butter sauce was light and delicious.

In conclusion, The fruits of the sea are notoriously difficult to get right, the margin between cooking it just right and overcooking it is minuscule, it is something a chef with talent and nuance can pull off.

the Chef of Gamba has the talent, the journey of flavours and textures was magnificent, the choice of fish, which were away from the usual suspects was a masterstroke, the blend of temperatures was educational, to say the least.

The Service was equally good, friendly yet not overly familiar, elegant yet not stuffy

I loved Gamba, definitely Enchantment under the Sea.

June 15 2019

Swadish, Glasgow

Food, Indian, indian food, london alfiefoodwala, chicken tikka masala, gourmet, MICHELIN 0

Swadish
33 Ingram Street,
Merchant City,
Glasgow, G1 1HA

Hey Foodwala’s…its been a while since my last Foodwala post, what with Ramadhan and other business commitments but anyhow here I am in my full glory!

I was listening to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who incidentally also hails from my ancestral hometown of Faisalabad and I was absolutely struck by the mesmerising lyrics.

Please forgive my translating skills

“Ye jo Halka halka saroor hei… This gentle exhilaration I am feeling

yeh teri nazar ka kasoor hei… Is the fault of your glance

ke sharab peena sekadia”… it has intoxicated and besotted me

so what Nusrat foodwala is alluding to is that in a society where alcohol and female company is taboo he still feels the effects of intoxication purely from a single glace of a ladies eyes.

The point I am making is that when you are so intuned to your feelings the sheer nuance of what you love, will give you a euphoric rush, whether its a particular food, or a flavour or a caress of someone you love.

So my epic journey starts by traveling East…to the Merchant City and the newly opened Swadish restaurant which prides itself as modern, I was at a loss at this modern Indian cuisine when it had Chicken Tikka Masala and butter chicken on the menu, and Goulati kebabs, the recipe of which is over 700 years old.

Mokee Foodwala and I kicked off the proceedings with the Gelauti Kebab, the kebab was an eyewatering £10.

The Gelauti kebab was first created for a Sultan who due to old age lost his teeth but still had a love for Kebabs, so his chef created silky smooth kebabs by turning the lamb mince into a pate and then cooking it on a tandoor, thus creating kebabs of such smooth and silky texture that the aging sultan could enjoy it.

The Swadish version was not as smooth and silky as I would have expected, definitely not as smooth as the ones in Farzi Cafe, which I reviewed a few months back nor as amazing at Bademia in Mumbai.

Next up were goujons of haddock dipped in sesame and ajwain, I personally felt the choice of using Haddock left the ajwain overpowering the delicate fish, a more robustly flavoured fish should have been used, the Avacado salsa was a nice touch and was flavorsome.

The Lamb Shank Rogan Josh was the absolute star of the meal, the 8-hour lamb shank just fell off the bone and the freshly constructed Rogan Josh was absolutely rich, flavorsome and decadent.

This was definitely our favorite, we scooped up the delicious Jus with the Mozzarella, Gruyere Cheese and Truffle Butter Nan, altogether it was a flavour sensation for our tastebuds.

The Butter Chicken was gentle in its flavour with nuanced cardamom tasting notes running through it and the Soft Burrata cheese giving the sauce a gentle silkyness.

After the star attraction, the Butter Chicken felt like an afterthought or played second fiddle.

We finished off with some Strawberry Bhappa Doi, I was expecting steamed yogurt with a consistency of creme brulee and infused with cardamoms and saffron, but we got something entirely different, more like Greek Yogurt with Strawberry.

I definitely preferred the Bhappa Doi at Kutir in London and Bikenervala in Dubai.

In Conclusion, The chef patron clearly is very passionate, with the innovative ingredients and attention to detail.

However there are some things that did not make sense to me, the restaurant price point is clearly at London Michelin level however we received paper napkins where i would have expected starched Linen and the soft drinks were served in cans where I would expect a glass bottle at least.

The service was friendly and efficient.

The price point of Swadish is about 20% above the competition, admittedly the product is excellent but the Glasgow customer might find this hard to palette .

January 24 2019

Farzi Cafe, London

Food, Indian, london, mayfair alfiefoodwala, burgers, business, chicken tikka masala, emirates, gourmet, grill, MICHELIN, middleeastern 0

Hey, Foodwala’s…welcome to another episode of the Tales of Alfie Foodwala.

Other day I was back in my spiritual home of London.

I was walking from Knightsbridge to Mayfair through the St James area of London and I was admiring the stately buildings of government and royalty.

I passed the Commonwealth Monument on Constitution Hill and I noticed the names of the commonwealth countries etched in the blonde sandstone and includes India and Pakistan.

That got me thinking, The Gorawala’s had ruled over the Indian Subcontinent for eighty-nine years and built some amazing infrastructure projects like the biggest irrigation canal network in the world and built the rail network thus joining every corner of the empire.

The British Raj also bestowed bureaucracy on its Indian subjects so they could rule.

So what did the Britishwala’s get in return… other than £35 trillion( yes trillion with 12 zero’s!) they released the grateful Indian subjects?

they adopted some Indian words into their vocabulary?

Did you know the world Doolally is an Indian word meaning someone of a feeble mind

or hullabaloo meaning making too much sound

and swastika which ironically means wellbeing and healthy…go figure

The jury is still out if the Indians got their money worth.

anyhow all this counting of zeros and history got me feeling hungry and I stumbled upon Farzi Cafe, which is billed as Indiafied Englisher food.

Farzi cafe originates in New Dehli and it caters to the bright young things of the Indian Elite, who are often called Chutney Mary’s and Pickle Joe’s

They are called this for their air of superiority and the love of all thing English.

I kicked off the proceedings with this interesting Dal chawal arancini, the spiced lentils and rice were mixed with parmesan and shallow cooked in oil and topped with green chutney and papad.

This was a very innovative homage to the Italian Arancini and it worked wonderfully.

Next up The Galouti Slider caught my eye, The Galouti Kebab is an ultra soft and smooth kebab which is spiced with Ginseng and fifteen other spices. The Galouti slider was absolutely awsome, the kebab patty was smooth and well seasoned and the kebab had just enough Umami flavour to offset the spices and the butter brioche bun was soft and pillowy, the caramalised onion relish was a nice touch giving it a sweet note to the slider.

The main event of the evening was the Veal ‘osso Bucco’ Ishtu, The veal shank was expertly marinaded as not to overpower the delicate tasting notes of the Veal and then the South Indian Ishtu jus was poured over the veal to give a smooth velvety shorba.

The veal absolutely melted in the mouth and the coriander kulcha was perfect for the mopping of the sauce

A definite hit.

In Conclusion, Farzi Cafe London is very different from its sister branch in Dubai, where the Dubai restaurant dazzled the diners with its presentation theatrics and the substance and the food was somewhat lacking however the owners have very shrewdly acknowledged the mature palate of the London clientele and focused the theatre towards the cuisine.

The Service was friendly and efficient, and I was greeted by a genuine smile from the hostess which seemingly is a rarity these days.

August 8 2018

Catch, Glasgow

Food chicken tikka masala, chips, cod, fish and chips, giffnock, gourmet, haddock, lobster, pakora 0

Hey Foodwala’s It was another lovely summers afternoon so the Foodwala family went for a drive in the beautiful Scottish countryside, but a Foodwala family drive is never just a dull drive, the banter must flow and discussions must be discussed.

It is inevitable that with such strong opinions the foodwala family becomes polarised, It all started when Mokee Foodwala won the toss to curate the soundtrack for our drive, I suggested Messers 21 Savage and Post Malone however just to be obtuse Mokee Foodwala decided to go for the Travis Scott and his newly dropped album Astroworld.

He then regaled us with the epic rivalry between Chance the Rapper and Travis Scott, I said this rivalry was poppycock, it was a childish spat at best, real beefs were the stuff of legends, like Biggie and Tupac or Coke and Pepsi or Nike and Adidas.

As the discussion heated up I gave the young members of the foodwala family another famous rivalry, the rivalry for the rightful crown of the National Dish of the United Kingdom, was it the Chicken Tikka Masala invented in Glasgow by Mr Ali or The fish and chips first created on Oldham by Mr Lees.

We all know that the National Dish is Mr Ali’s Chicken Tikka Masala but we decided that the warm weather lent itself perfectly for some Fish and Chips.

Due to the two Diva Foodwalee sister amongst our midst we could not slum it in any Fish and Chips shop, we had to go to the poshest Fish and Chip restaurant in Scotland, hence why we landed in the doorstep of Catch in Giffnock.

As we walked in the decor was upmarket, to say the least, the marble tiles shone with their Carerra brilliance and the Navy blue ceramic counter give a cool nautical look to the restaurant, the restaurant buzzed with the ladies who lunch from nearby Whitecraigs. and the restaurant had a whiff of Eau de Malt Vinegar.

We kicked off the proceedings with the Catch Fish cakes, the flaked Haddock had been expertly folded into the smashed potatoes and then covered in the fresh panko breadcrumb, the Fish cakes were light and simply seasoned and the lemon Mayo gave the right amount of creamy acidity to compliment the fish cakes.

The fish Pakora caught my eye, it was an unusual homage to the starter lineup, the Cod was deliciously fresh, flaky and meaty and let itself to the slightly dense batter, it was a good effort outside an Indian restaurant.

The Macaroni and Cheese balls were equally imaginative, the cheesiness was cut with some acidity from the tomato relish, very clever.

The Haddock was served piping hot, the batter was crispy on the outside yet soft and battery under the crust, the fresh Haddock was cooked en point and was moist and melt in the mouth, the Malt Vinegar sizzled when it hit the piping hot batter giving a delicious mouth-watering aroma.

The reason why Catch is posh is that it serves Grilled Lobster in a Garlic and Ayrshire butter Jus, The meaty crustacean was expertly grilled without overcooking the delicate meat and then simple drizzled with garlic butter, in one word…Fabulous!!!

In Conclusion, Even if the Fish and Chips comes second in the National Dish Stakes, nothing can beat Fish and Chips for comfort food extraordinaire, and Catch does fish and Chips with flair and aplomb.

The service was friendly and swift.