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With
buses it is a truism - you wait ages for one to come along then two
come along together. So it was with reviewing good Indian restaurants
when we found we were visiting two of Britain's top Indian
restaurants on consecutive days.
First it
was the turn of the multi award winning Jaipur
in Milton Keynes with its sister Thai restaurant The Orchid Lounge.
It had been some time since we had visited this fantastic monument to
one man's dreams but it was as fresh, sparkling and awe-inspiring as ever.
When we
first heard about the Jaipur project, Ahad ran his very successful
but much smaller Jaipur near the station and wanted to show us the
green field site where he would raise his dream restaurant. As
ambitious as it sounded, he did it, and the huge domed, two storey
building remains a landmark in Milton Keynes and a place where people
from all over the region flock to for a top class Indian or Thai meal.
The
second restaurant was Babur Brasserie
in London SE23, some distance from the grandeur of the Jaipur. Babur
has been one of our favourites since Emdad and Enam Rahman opened it
over 20 years ago. Even then they were not content to be an ordinary
curry house and saw it as their task to educate and innovate.
Nowadays
front of house is smoothly run by Amin Rahman and the kitchen by Head
Chef Jiwan Lal but the principles remain the same. Chef Lal is
undoubtedly one of the best Indian chefs in the country at present
and continues to grow in stature. His passion for his food is very
evident and the results amazing. On this occasion we were visiting to
sample his new Syrian/Christian Cooking from Kerala - a special
chef's menu to run from 23 September to 31 October.
For
starters we tried Squid Pepper Fry with star anise, cinnamon and
sweet chilli dip and Kerala Fried Chicken Wrap with tangy tomato
chutney. Both exuded subtle tastes and textures and led on well to
the main courses of Country style Chicken Stew with chinks of potato
in turmeric, ginger, chilli and red onion with brown rice and Masala
Fried Beef with spiced onion pancake accompanied by a Banana flower
and lentil with curry leaf and mustard seed side dish - tender,
tangy, tasty, terrific and any other "t" superlative you
can think of.
Listening
to diners around us it was obvious they appreciated the difference
that Babur offers and we even heard the dreaded "M" word
(Michelin) mentioned. Can't wait for the next "Festival" or
Chef's Menu.
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