| . |
p8
THE ANGLO ASIAN TANDOORI RESTAURANT
 The regional variation in 'Indian'
cuisine has been much discussed over the past few years, though I have seen little
evidence of any authentically regional dishes in most Indian restaurants in London.
The fact that London has more Indian restaurants than Bombay and Delhi combined does not
mean that we are to discover the true taste of the subcontinent. Many of the standard
dishes found in London are formulaic and have been westernised to suit the British palate.
The quest to find the true taste of India could begin in Stoke Newington Church Street at
the last count there were seven restaurants of that type. A friend and I visited the Anglo
Asian Tandoori which I have always considered one of the local worthy tandooris.
We were greeted very warmly and given complimentary glasses of sherry, always a nice
touch. The menu consists of all the standard range of tandoori and north Indian
favourites. The house specialities include modern dishes cooked in butter and cream but
there's also a couple of unique concoctions, using barbecued duck.
Tandoori hash is succulent, well-spiced duck cooked in the clay oven terrific value at
£5.95. The food is all well prepared and subtly spiced, which raises it well above the
assembly line method of Indian cooking. We began with the onion bhaji (£1.45),
deliciously moist and sweet, dipped into superior chutneys and aloo chat with fresh green
chilli and fresh herbs (£2.10).
Vegetarians are very well catered for we tried the sag paneer (£3.95) with pilau rice
(£1.60) which was perfectly cooked with lots of chopped fresh coriander. The star of the
show has to be the selection of Bangladeshi fish dishes which give the Anglo Asian an
authentic regional style.
Having overestimated our appetites we were unable to try a pudding the desserts range from
£1.95-£2.75 and are the usual range of ices and sorbets. I was almost tempted by the
mango sorbet (£2.50).
There is a short wine list which is about to change I am firmly of the opinion that on the
whole wine does not go with Indian food. Chilled beer, lassi (sweet or salty) or dry cider
go best with the cuisine. Having said that, the Anglo Asian has an Indian sparkling wine,
Omar Khayam, at £14.95 a bottle. Beer on draught is Carlsberg at £2.10 and Kingfisher at
£2.80 per pint comparable with pub prices. Also on offer is an  excellent Indian bottled beer, Kalyani (£3.10 for a large bottle), that is
like a good Czech pilsner. I am reliably informed that they have not increased the menu
prices for four years. We had a very generous dinner for two with beer and a glass of
house wine for under £30. On a cold Tuesday night in February the restaurant was packed a
testament to its enduring popularity. The owners have plans to extend next door and add a
conservatory. One hopes it will remain one of the best locals in London.
Anglo Asian Tandoori Restaurant
60-62 Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16
Telephone: 020 7254 9298, Fax: 020 7254 3633
Take away and home delivery service available.
Sunday Special 12:00-5:30, eat as much as you like from a selection of eight dishes for
£5.95. Children half price.
Opening hours 12:00-2:30 pm. 6:00pm-12:00 am
(Friday and Saturday 12:30 am).
PUBS AND PUB FOOD
The pub revolution that has swept London over the past few years has given
us such a wide choice that the distinction between pubs, bars and wine bars has become
blurred. A pub may now look nothing like an old boozer full of Anglo-Saxon men swilling
beer and playing darts. It could well sell superior food and boast a better range of wines
than some restaurants.
The days of chewing on a pickled egg and a sweaty cheese roll have happily gone. The
reinvention of the London pub has happened on several fronts. The most conspicuous has
been the deluge of 'theme' pubs, notably the Irish, owned by the big breweries and which
are usually an ersatz imitation of cute pubs and grocers shops in rural Ireland.
Another theme is the drinking factory pub, usually part of a chain, aimed at a young
about-town clientele, where loud dance music plays in minimalist interiors. Their success
has brought out the bouncer on the door at weekends; some pubs seem to believe they have
no street cred unless they have a couple of bomber-jacketed body-builders on the door.
The most interesting newcomer is the 'gastro-pub', a middle-class fusion of the local
bistro and pub culture. It highlights the ever increasing interest in eating out. The
gastro-pubs are a far cry from the days when pub food existed for the sole purpose of
preventing the customer from getting too drunk. Thankfully they have created a much more
pleasing environment, particularly for women, and they seem to attract a more mixed
clientele.
The explosion of the gastro-pubs with their wide range of continental beers and wine has
made other pubs raise their standards. Even stubbornly traditional locals which used to
steer clear of catering like the plague have handed over franchises, particularly for Thai
cuisine. This has proved so popular in many Irish pubs that it has become known as
'Tirish' food.
Of course, not all gastro-pubs are of a high standard. As with the best pubs, the good
ones are usually run by individuals, often chefs who have defected from restaurants. They
are still pubs in spirit but have shaken off the shackles of the tired old boozer to show
the way forward.
Ethel Minogue opened London's first Irish restaurant Minogue's and went on to create
Minogue's Bar and Restaurant, the bar which changed the image of Irish pubs. Since then
she has refurbished and restored pubs, bars and restaurants for clients in London, Ireland
and Europe. These include the Bar Lorca and the Magpie & Stump (now the Tup) in Church
Street. She lives in Stoke Newington and runs Moriarty's Bar with her partner Pat on
Liverpool Road, Islington.
|
. |
