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The Hedonist

Indian Summer – Review

September 15, 2013 by Adrian Leave a Comment

Indian Summer                                         Brighton

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69 East St, Brighton, BN1 1HQ
www.indian-summer.org.uk/01273 711001
Indian Summer

Indian Summer

Since we extended the range of The Hedonist to cover the south of the UK as well as London, it has been a great opportunity to revisit old haunts as well as pastures new. Brighton is a city I have both lived and worked in and so know it well, but Indian Summer is somewhere that hasn’t been on my radar before, so it was great to be invited to review it.
Indian Summer interior

Indian Summer interior

The restaurant has been a mainstay of the Brighton dining scene for 12 years now. Situated in East St, a favourite location for shopping and dining, that borders the Lanes and snakes down to the sea, the interior is an attractive blend of wood, dark browns, chandeliers and evocative huge black and white photographic portraits.
Indian Summer

Indian Summer

As we checked out the menu La Hedonista was drinking a Kingfisher Beer but I threw caution to the wind and opted for a glass of Sula Indian wine (£5.95 for 250 ml). It was a pretty fierce Sauvignon that did at least stand up to the spice flavours that were to come.
Bhel Puri

Bhel Puri

As a pre-starter snack we opted for the Bhel Puri (£4.95). It is a classic mix of puffed rice, gram flour sticks, potatoes, onions, chickpeas and tomatoes, served with an overlaying of coriander and chilli, date and tamarind chutney and yoghurt. Combined together it’s a refreshing blend of crunch and sweetness, sourness and spice. It has a terrific mouth feel and is a deservedly popular dish.

Indian Summer offers a selection of lunchtime Thalis (£9.95-£12.95) but we opted for the 2 course lunchtime set menu (£14.95).
 Paneer Shashlik

Paneer Shashlik

Our first starter was Paneer Shashlik which featured grilled cubes of paneer, pineapple and beetroot. This was a simple but really effective dish-the beetroot was perfectly grilled and the paneer still moist.
Onion Aubergine Pakoda

Onion Aubergine Pakoda

Onion Aubergine Pakoda was really like a bhaji. It had subtle cumin inflected spicing and came with a crisp batter and yoghourt dipping sauces.
Alleppey Prawn Moilee

Alleppey Prawn Moilee

Alleppey Prawn Moilee, our first main dish, came with a good helping of juicy prawns in a mild-flavoured onion and coconut sauce. The additional beans, courgettes and broccoli were a bit overcooked for my taste but the basmati rice was perfect.
Pao-Bhaji

Pao-Bhaji

The Pao-Bhaji vegetable subz was a rich, buttery and well-spiced vegetable curry topped with coriander and butter.
Mango brûlée with coconut shortbread

Mango brûlée with coconut shortbread

For dessert we shared a Mango brûlée with coconut shortbread. This was a really good creme brûlée with a crispy caramelised top and a ‘yolk’ of mango purée inside.
Dinner at Indian Summer is £22.95 for 2 courses and £27.95 for 3. There is a wider choice of dishes than at lunchtime and on Sunday lunch they do a Tandoori roast; but whatever time of day you choose you are going to find some of the best Indian cooking in Brighton at Indian Summer.

Indian Summer on Urbanspoon

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Review-Namaaste Kitchen

March 5, 2013 by Adrian Leave a Comment

Namaaste  Kitchen               Camden

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IMG_1898
64 Parkway, Camden, London , NW1
www.namaastekitchen.co.uk/0207 485 5977
There seems to be a new generation of Indian chef/patrons who have spent time behind the stoves at London’s more progressive top-end Indian restaurants  and are now opening their own places showcasing a lighter approach to the food. I can think of Manoj Vasaikar’s Indian Zing in Hammersmith and now Sabbir Karim  at Namaaste  Kitchen in Camden. Sabbir is also the owner of Salaam Namaste in Bloomsbury which has a more traditional approach.
Parkway is the main food hub in Camden. It is a pulsating thoroughfare full of restaurants, pubs and clubs.
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Namaaste Kitchen sits about half-way down and the interior is an oasis of calm in brown and white after the hurly-burly of the street.
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Fiona from London Unattached  and I are met with freshly cooked poppadums and home-made chutneys (£!.20): Mango and pineapple , Tomato and finally a garlicky Coriander. These are some of the best I have tasted and I hope an indicator of what is to come.
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While we are looking at the menu the kitchen sends out Panni Puri, little crunchy puffs of unleavened bread with a potato and spice filling and sitting on top of a deliciously sour shot of Tamarind water. In a sense the story of the restaurant’s food was in this little dish; intelligent spicing, a lightness of touch and intense flavours.
For our starters we ordered Spicy Soft Shell Crab (£5.95) and Tandoori Aatish-e-Jingha (£5.50).
Spicy Soft Shell Crab

Spicy Soft Shell Crab

Deep-fried in a semolina batter and marinated in a green peppercorn and lemon sauce, the crab was tender and brilliantly flavoured with a fig and prune sauce adding spice and depth to the combination of flavours. A great dish.
Tandoori Aatish-e-Jingha

Tandoori Aatish-e-Jingha

Tandoori Aatish-e-Jingha was a construction of King prawns marinated in English mustard, yoghourt and spices, cooked in the Tandoor oven and served with aubergine compote and balchao sauce (a Goanese curry). The marinade managed not to overwhelm the prawns and gave them a surprising depth of flavour.
Choosing wine for rich spicy food is really hard and often I get it wrong. For this meal we went with a bottle of 2011 Musar Jeune (£21.50) from the Chateau Musar Bekaa Valley vineyards in Lebanon owned by the Hochar family. It is a mix of Viognier, Vermentino and Chardonnay with herbal and fruit notes and worked really well in context.
Whole Baked Sea Bass marinated in raw coastal spices

Whole Baked Sea Bass marinated in raw coastal spices

The restaurant specialises in grilled food so for my main course I chose the Whole Baked Sea Bass marinated in raw coastal spices (£12.95). This was a great hunk of a fish, stuffed full of herbs and grilled to within an inch of its life. Chunks off flesh suffused with flavour were falling off the fish with added excitement coming from the spice crunch of the skin. This was fish eating at its most butch…
Pan-seared Monkfish Tail

Pan-seared Monkfish Tail

Pan-seared Monkfish Tail with tomatoes, lemon sauce and basmati rice (£12.95) was succulent and tasty with a tangy tomato and lemon sauce.
Stir Fry Okra with raw mango

Stir Fry Okra with raw mango

For our sides we chose Stir Fry Okra with raw mango (£3.50)-a deliciously sticky blend of okra, onion, tomato and rice and…
Sesame Baby Aubergine with mustard and curry leaf sauce

Sesame Baby Aubergine with mustard and curry leaf sauce

Sesame Baby Aubergine with mustard and curry leaf sauce (£3.50)-a squidgilly unctous curry combo that brought joy to my heart on a cold February day.
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These were wiped up with a date and ginger Nan (£2.50), light and fresh from the oven.
Coconut Ice Cream

Coconut Ice Cream

For dessert we wanted something light. I ordered the Coconut Ice Cream (£3.50)
Tandoori Pineapple with Coconut Sorbet

Tandoori Pineapple with Coconut Sorbet

and Fiona the Tandoori Pineapple with Coconut Sorbet (£4.50). The sorbet turned out to be ice cream but still went well with the burnt sweetness of the pineapple.
I’m really impressed with Namaste Kitchen. It really isn’t necessary to go to Mayfair or Chelsea to get fantastic Indian cooking. You are better off heading for Southall, Hammersmith or now Camden. There is a self-confidence to this restaurant that shows in their approach to the food  and the way it is presented. Flavours are intense but not overly hot, everything is freshly prepared, service is friendly without being creepy and the prices are very reasonable. Go!

Disclosure: The Hedonist was a guest of Namaste Kitchen

Namaaste Kitchen on Urbanspoon

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