I tend to avoid the "modern Indian cuisine", but last night changed my views on it.
Very trendy bangra tunes played throughout, an excellent and well thought out wine list, and not a poppadom on offer.
The starters were deep fried aubergine slices, fried in spiced gram flour and served on a salad dressed with chilli and a saffron yogurt dip.
Main courses, hard boiled egg and potato curry(very important to use old floury potatoes which they did), fantastic coating of the freshest coriander leaves, and served with a naan bread stuffed with honey.
Next course (phew)!, an extroadinary, hot mutton curry, which appeared that the red coating was actually chilli paste and not tomato sauce.
I don`t know how many of you have done this, but we couldn`t finish the last course, and I asked them to box it up for us:blush: , which they did, and gave me an extra bread so that I can have it for lunch.
It is excellent that the new wave of Indian/Bangla cookery is looking way ahead of the traditional UK madras or chicken tikka masala.
The menu was so vast I am going to have go back time and time again until I have eaten it all.
We`re off to France in July, and I`m on a mission to come back a stone heavier.

To get back in the knack of things, l did a PROPER sweet n sour on Saturday, (Pork marinated for 4 days in brandy and salt....), l also did my Ramaquin madras
(minced lamb and spices), Our guests left enoough for a meal for me!! So l had it last night,......boy did l pay for it!

Aslan

I have six for dinner tonight for a football party.
I have decided to cop out a bit and make a large fusilli al forno, topped with dutch cheese.
The basil is going mad in the garden and deserves to be eaten, and so in the oven it will go as well.
Sadly, the ubiquitous garlic bread will be on the table also.

Fat lamb steaks basted and marinated in herbs with a crust of black pepper grilled and served with roast potatoes and green peas with baby white onions.

I ordered two sea bass from the fish delivery man:P
I have just purchased fresh samphire, from a fishmonger to lay them on, this is the first time I have ever seen it in a shop, I normally pick it from a local marsh and it is filthy, so this is total result.
The organic veg has arrived, excellent broad beans and red onions.
And guess what?
No sign of the sea bass.
Well I suppose he just didn`t catch any, but a warning would have helped my menu...
You can imagine the phone call can`t you , from his mobile..." ello Mart?yeh you are breaking up a bit...ello, yeh ..ello mate.yeh ..elllo?? there`s no sea bass out `ere mate..ello? I have a shrimp is that any good? ello? "

The sea bass arrived, fresh and fantastic.
I honoured the fish, by filling it with garlic, butter and smoked paprika, and pan fried them.
Absolutely brilliant full flesh, much better than cod or plaice.

It's all a bit Walrus and Carpenter and Oysters, Mart!
By the way, has anyone worked out why a Walrus and a Carpenter were together at all?
As you know, my fave rave fish is mackerel.
What do they call Bass in Chinese (I know they are very popular there)?

I will ask at lunchtime as I am reviewing a restuarant.
I think the Walrus and the Carpenter got together because they fitted in with the rhyme personally!
Tweedledum and Tweedledee were together for obvious reasons...
Alice and the white rabbit, split up over musical differences on the difficult third album.(after all, who could envisage a male and female duo of guitar and drums being succesful?)
The rabbit simply couldn`t work to a click track, and technolodgy had moved on, so Alice returned to her basement and broadcast live on the web.
And they all ate fish and were happy ever after.