I had the set menu, my wife the vegetarian. There's a lot of crossover between the courses, as you'd expect with Indian cooking, with substitutes coming off the bench when meat is served.
An immediately encouraging start- a crisp little sweetcorn fritter, liberally spiked with green chillies, the heat tempered by homemade hung yoghurt and given a dimension of sweetness with fig chutney.
If that was good, then Afghani lamb chops are excellent: they have been marinated in a green papaya paste to tenderise them, and are served with a blush of pink. They certainly bear comparison to the renowned lamb we had at Tayyabs last year. They're the kind of thing which have you reject cutlery- and the finer sensibilities of your fellow diners- to worry and pick and gnaw.
Mushrooms carry a hefty thump of heat: they've been cooked quickly on a high heat to prevent their juices leaching out, and to preserve their meatiness.
On both plates, a tagliatelle of shaved mooli (daikon) and herbs is nicely refreshing against the spicy heavy hitters.
There's a pungent lime pickle with tiny round chillies lurking to trip the unwary and a tomato based pickle with sultanas is sweet but a hint of warmth.
There's a raita too, a novel version flavoured with oranges. Teamed with mildly spiced Kashmiri chicken thigh pieces, it's an unexpected marriage.
Amritsar chickpeas are still firm and nutty but with a background heat that builds slowly.
There's a raita too, a novel version flavoured with oranges. Teamed with mildly spiced Kashmiri chicken thigh pieces, it's an unexpected marriage.
Amritsar chickpeas are still firm and nutty but with a background heat that builds slowly.
As she has moved into her thirties, my wife has begun to prefer vegetables to meat, seeing them as more interesting and versatile.
Yes, we are seeking professional help.
On her plate, a stir-fried cabbage dish is a cousin of Keralan thoran. A couple of breads are on hand, too- a flaky paratha and a butter naan, though the latter could have done with a touch more of the yellow stuff.
A couple of baby peppers are stuffed with ginger, chilli and cumin infused cottage cheese (also home made): basmati comes flecked with pine nuts.
There's a lot to be said for this presentation, a grazing kind of model, rather than bowl of rice plus hot brown stew. In effect, this was a plated thali, and
Lastly, a Gujurati srikhand- a cousin to pannacotta, perfumed with cardamom and with diced mango. It's a bridge too far for me: the flavours are there, it's just rather rich for my taste by this point.
There's a lot to like here- the use of unconventional premises (this was a church hall), the sheer variety of regional cooking styles on offer, the warm and personable service from this family-run enterprise. And the food of course, which is consistently interesting. The price? £25 per head, which represents some pretty thumping value, sweetened further by the chance to take your own booze.
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I was invited to eat with Zest Dining. As such all food was complimentary. We provided our own alcohol.
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