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. 

Cultural Adaptation

ক্রাম্পেট দিয়ে দুধের পিঠা
Crumpets with Jaggery Laced Milk

This is our New Year meal!

Most of us who travel have things that we miss and can't have from the place(s) we consider home. In Bangladesh, we have various types of 'cakes' called 'pithas'. One of these is the chitoi pitha, made by frying a gelatinous dough of rice flour in oil. This is then soaked in jaggery laced milk to transform it into dudher pitha, or milk pitha. The right kind of rice flour is hard to come by in Europe, and many Asian families have adapted by substituting chitoi pitha with crumpets. This is probably because chitoi has a similar feel to a crumpet - imagine something a little tougher with smaller holes. 

My mom first made this dish with crumpets in Hong Kong, and it has been one of my favourites since. I personally don't miss the traditional dudher pitha, simply because it wasn't what made my childhood memories. Instead, I give you here the very simple crumpet version I grew up with, and also wish you a very Happy New Year.

Review: Lasan

Consistency is Key

Our poppadum dips. At the top, a unique gourd based dip I've never had before.

I've been to Lasan twice now, once in late 2012 and again now in late 2013. It came highly recommended by word of mouth. They'd won a prize on some food show by Gordon Ramsay, and apparently their approach to Indian food was incomparable to the run-of-the-mill curry house. The skeptic in me was convinced by none of this, but I decided a restaurant with so many accolades was still worth visiting. Don't be mislead by their website - the Ramsay hysteria has died down and bookings no longer need to be made very far in advance, unless you're looking for a weekend evening.