Review: Bank Bar and Restaurant

Conspiracy Theories Abound

Bank on a beautiful summer's day

Summer was attempting a comeback yesterday in Birmingham, so my cousin and I decided to make the most of it by having lunch outdoors. If you've seen my wishlist, you'll know I've wanted to do a Birmingham-Michelin for a while. Unfortunately, yesterday was not meant to be that day as it seems they coordinate opening times, all choosing to be shut on Sundays.

Disheartened, I had to look for alternatives as I contemplated this conspiracy against me. My mind went initially to the Opus Cafe at the Ikon gallery, but their brunch menu was too lightweight for what we needed. Considering options in the area, I thought of Bank and the positive reviews I had read during my university years of poverty and procrastination.

Some More for the Party Menu

গাজরের হালুয়া 

Carrot Halua

Toffee infused carrot halua 

The word halua applies to a whole group of desserts, similar to how the word cake works in English. Just like you can have different types of cake, you can have different types of halua. In Bangladesh, halua is commonly made from lentils, bread, carrots etc., amongst other things. I'm a fan of most variations, but the carrot halua holds a special place in my heart for its quirkiness - after all, this is dessert made from a vegetable. The idea of carrot halua didn't initially appeal to me, but once I tried it I was hooked. 

The recipe below is a short and simple, substituting condensed milk for the traditional whole milk. This makes it easier to follow than a lot of other recipes but beware - it's hugely unhealthy and full of sugar. However, it works great served in small portions, making it an ideal bite-size party dish. It's usually served with a crushed pistachio or raisin garnish back home, and in British restaurants I've had it warm served with vanilla ice cream. 

Back to Basics

ঝাল করে মুরগীর মাংস
Spicy Chicken Curry

I hope from now on all my photos look this good!

I haven't blogged about food in a while, instead opting to regurgitate old reviews saved on my hard drive. There is a reason for this though: it's hard to blog about food you've been cooking if, well, you haven't been cooking. For the past couple of months I've been travelling quite a bit, living out of hotels, eating out and such. The brief periods I have been home have been spent doing chores or catching up with friends - both of which have pushed cooking out of the way.

Looking at the months ahead in my calendar however, I've realised that the intermittent travelling isn't going to stop any time soon. So if I still want to keep this going (as well as eat healthy, home cooked food as opposed to supermarket takeaways!), I'm just going to have to make time for both cooking and the blog no matter what my schedule.

With that in mind, I decided to attempt a very basic Bangladeshi chicken curry today to get back in the swing of things. This is the kind of simple, everyday dish that's cooked in many households. The recipes are probably slightly different depending on who you ask - but this one is my own, based on memory from what mom used to cook at home and experimentation. It's basic flavour is derived from the cumin. Enjoy.