HOPPERS, SOHO

Moti Mahal, Bombay Brasserie, and now Hoppers. I don't really indulge in Indian cuisine that often, and now it seems that I have somehow visited three within a single month - not that I'm complaining.
Hoppers on Frith Street in Soho is the latest venture from the Sethi family (Trishna/Gymkhana - both of which I appallingly have not been to yet), centrally located at the site which was once the much-loved Koya. 

I had made a mental list of what to order whilst we were waiting outside in the cold for them to open for dinner service - yes, I was 'one of them'...
One of those new-opening/no-reservation situations where you can either choose to wait for 20 minutes before opening time, or over an hour whilst staring at people eating through the window. I definitely know which I'd personally prefer.

Once we were seated I fired away with our order and sat waiting in anticipation whilst we sipped on warm and comforting Sweet Frothy Kaapi, a South Indian filter coffee, served in a stainless steel tumbler. This was placed within a 'dabarah' which is meant to help cool it in, but as I seem to have lips of steel when it comes to hot drinks, I didn't make use of it. The cup was quite small so we also ordered the Sweet Dilmah Metre Tea. Both drinks were really sweet and tasty, but best consumed in small quantities - don't want to end up having a sugar high or diabetes...

Having tried the Cashew, Cassava & Ash Plantain Fry, and the Bone Marrow Varuval with Roti on my first visit (both of which I would recommend), I ordered the Mutton Rolls, Chicken Heart Chukka, and the Duck Roti this time, which I had heard good things about. 

The Mutton Rolls were really crisp and coated in golden breadcrumb batter, containing steaming, hot and flavourful mutton filling. The duck roti was equally as moreish and I would definitely order it again on my next visit. I was initially quite hesitant to order the chicken hearts, which actually didn't taste too bad. I still feel a bit queasy about certain foods, but there was a lot of onions and spices going on that it sort of distracted me away from the thought of it...

We had an Egg Hopper each, a Sri Lankan food made from fermented rice and coconut batter, with the little pots of Pol Sambol, Seeni Sambol and Coriander Chutney on the side. 
Just as we were about to order the Black Pork Kari, we were informed that there was a special kari available, which was the Whole Crab Kari. We both love crab so we both pounced at the opportunity to try it - so deliciously spicy, and one of the best curries that I've had in a while. Surprisingly, I didn't really see many tables order it whilst we were there, but I would definitely recommend it.

 

We were quite full by that stage, and then the waiter came towards our table with another huge tray of food. At first I thought that it was a mistake, and then I remembered that in my state of hunger, I had also greedily ordered the Ceylonese Spit Chicken with gotukola sambol and pol roti. Clearly I should not be left to be in charge of the ordering when I am hungry. The chicken was really well marinated with lots of spices and tender, and I was a bit sad that I had to leave some leftovers as my stomach was pretty full to the brim - one of those days where my tummy is not quite so bottomless. We both weren't that much of a fan of the pol roti, which is a coconut flatbread, but the pennywort salad on the side was refreshing and had a nice sharpness that cut through the richness of the food.

I had my eyes on the milk hopper with kithul treacle, jaggery and durian ice cream, but was slightly disappointed when the waitress informed us that they had run out of milk hoppers (at 6.30pm - rather odd?!). Thankfully I still managed to get my durian ice cream fix - it was only a small scoop, but the taste was satisfying enough.

Service was really quick and the whole meal cost us about £38 each (including service). I was sad when Koya closed for good a few months back in May, but I am now glad that the site has been taken over by Hoppers which offers something quite different and exciting. 
Great food, good value, and the perfect location that will surely become one of my regular haunts. 

The Cheekster, signing out x

#ZOMATOMEETUP @ BOMBAY BRASSERIE

I have been indulging in quite a lot of Indian food recently. or rather much more than my usual average. Following my visit to Moti Mahal, I recently attended a #ZomatoMeetup at the charming Bombay Brasserie in Kensington. 

Opened in 1982 (before I was even born!), Bombay Brasserie has been an iconic restaurant destination, well known for its authentic, eclectic Bombay and Indian cuisine. 

We started off with drinks at the stylish Bombay Bar - I ordered an innocent Passionate Sparkler which was really sweet and fruity with plenty of crunchy passion fruit bits.

We then followed Chef Prahlad Hegde's lead into the kitchen prep room where he conducted a little private masterclass before us. He explained a bit about the use of different spices in his cooking and gave a short demonstration of the starters that we were to be served that evening.
We were then given a brief tour of the kitchen, which was actually quite large - I always feel like I'm 'intruding' during kitchen tours, as I try not to knock over hot plates of food with my massive bag. We were shown the tandoor oven where the naans are baked and the chef even gave us some freshly baked naan to try which tasted delicious on its own.

For dinner, we were seated in the lovely, spacious conservatory area, decorated with plenty of greenery and hanging plants, which gave a bit of a tropical feel to it. 

I tried a couple more cocktails later on that evening: Lychee Martini (because I love lychee) and the Queen's Necklace (because it sounded pretty fancy...).

I was quite pleased when they brought out a sharing plate of mini poppadoms - we had passed by a huge pan of mini poppadoms whilst on our 'tour' of the kitchen area that I eyed at hungrily and was tempted to swipe a handful of them in my state of hunger...

Each of us were also served an amuse bouche: Sev batata puri, a crunchy mouthful which consisted of wheat crisps topped with Peruvian potato mix, gram flour straws and chutneys.

We were then able to try the dishes that was demonstrated by Chef Prahlad during the masterclass: Crispy prawns with trio of peppercorns, Tulsi chicken tikka and Lamb Seekh Kebab. All three of them beautifully marinated and full of flavour. I really liked the side of Palak patta chaat, which was crispy fried baby spinach topped with yoghurt, date and tamarind chutney.

Next came the larger sharing dishes with some naan and rice to go with them. The Tandoori raan (braised lamb shank marinated with cinnamon, black cumin and vinegar) was slightly dry for me, but I enjoyed the Kasundi monkfish, coated in mustard from Calcutta which had a nice, meaty texture.

I love a good bowl of dal, and I helped myself to generous spoonfuls of the rich Dal makhani to have with my olive naan bread. I also thought that the Aloo roast looked quite cute and tasty - roasted baby potatoes coated with ginger, lime and spices.

Pumpkin soup with truffle oil

And finally for dessert, was a trio of chocolate samosa, chocolate raspberry and mango fig ice cream. A pretty plate of mini delights which was just enough to satisfy my sweet cravings.

Another excellent venue that I would recommend if you're looking to satisfy your Indian food cravings. The Weekend Brunch Buffet also sounds rather intriguing which may tempt me back for another visit.

  Check out their website for more details.

The Cheekster, signing out x

SAKE & SPICE, MOTI MAHAL

I've always had a love for sake...

Okay, that was maybe a bit of a lie, as my love for it probably only started to develop during my Koya Backbench days. Sake and Japanese cuisine totally made sense to me, but Sake and Indian cuisine? - I was intrigued to find out more.

Founded in Delhi over four decades ago in 1959, Moti Mahal which opened in London in 2005, is known to be one of London's finest modern Indian restaurants. Headed by Chef Anirudh Arora, the menu focuses on the cuisine of the Grand Trunk Road. It has been a while since I last had some good Indian cuisine, and this particular evening looked and sounded really promising, as I hungrily browsed through the menu.  
The selection of sake that we sampled that evening was specially selected by sake connoisseur and Head of Beverages at Moti Mahal, Barry McCaughley.  

The first course was the Chukander Ka Salad, a light dish which consisted of thinly sliced roasted beetroots and peanuts, minted potatoes, green peas and stuff peppers which had a slight hint of spiciness to it. 

This was paired with Fukukomachi Junmai Daiginjo from the Kimura Brewery Inc.

A beautifully balanced sake, it is made with premium sake rice, Yamadanishiki, which is polished to 40%.

The second course was Barra Peshwari and Keema Naan. The lambchops were really tender and beautifully seasoned with caraway seed and Kashmiri chillies, served with mooli raita and avocado chutney. The tandoori naan bread was nice and warm and stuffed with spiced lamb mince.

This was paired with Fukukomachi Daiginjo, also from Kimura Brewery. As opposed to the first sake, this was slightly drier and had a bit more punch to it.

 

The next course was Murgabi - delicious chunks of pheasant stir fried with Malabar spices with a side of sweet and spicy pickled partridge. We had this with Tandoor baked breads and stir fried Okra - I haven't had Okra in a while, so I was definitely loving this accompaniment.

This was paired with Akita Shurui Seizoh Takashimizu Honjozo. The brewery is located in the heart of the Akita prefecture, where the area's water has been regarded as the purest in Japan since the Samurai period.
 “Takashimizu” literally means “High spring water”, and the range is named after the hill on which the ancient Akita castle once stood.
A well-balanced sake known for its smooth velvety texture and strong, savoury finish.

The fourth course was a rice dish, named Lahori Macchi Pulao. We were each served a generous serving of basmati rice which had been cooked with baby red mullet, curry leaf and pounded spices. The fish had a lovely, delicate texture, and the rice was beautifully seasoned, served with some cooling raita on the side.

 The sake paired with this dish was Gozenshu 9 nama ("Mountain Stream"), and unpasteurised sake made using the ancient bodaimoto technique, resulting in more rugged, earthy qualities, alongside the fresh and fruity elements in it.
It was served in a sake flask with two small cups which we were advised to pour the sake for each other, which is a common custom in Japan.

The final course was dessert, Ananas Ka Meetha, which was pineapple carpaccio served with plum and port wine sorbet. This sweet and refreshing delight was paired with Ume No Yado Aragoshi Umeshu.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my evening at Moti Mahal - the food was delicious with good levels of spice, and the sake was a nice accompaniment to be enjoyed alongside the feast that we had. I'll definitely be considering sake as my choice of beverage more often in future.

The Cheekster, signing out x