Review: Hirajheel Hotel, A House of Purity Foods

Home, Chaos and Other

The entrance

Despite its rather unfortunate full name, Hirajheel is a stalwart on the Dhaka food scene. Located in the Motijheel business district, its proximity to the Dhaka Stock Exchange, big banks and various other offices guarantees the restaurant a steady flow of customers. Known for its breakfast “soup” (more on that later) and Ramadan staples (it does a good kebab, almost as good as Star), Hirajheel has been around for over a decade. Dhaka has quite a few even older historic eateries, and each venue has established itself a reputation for doing particular dishes very well. For example, next door to Hirajheel is Ghoroa, which beckons from mom's youth and is the local go-to for good khichuri. 

The interior

I'm willing to bet that Hirajheel at its inception represented a slightly upmarket version of the traditional Bangladeshi “restaurant” - often locally misnamed as "hotels". These are quick and dirty operations: menu-less with a set number of largely unchanging dishes served in a canteen style space. Business is geared towards feeding a regular, local clientele of blue collar office workers, day labourers, rickshaw pullers etc. Decor and ambience do not exist as concepts, prices are rock bottom and the food is simple yet often very good. With Hirajheel things are a little more elaborate - the waiters (sometimes) wear uniforms, and the interior is clean, painted and tiled. Prices are beyond what a rickshaw puller could pay, though they are within reach of most and nothing compared to certain newer restaurants in town. There is still no menu that we could see, however, and finding out what's being served today beyond the usual required a friendly yelling match with the staff.

Review: Barrafina Frith Street

Snap Decisions

Cecina de León, or air dried beef at Barrafina

I'm spending a few days near London before flying to Bangladesh for the winter, and so I'm taking the chance to catch up with friends in different parts of the city. I stopped at Barrafina last night with a friend - completely unplanned and more as the first stop of many during the night as we met up with various other friends. As such, we didn't have a full meal but I wanted to write a quick review nonetheless. Barrafina had always been on my recommended list for good tapas, but until recently I flew to Spain so often I never really made the effort to visit. 

The interior is small, brightly lit and seats no more than a couple dozen people on stools around a bar/kitchen while people queue near the wall behind them. There are another three or four tables outside, with overhead heating for the winter. I hadn't realised the nature of the venue before walking in, and it was close to Christmas so the queue was long. We were quoted an hour waiting time, but were offered drinks and nibbles to pass the time. Normally I would have left due to both the length of the queue and the seating arrangements, but while we stood around thinking about alternatives we were told they had a table free outside. Living in Scotland makes London feel quite summery (even in December!), and we though why not since we weren't going to be there for more than an hour.

Mastering Beef

গরুর চাঁপ 

Tenderised Beef

Apologies for the crappy picture, and all the oil!

I've let myself down a little over the last few years in terms of home cooking beef and red meat. This is unforgivable really, given how beef is meant to be my favourite meat. I've tried to compensate with steak, but no matter how much peppercorn sauce I slather onto a slab of meat it does nothing to recreate the Bangladeshi experience. Until recently any red meat I cooked at home came out smelling just a little off-kilter. I experimented with various modifications to mom's recipes and took on board friends' suggestions - doing everything from adding extra spices to boiling, frying or searing the meat before cooking. In the end, it seems I've found a solution with this beef "chaap" (or tenderised beef) recipe, which I cooked slowly for a significantly longer time than my mom had recommended. 

Fakruddin, at midday before the Ramadan evening iftaar rush

Beef chaap is not an average, everyday dish. It has rich, complex flavours achieved by infusing the meat with an unusual number spices over the length of the cooking process. Chaap is thus reserved for special meals in our family during Ramadan in Dhaka, traditionally bought from Fakruddin’s. The late Fakruddin was originally a chef who ran the canteen at my cousin's old school Viqarunnisa, before branching out to serve food to the public. His sons operate a much bigger business now, built on the back of their father's culinary reputation. Fakruddin is famous for his biryani, but good biryani is easy to come by in Dhaka and it’s his more unique beef chaap that I remember most vividly. Bangladeshi food markets are always heaving during Ramadan, especially near iftaar time. Fakruddin’s is definitely no exception and so it’s always safest to get in early like in the photograph above. By 3 PM the place is packed, and getting to the food counter seems nigh on impossible amidst the crush of people.

Chaap is usually store-bought for special occasions and I've never really heard of anyone cooking it at home. Mom had to resort this as we had no access to Fakruddin while abroad - much like how and why I run this blog now. I don’t know where her original comes from, but I don't consider my version of it complete as some of the spice amounts below aren’t yet very well defined. I will therefore be coming back to this with edits and updates so please check back and for now, proceed with caution!

An Evolving Relationship

বেগুন ভাজি 

Fried Aubergine

Fried aubergines done in a mostly traditional manner.
Also - I wasn't responsible for the coriander.

A large chunk of my childhood food memories actually revolve around a past hatred for certain vegetables. If they were ever forced on me, I would try to gulp them down without chewing. On the odd occasion I ended up with their horrible taste in my mouth, I’d rush onto the meat course to purify my palate.  Of course, I say past hatred because my tastes have evolved - just as my parents always told me they would! I now dislike fewer vegetables, with my disgust limited to Brussel sprouts, fennel and certain preparations of cauliflower. 

Having said this, there are vegetables out there that I have always liked – spinach, broccoli and mushrooms stand out as long-time favourites. I feel that, as with all foods, the method of preparation makes a big difference. I’ve always had a soft spot for the East-Southeast Asian take on vegetables, whereas Bangladeshi vegetarian cuisine has always engendered mixed feelings. Everyday recipes like the mixed vegetable dish I've written about before I actually grew up detesting, though my opinion has changed now. For some reason (read: I was/am a difficult child) I’ve always liked dishes containing the more difficult to procure Bangladeshi vegetables like pui shag, lota, kochu or raw jackfruit. 

The above vegetables are even more difficult to get your hands on in Europe, and so they haven’t made their way to the blog yet. Aubergines on the other hand grow locally, meaning I've cooked this dish now and again while living in the UK. It's a very simple everyday dish, often served with khichuri. I've never seen any majors variations of it beyond a change in heat levels or the introduction of sour notes - the latter of which I've done below using yoghurt. 

Review: Purnell's

Wish Fulfilment

Bread from French wheat, whipped butter & salt

I consider Birmingham to be one of my homes, and so I've always been annoyed at not having visited any of its Michelin starred restaurants. I've complained about this before, but as luck would have it I was in town at a good time and got my brother and myself a table at Purnell's for lunch. First impressions during the booking process weren't great, as the website threatened me with a £45 cover charge per person for no-shows and demanded my card details. For lunch. I find these policies faintly ridiculous for reasons I won't get into here, but I wasn't worried that I'd miss lunch so I proceeded to book anyway. 

Review: Spuntino

The London to-do list, part 2 of n

Three 3 oz mini burgers, or sliders, from Spuntino

Spuntino was another one of those places I'd read rave reviews about when I first moved to London, but their gimmicky website - which lists their address and nothing else in flickering text - did them no favours in terms of motivating me to visit. Minus half a point right there. I should also mention their stools-around-a-bar approach to seating: another reason I stayed away for a while. I use restaurant meals to catch up with friends and being perched around a bar doesn't offer the most effective setting.

The interior

However, a friend and I arrived here drenched to the bone after an unsuccessful attempt at checking out the Notting Hill Carnival. The day was far too wet to enjoy anything outdoors so Spuntino was my suggested back up plan. We walked in around lunchtime and found the space conveniently deserted. The guys at the bar were friendly and affable, and one quickly got us some popcorn and tap water as we dried off and decided what to order.

Review: The Delaunay

The London to-do list, part 1 of n

Based on what I've tried, the Delaunay is possibly the best
confectioners in London

So it seems that my time in London is coming to an end. My job brought me here two years ago and now it's moving me away again. I'm sure I'll be back - London isn't one those cities that people never come back to. I've actually kind of slacked off on reviewing London restaurants. This is partly because my schedule has meant I've spent a lot of time eating in random places that have been quite good, but not good enough to motivate an immediate review. However, over the last few months I've been trying to rectify this by trying out places that have either come to me highly recommended or are special to me in some way. As with any to-do list, it's been growing ever since its inception and I'm not sure when it's going to end, but expect this to be the theme for the next few posts.

The interior: vast, with dark wooden furniture and panelling,
white table cloth and smart service.

I found the Delaunay online while looking for a place to brunch. Central London is a bit far from Richmond though and I'd never made the trip until recently when I popped in for cake after dinner at Koya with a friend. The cakes, I have to say, were the best I've had in London and will be heavily influencing the food score for this review. The Delaunay is a great place to keep in mind for something sweet and a coffee late at night. I vowed to come back for a fuller meal, and so made plans for brunch with two other friends I'd have had to come to Central London to meet anyway. I'd made a reservation online and upon coming in we were shown straight to our table. The main interior of the restaurant, past the bar and it's few tables, is a rather grand room of gleaming wood and white table cloth bustling with people. A bit noisy, which I suppose can be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of vibe you're in the mood for. 

Review: Dishoom

Upper Limits

"Thumbs Up do not do diets" 

I wish I meant upper limits in terms of food and experience. I don't. I mean upper limits in terms of patience. Don't get me wrong, my meal at Dishoom in Covent Garden was by no means a negative experience - kudos to the staff who handled an amusing hiccup in our meal very well - but I cannot recommend this place without adding a few words of warning. The first warning is about the queues. One Friday night, the hostess told me a table for two had an hour and fifteen minute wait. I laughed and left. This is a restaurant that does not take reservations for groups smaller than 6 - a seemingly effective marketing tactic that sees queues snaking all along the pavement outside. I've never understood why people put up with this. Plan ahead and book. If for some reason you haven't or couldn't, there are plenty of nice restaurants around that won't make you stand outside as advertisement. If you really do want to try the food, come back during a quieter period. As both friends in real life and bloggers online had recommended this place, this is what I did and dropped by for lunch on a weekday.

Top left, rose and cardamom lassi. Top right, water in steel
glasses! Bottom, Tamarind dip, didn't recognise the others.

Even then, the place was pretty full and we were shown to a table downstairs. I don't know what an Irani cafe should look like, but Dishoom gave me contemporary London vibes. A friend from Mumbai confirmed this - the interior was the closest imitation he's seen to an Irani cafe but it's not quite there. Initially there seemed to be a lot of pressure to order: we picked out drinks very quickly and were then asked about food orders twice in rapid succession. After turning our wait staff away for the second time things seemed to calm down. My rose lassi arrived, and I'm happy to report that it's the best I've had in England, dethroning Pushkar of Birmingham from the top spot. 

Secret Ingredients

শাশলিক 

Chicken Shashlik

Chicken shashlik at a family dinner, courtesy of mom

Have you ever tasted a really great dish somewhere, perhaps when you've been over for dinner at a friend's? Have you then gone on to ask for the recipe, only to fail at recreating the dish again exactly? Apparently this happens because people withhold key steps in the method, or fail to mention certain secret ingredients. 

Thankfully getting recipes from (mostly) family has meant that I haven't had to face this! But hearing my mom say she uses mustard powder and oyster sauce for her Bangladeshi style chicken shashlik reminded me of those stories. They're not the most obvious ingredients I would think of if I was trying to create a shashlik recipe myself. Not that I can claim these are secret ingredients anymore, but hey, to me food is all about sharing. These are the chicken shashlik I've grown up with, now up online for anyone else to try and recreate. I recently made this for a party at mine, and ingredient amounts are now updated accordingly. 

Review: Sora Lucia

The Underdog in Rome

Apart from booking ourselves into Imago, I hadn't actually done much research on where to eat in Rome. This was partly because I was operating in zombie mode for Ramadan, but also because I was trying to be spontaneous (!!). However, with the proliferation of WiFi everywhere I couldn't help but quickly Google restaurants before we left for lunch one day, and I found out about Sora Lucia through Katie Poller's guide to Rome in the Guardian. As Poller says in the article, Sora Lucia is a tiny tratorria run by the owner serving excellent homestyle food. From the picture above you get an idea of how cosy it is – a just few tables inside and three outside. Basic furniture, minimal decoration, but less than five minutes walk from Trevi fountain for great food. Sit outside if you can, the area is shaded during late lunch and you can watch the tourists go by. 

Ask for menus in English since they're available, but on our visit both the owner and the other staff member spoke little to no English. Thus we eschewed the specials of the day on the board as Poller recommends trying, due to our complicated combined dietary requirements (no pork for me, no fish and strange ingredients for him). If you're easier, by all means try the specials. However, we had no regrets with our choices from the standard menu – mixed vegetables and bruschetta with tomato and olive oil as starters, followed by pasta dishes for our main courses.

The End of Ramadan

কাঁচা ছোলা

Raw Chickpeas

Raw chickpeas as part of a healthy iftaar with various fruit.
And one unhealthy cauliflower fritter.

Raw chickpeas form an essential part of the healthy iftaar in my family, especially on my mom's side. We have heaps of this stuff alongside fruit and salad while minimising our consumption of deep fried vegetable fritters and cooked chickpeas. They're a great source of protein. In fact, in the past they weren't a Ramadan-only staple - members of the local bodybuilding club near my grandma's house used these as a diet supplement. 

Peeling them for consumption can be quite time consuming, and I remember our aunts often set us - the cousins - the job of sitting down and preparing them before many iftaars. Working communally sped things up considerably so consider applying the same strategy if you can!

Ingredients:

• 100.00g of raw chickpeas
• 1.00 teaspoon of sliced ginger
• Lemon juice from 2 wedges of lemon
• Salt, to taste

Method:

• Soak the chickpeas overnight
• Once soaked, they should grow and become easier to peel. Peel and discard the shells (this will take time and patience!)
• Mix the chickpeas, ginger, lemon juice and salt together
• Either serve immediately, or refrigerate for an hour and serve cold

Additional Information:

Potentially something to add to a fresh, zingy salad.

Almost There

সর্ষে দিয়ে সি ব্যাস
Sea Bass in Mustard

Sea bass in mustard, served with garlic spinach and rice

Ramadan is almost over! I often feel that fasting for Ramadan is more spiritual in countries without Muslim-majority populations. Office times aren't adjusted to make way for sunset and people don't stop eating around you. All this makes you stop and think about why you're doing this, and it demands self-discipline as you carry on with your normal life. It's fulfilling, but sometimes I also miss the social aspect of Ramadan I get in Bangladesh or with family. So a couple of times in the month I remedy this by inviting people over for iftaar at mine. On this particular occasion, I was planning a Bengali menu and hence the fish. Traditionally, this mustard based dish is cooked with ilish, the national fish of Bangladesh. However, its popularity has also led to overfishing of the species, so I try not to buy it - especially the variety exported abroad. 

I've been told that the ilish in this dish can be substituted for various oily marine fish, like sea bass as I've done here. A lot of Bangladeshis living abroad also use salmon, something my aunt kindly corroborated from across the pond. I bet this is because salmon is seen as a sufficiently glamorous substitute to ilish, but I'm personally not a big fan. Salmon overpowers the mustard a bit too much, and a part of me also believes it's a sin to do anything with salmon other than smoke it. Using sea bass yields a strong fishy-mustardy dish that's much closer to the original ilish iteration. The recipe below isn't perfect yet though, so a few words of caution. I've cooked this with fillets, which doesn't take kindly to vigorous stirring. I'd recommend trying this with fish still on the bone, cut Asian style. And while it isn't traditional, I think next time I'll add a pinch of cumin to the dish, just to cut through the fishiness a little more. If and when I get round to trying this again, I'll update the ingredients and method. The recipe below serves 2 generously. 

Review: Imago

A Panorama of the Eternal City

Settling in for the evening. Scroll down for more pictures of the view!

It seems I've turned my luck around when it comes to visiting fancy restaurants. The trip to Imago was very carefully planned: we were going to land in Rome around noon, check into our hotel near the museums, walk around the Pantheon for a while before driving to Imago to enjoy dinner and a panoramic view of Rome while the sun set around us (phew!). By the end of the evening, I very much felt it was a mission well accomplished, bar a few minor criticisms about the food itself. I should start out by explaining this wasn't the most usual of my meals. Between my dining companion and I we had quite a few ingredients we wouldn't eat – no pork or alcohol for me and no fish or seafood for him. Thus we ended up opting for the vegetarian tasting menu as the restaurant wouldn't serve two tasting menus on the same table, although I have had this service elsewhere. Thankfully, the other party seemed quite keen on the vegetarian menu so I was happy to relinquish. Imago also offers an a la carte menu, and if I was a smarter person I probably would have opted to give this a glance as well.

Amuse bouche of quail eggs,
zucchini fritters and cod roe cigars

We were asked about and brought water and an amuse bouche quite quickly, which was a nice change from the relaxed service I've suffered in some places. In the photo above you see battered quails' eggs, zucchini fritters and cod roe cigars. The zucchini was the standout piece – hot, crunchy and the vegetables melted in your mouth as you chewed.

Review: ABaC Restaurant

Upgrading to Two Stars

The ABaC terrace

It seems my trips to fancy restaurants are destined to be opportunistic rather than pre-planned. One of my best friends, who is normally in Boston for law school, happens to be spending the summer in the Hague. We see each other about once a year, in various countries as our circumstances dictate. Last year we met up in London, so this year it made sense to meet elsewhere in Europe. We settled on Barcelona but booking affordable flights meant me flying into the city half a day earlier than her. This is what paved the way for a very interesting and enjoyable lunch at ABaC, a two Michelin starred restaurant serving experimental Spanish, Catalan and European cuisine with international influences. 

Let the Fasting Begin

ছোলা ভাজা
Chickpeas

My first batch of chickpeas this year

It's that time of year again. Fasting while growing up was always exciting. Getting up for seheri after midnight felt like a bit of an adventure, especially if I was in Bangladesh with the extended family (read: cousins my age). There was also an element of competition with said cousins - and yes, I do know this isn't the point of Ramadan. But all of this gave Ramadan an extremely festive mood, and made for a great feeling when coupled with the charitable spirit that permeated the air during this time.  

What really cemented this feeling for me was the food. In Bangladesh, this is when restaurants and other establishments retract their normal menus in favour of Ramadan staples: kebabs, various vegetable fritters, haleem, chaap and so on. Opening times change to match iftaar and seheri times, and footfall into food halls and open markets often starts early afternoon and continues into the early hours of the morning. These flipped-around living patterns, queuing for elusive Ramadan-only food makes for a very unique experience.

But food for Ramadan doesn't always need to be bought. Certain staples, like chickpeas, have always been home-cooked in our family. Chickpeas form the bulk of our family's iftaars, substituting carbs for a month. This makes them a somewhat immutable part of Ramadan for me and as such the perfect first recipe to share. At iftaars, we serve this with vegetable fritters, a garnish of salad, fruits and dates to form a full meal. If you're not having this for Ramadan, it can also be served as a snack or a side dish as part of a larger menu.

Semi De-Shelled Prawns

Less Crunch, More Prawn

If you've read my immediately previous dry prawn curry recipe, you'll have seen in some of the pictures the prawns are not fully de-shelled. This is quite normal for Bangladeshi cuisine - prawns will have their antennae, legs and middle shell removed but the head and sometimes the tail will remain. This is because in a properly cooked curry the heads are crunchy and chewy, and therefore quite edible. By not removing the heads you also don't risk wasting any of the meat inside them. 

In fact, I suspect that the peeling mostly achieves the object of cleaning the prawn. The legs in some cases are left if the prawn is carrying eggs, which in my family at least are considered somewhat of a delicacy. To de-shell prawns, begin by cutting off any remaining antennae and legs from the prawn. Follow this by cutting lengthwise along the top of the shell, split the shell in two and tear off gently without damaging the meat. Clean the top curve of the meat - the black gunk along the prawns body. Finally, peel off the surface shell from the head as well. The series of pictures below provide a quick reference to the steps.

Cut lengthwise along the top of the prawn's shell
and split in two.

The Blog's First Crustacean

চিংড়ি দোপিয়াজা
Dry Prawn Curry

Prawns served with rice

Bangladesh is quite conservative when it comes to food. Granted, I've heard rumours of frog-eating, but I've never actually seen someone serve it up anywhere in the country. Squid and shellfish have never been easily available locally - at least not in mainstream food markets and restaurants. And it is only recently that I've started to see curried crab served in restaurants, though even this is still limited to coastal regions. Somehow, running completely counter to this narrative is our country's love for prawns. We eat every variety: from the tiny ones ground into a paste, to the massive jumbo king prawns served at special occasions - legs and antennae included! 

I have to admit I very much share this affection towards prawns, and growing up they were amongst the few 'fish' I liked. Whenever my mom would try to make me skip meat and eat fish, this is what I would ask for. An argument about how prawns weren't real fish would ensue, and sadly I'd often have to settle for eating something like rui or ilish. I have expanded my palate since, but prawns remain a favourite. As such I'm surprised it took me so long to try cooking this dish. As far as curries go, this is a very simple one. Prawns are hard to get wrong, and the result is usually a sweet, mildly fragrant curry despite the chilli I've used below. Apologies for the strangely varied pictures - they come from 3 separate occasions of (past) cooking! 

Ingredients:

• 150.00 g raw peeled prawns
• 1 small onion
• 1.00 tablespoon of garlic paste
• 0.50 tablespoons of ginger paste
• Turmeric powder, 3/4 teaspoon
• Chili powder, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Chopped coriander, a handful

Method:

• Chop the onion and heat some oil in a non-stick saucepan
• Fry the onions on medium heat till they go translucent
• Add the garlic and ginger paste, followed by the turmeric and chilli

The onions just as they're done, with the spices being added

• Mix the onion and spices thoroughly, and cook for at least 10 minutes 
• Add small amounts of hot water to the saucepan now and again to prevent the mixture from drying out

The cooked spice mixture, transferred
to a new pot because of kitchen logistics.
Basically mom needed the saucepan
for something else.

• Wash the prawns and add them to saucepan 
• Mix the prawns and spices thoroughly, again adding hot water intermittently to prevent the dish from drying out completely 

Prawns being mixed with the spices

• Add salt as desired and leave to cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Add the chopped coriander, mix into the curry
• Leave to cook for another 5 minutes and take off the heat
• Serve with rice, polao or khichuri

Additional Information

The dryness of the curry is a personal preference. Feel free to add more or less water based on how much sauce you want. Bear in mind though that the more water you add, the thinner the sauce will become. Prawns are often cooked like this with aubergines and potatoes, which bulk up the dish. Add the potatoes straight after adding the spices, allowing everything to cook together for the 10 minute period. Add the aubergines (or any other vegetable you fancy - I've used green beans or courgettes too) at the same time as the prawn, allowing them to soften without turning to mush. 

Another Fry Up!

বেগুনি, পিয়াজু, সবজি বরা ও ইত্যাদি

Vegetable Fritters

Spinach fritters, boxed up and ready to go.

Apologies for being away so long. If you know me personally or through Instagram you'll know that I have still been eating so it may seem inexcusable that I haven't been posting. But this is actually the first uninterrupted week I've been able to spend at home in about two months. In fact, my last post was blogged on the go from my hard drive. But the travelling should be at an end now, and (Britain's excuse for) summer is finally here.

Hopefully for me that'll mean a few days of rest and a few days of good weather. Ramadan is also coming up, so I thought I'd share the recipe for something that we often eat during this time: vegetable fritters. Of course, their consumption isn't limited to Ramadan iftaars. In my grandma's house, they'll often make an appearance at tea or as a snack when we have guests over. On the odd occasion, as leftovers they'll function as a side dish as well.

They're incredibly versatile in the sense that you can pretty much throw any soft vegetable you have in the fridge into some batter and start frying - a very easy snack or appetiser to a multi-course meal. They'll also help contribute to your 5 (7, 9, 11?) a day, but maybe that benefit is nullified by the frying!

Fish: A Journey of Acceptance

টুনা ফিশের চপ
Bangladeshi Fish Cakes

As usual, I erred on the side of over frying/cooking/burning

I'm a meat person. That should be obvious from the recipes on this blog, and the lack of fish recipes in particular. Growing up, I used to hate anything fish unless it was squidgy seafood. These fish cakes would be the one form in which I would consume fish - much to my parents' chagrin as they tried to push me towards a balanced diet. That dislike for fish is (mostly) gone now, but I still don't cook fish often enough at home. Even this recipe I only use on special occasions - i.e. when I have people round for dinner. I've found myself scrambling to throw in fish cakes to balance out very meat heavy menus more than once.

The recipe below is very simple. It essentially requires minimal amount of prep before all of the ingredients are mixed together before shallow-frying. But on the flip side, don't underestimate how long it can take to shape 20 fish cakes. I have spent more time than I would like splattered with oil in my kitchen, trying to fry these before my guests wonder where their food/host is!

Review: Cais de Quatro

By Luanda Bay

The view

I come to Angola a few times a year for work, and cumulatively end up spending quite a bit of time in the capital Luanda. However, it's unfortunate that between long work hours and Luanda traffic I don't get to see much of the city. So I make the most of seeing the country however I can - from job related field visits to the places I go for food. Out of the places I've eaten in Luanda Qais de Quatro is one that stands out for making a good impression. The food is good, the setting is amazing and the vibe in the restaurant is very chilled out and positive. I'll say this now - I am also very biased towards the sea!

Review: Simon Radley at the Chester Grosvenor

Suspicions Confirmed?

And again with the bite size Michelin portions

If you've read my review of Nobu, you'll know I went in wondering if the Michelin star was worth anything. I walked out thinking that it was, but after my visit to Simon Radley's restaurant at the Chester Grosvenor late in 2013, I am reconsidering my opinion. 

The dining room

I was in Chester for work, so it was nice to have a personal distraction for an evening. I booked on short notice for a weeknight, which is what I imagine made it easy to get a table. Nevertheless, I doubt that Chester experiences the same kind of booking frenzy as London or even Birmingham. The website stated that smart attire was preferred and I went in suited up and a little worried about being overdressed. Being me, I got lost as soon as I entered the hotel and had to be directed towards the restaurant. Upon stepping into the dining room and looking around, however, I saw enough suits around the tables for me to not feel out of place. The venue is gorgeous, in the gaudy sense of word. As you can see from the photo above this is fine dining, with plush carpeting, fancy tableware and very formal wait staff.