Tayyabs – East London

I mentioned a few weeks back, that I have wanted to go to Tayyabs, a Pakistani restaurant just off Whitechapel Road, East London, for a long time, and each time my plans had been thwarted.  I've lost count, but I think this was 4th attempt, Ramadan was over, so we made a reservation and I crossed my fingers, hoping it would be 4th time lucky.  Thank goodness they take bookings.  Upon arrival it is hard to see how they are going to accommodate us; the queue snakes all the way through the dining area and out onto the street and every table is crammed full of hungry diners.  The place reminds me of a nightclub.  I've never eaten in a restaurant where I've had to say 'excuse me' about 32 times, contorting myself as I scooch past the people in the queue to get to the toilets.  There is no denying it is a squeeze, but the waiters do a phenomenal job ferrying to and from the kitchen, quickly and safely transporting your food to the table.  I don’t know how they manage to do it, constantly having to run the gauntlet of drunken diners each night.  Either way if you don't like crowds and prefer a quiet, sophisticated dining experience then don't come here, because you won't like it.  Don't take your girlfriend out for a romantic dinner a deux and moan about the atmosphere and how busy it was.  I don't want to hear it because I have warned you haven't I?  Lecture over, continue reading if this sounds up your street.

     I'd been warned that the curries were nothing special and that the thing to come for was the goodies from the tandoori oven, so we purposely steered clear of the curries, with the exception of tarka dahl.  This was a decent dhal, thick in consistency and you could actual make out the yellow split peas which gave it a good texture unlike some of the more porridgey ones you can get.  Vegetable samosas for starters were fine, but things started looking up when a sizzling platter arrived with shish kebabs, tandoori chicken, and the star of the show, the lamb chops arrived.  The shish was a good warm up before the main event, the chicken was moist and well flavoured from the spicy marinade, but the lamb chops were so moreish.  They were huge chunks of spicy, meaty goodness, the kind that make cutlery redundant, and are best eaten like a true neanderthal with your hands.  I liked the rotis, and they were even better when used to mop up the dhal. 
The best bit is the price.  You can eat well for a tenner a head.  If you don't believe me, check out the picture of our bill for two.  It's also BYO, so be sure to stock up at the supermarket on Whitechapel Road before you get there.  I liked this place and only wish it were a little quieter and less 'discovered' than it is.  The food is good to excellent, although I can't comment on the curries, but if you are here for tandoori, you won't be disappointed.  Would I have stayed and queued for an hour or more if we hadn't had reservations?  Probably not, because it was 8.30 and I was hungry, but would I come back again, and visit at a less popular time (if that exists) or make a reservation?  Absolutely, without hesitation. 

Loose end Sundays

I never like feeling I've wasted a weekend.  I don't have to have grand plans; you won’t find me scaling the nearest mountain or sky diving from a tiny tin-can aeroplane, but I have to do something, and that usually involves what I like to call ‘mooching’, and no, for those not familiar with the phrase, it is not a dirty word. In order to ‘mooch’ one needs retail outlets, and preferably ones that sell whimsical things that aren’t necessary for you to function in everyday life. Supermarkets don’t really count, unless we are talking Harrods Food Hall, and neither do DIY stores, no not even Ikea. We’re talking the kind of cutesy boutiques that sell things that would fall under the ‘shabby chic’ umbrella, or funkier, prettier versions of regular items you already have at home like tin openers and door stops.  You don't even need to replace your current ones, but you know your life would become so much better if every morning you were greeted with the sight of that vintage biscuit tin or better still that gorgeous pastel pink cake stand.  I could ogle for hours and yet never buy stuff.  It’s like QVC, but I’m out and about and not on the sofa, so when someone asks you what you did at the weekend, you can actually say, 'Oh I went to blah-blah, and had a look around'.  They are always much less impressed if you say you surfed the shopping channels from your sofa, in pyjamas, drinking tea.

Last Sunday morning was a brilliant mooching day spent with my sister at the Columbia Road Flower Market in East London. A not quite Autumn, but not really Summer either day, meant the conditions were perfect for a mooch around. The street is lined on both sides with proper Cockney geezer flower sellers clamouring for your custom. They have everything from roses and lilies to herbs and bedding plants. We were on the lookout for a pot plant for Emma's new office, but we knew that lugging a giant Yucca around would severely impede our mission to wander in and out of the shops. Once our promenade down the centre of the street was complete, we about-turned and deviated to the pavement so we could get a better look at the shops. They were absolutely perfect, and I have to admit that on more than one occasion I was sorely tempted to purchase. The wholesale china shop did some brilliant cut price white porcelain pieces, meanwhile Treacle not only sold scrumptious looking cupcakes, but had a great range of vintage cookware, that left me cursing the 23kg weight limit on my baggage allowance for my return flight.

Over-excited by the array of beautiful but unnecessary items within my grasp it was time for a culinary distraction in the form of Café Columbia. This was a totally non-poncey (but therefore cool) place, only open on Sunday’s, and they've been doing the same thing for 30 years now. The offering is simple; order at the counter a bagel and choose from a variety of fillings such as traditional smoked salmon & cream cheese, breakfast bagel or cheese, asparagus, tomato and rocket and don’t forget a mug of tea. Head out the back to the courtyard garden and grab a seat if you can. Still a little bit hungry after departing Café Columbia, a few doors up is another terraced house, whose front room has been converted into a kiosk randomly selling mini pots of calamari with lemon wedges and king prawns with aioli. I can rarely say no to calamari, and this was good, crispy batter and not at all chewy. We munched along happily, eventually returning to our starting point, stopping a while to check out the trilby hat wearing double bass band outside the pub. The mooch about was coming to an end, as really there is only so long you can browse for without real purpose. We continued on via Brick Lane where there was supposed to be an Indian food festival, but as far as I could see this just involved sticking a few tables outside their restaurants, whilst the waiters were more insistent than usual that you should take a table. I told one of them that I really wasn't hungry (how could I have been?) and he told me that he could tell I was, as he could see it on my face.  Maybe he was confusing fear over hunger.  What a great sales strategy - bullying. We eventually escaped unharmed and rewarded ourselves with a much needed coffee on Brushfield Street just opposite Spitalfields Market. A perfect end to a lazy watching the world go by Sunday. I didn't actually have anything to show for my efforts, but that's not the point, at least I wasn't at home lounging around in pyjamas and drinking tea.  That could wait until we got home.

Same same but different - Review: Ba Shan, 24 Romilly Street, London W1D 5AH

Back in Blighty for a few weeks I'm determined to cram in as much as possible, checking out some new places and re-visiting old favourites.  Got my sister on the case to find a suitable central-ish venue for a casual mid-week dinner, the only brief being it had to be something Indian/Asian.  The original plan was to go to Tayyabs over in Whitechapel.  So many people have raved about the tandoori lamb chops, but I've yet to savour one.  Each time I try to go my plans are derailed, and this time it was because of Ramadan.  So pushing my upset to one side the suggestion is a Chinese on Romilly Street in Soho, Ba Shan.  The reviews all look good and Giles Coren, my most favourite food critic ever could not praise it enough.  Whatever he says goes as far as I am concerned, so no pressure Ba Shan, but you also have Mr Coren's reputation to uphold.

I don't think I have ever had a Chinese meal that didn't conform to the standard offering that thousands of restaurants in this country adhere too.  There must be a secret Chinese restaurant association that decides what the compulsory dishes must are and ensures no one deviates from this.  You might defend your local place and say that they do some great specials, but seriously does anyone ever actually order that?  No.  Let's face it, it's a giant mixed starter platter groaning with spring rolls and sesame prawn toasts, not forgetting the spare ribs and then the fun bit, the seaweed.  There's always someone in your party that wrinkles their nose at the thought of eating seaweed, but finds it surprisingly palatable when they are told it's just deep fried cabbage.  Sound familiar so far?  Then there is the pièce de résistance; the duck pancake course, which is my main reason for turning up.  Everyone overloads on the pancakes and then has no room for the sweet & sour pork, beef in black bean sauce and chicken with cashews, plus 3 other dishes and the rice mountain you forgot you ordered.  The experience is the same whether you are in Glasgow or Gloucester.

We're forever told that Chinese food here, or in fact anywhere outside China, is nothing like the real deal.  It's almost mythical, they don't tell you what it actually consists of, instead you hear the odd story about serving dog meat and monkey brains, the sort of stuff from an Indiana Jones film.  So it was with some trepidation that we arrived at Ba Shan.  It didn't get off to a fantastic start, as the jobsworth 'host' didn't appear to be in a very hosty mood.  As a party of 5 and with no round tables on offer, they had seated us rather awkwardly at a long table for 6 with one of us stuck on the end, facing no one and being a bit of a billy no-mates.  We helpfully suggested that if they removed one of the tables my sister could sit at the head of the table and all would be perfect with the world.  Alas no, instead he told us more than once that this would not work as it would make it impossible to place food on the table and that my sister would be in the way.  "Really?" We queried.  "Yes." Came the blunt response.  Oookaaaay then, we'll just do what we are told.  Perhaps we should have walked there and then, but my hunger level was far exceeding my offence levels so we stayed put and thankfully Mr Host didn't hang around.

Things improved considerably, especially on the food side, from that awkward beginning.  The menu is a little confusing if you are a used to plumping for either set menu A or B, and so a little advice from the waiting staff would have been welcome.  As a rule I don't go to restaurants with picture menus, but I was particularly grateful on this occasion.  I have to admit that we didn't stray too far into the exotic and so avoided anything with mention of ducks tongues and fish heads, and instead played it reasonably safe.  Edamame beans had been steamed over a five-spice broth, and the short spare ribs were good, but unremarkable compared to the deep fried prawns, which had been coated in crunchy mini-cubed breadcrumbs that soaked up the dipping sauce.  Pork pot-sticker dumpling with a tangy ginger dipping sauce was the other star dish from the first course line up.  The standard continued through to the mains, with a show stopper of a dish in the crab, which had a funny name I can't remember, but was one of those dishes that is a joy to eat, with your fingers of course.  The crab legs are covered in a very thin layer of batter and the dish has a spicy kick to it thanks to the dried red chillies and the generous scattering of tongue tingling sichuan peppercorns.  Chairman Mao's braised red pork, didn't look entirely appealing on the pictorial menu, looks aside though it was worth it.  The fat was velvety smooth and melted effortlessly in the mouth.  A chicken dish with cashews was a little too sweet for my liking, whilst the choy sum greens with chillies were a fresh contrast to the rich pork. 

So did I feel a little short changed having not had duck and pancakes?  Well no, I didn't.  I actually felt a little bit smug walking through Chinatown afterwards seeing other prospective diners eyeing up menus, deciding where to go, and knowing they would miss out.  Would I go back?  Yes, but only after making sure I'm in a group of even numbers so as not to upset the seating host.  Next time I promise I won't wimp out and will try duck tongues.

Italian classics - Veal Milanese & Spaghetti Napoletana

This is without doubt my most favourite Italian dish.  I always order it if it is on the menu, I always think it's a bit of a 70's classic as you don't tend to see it that much.  This was my first time cooking it at home, so I had to compete with all the restaurant versions I'd ever eaten before.  Folks in the UK will know that veal is not that common at home, especially in supermarkets, but pay a visit to your local butcher who is sure to have Rose Veal, and you won't be disappointed.  Here in Canada there was an actual section in the supermarket stocking it, so I flung a pack of escalopes in the trolley mainly because of the novelty, without really knowing what I was going to do with it.

You can eat this dish without the spaghetti, but it is traditionally served like this, and well, it's how I like it.   Regular veggies and potatoes would be fine, but I think the tomatoey sauce goes really well with it.  The Napoletana sauce aka tomato sauce is so easy to prepare, and I always make a larger batch than I need so I can store some in the freezer.  It is such a multi purpose sauce.  You can use it for home made pizzas, a quick supper with pasta or as a sauce alongside grilled chicken and fish.  This quantity makes enough sauce for 4 people, so if you want to get a batch prepared for the freezer then just double, triple the ingredients.

For 2 people you will need....

1-2 veal escalopes per person depending on their size
200g breadcrumbs
2-3 tbsps plain flour
2 eggs
salt & pepper
1 lemon

150-200g spaghetti
1 large onion finely chopped
2 x 400ml cans of chopped tomatoes
3 garlic cloves crushed
olive oil
1 tbsp dried basil or a handful of fresh if you have it.

• Start with the sauce and heat 2 tbsps olive oil in a pan on a low heat.  Cook the onions for 5 to 10 minutes - slow and low - until they are soft.  They shouldn't be coloured at all, instead they get to a stage where they have a milky translucency.  Then stir in the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the tomatoes and basil.  Season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer on a low heat for 40 minutes.  Once cooked, blend the sauce with a hand blender to a smoother consistency.
• Now prepare the veal escalopes.  The meat needs to be beaten out so it is nice and flat and cooks quickly.  So use a meat tenderiser if you have one or failing that put the meat between a piece of clingfilm and beat with a rolling pin.  Then tip the flour onto a plate and season it.  You can add some Italian herb seasonings here if you like, maybe some oregano, rosemary, basil etc.  Then beat the eggs in a bowl, and finally add another plate with the breadcrumbs.  Now you have set up your conveyor belt, simply coat each escalope in flour, dip in the egg and dredge in breadcrumbs. 
• Add your pasta to boiling water as per the packet instructions, and whilst that is cooking you can fry off the veal.  Heat some olive oil in a non-stick pan on a medium-high heat and flash fry for a minute on each side or until the coating is a golden brown. 
• Serve alongside a green salad and don't forget to add some lemon wedges to squeeze over the veal, which is essential for this dish.  Enjoy!