Spice Fusion, Maidstone

Of all the types of food out there, Craig's absolute favourite is Indian so he was very happy to find out we had a new Indian restaurant in town.

Spice Fusion opened in an old pub which has been fully refurbished a couple of months ago.  We have driven past a few times and to be honest from the outside it looks very odd and stark, however we didn't let this put us of trying it out.  A friend of mine who has very high standards visited this place a few weeks back and she gave a glowing report so on the back of that we decided to give it a go last night.

I had a look at the menu online in advance so I already knew that this place seemed a bit different to your average Indian.  It seemed more modern and fresh with more interesting menu choices.  It listed Connoisseur's starters and traditional starters, connoisseurs mains and traditional mains, plus a section for Biryani's, North Indian Tandoori specialities, vegetable main courses, vegetable side orders, rice & breads.

When we arrived at about 8pm there were only a couple of other tables seated.  You enter through a very contemporary and modern bar area which has high stools and red sofas and I could imagine spending a bit of time in here either before or after a meal having a few drinks.  We went straight through to the restaurant......wow.  Wooden floors, crisp white table clothes, funky down lighting at every table and a HUGE central chandelier plus a long yellow leather bench along one side of the room made up the decor.  Even the cutlery was modern and cool.

Menus and drinlks in hand we set about choosing what to eat.  I started with the Jhinga Til Tinka which was King Prawns marinated with fresh spices, dipped in batter, then cooked with breadcrumbs and sesame seeds and served with a mango sauce.  The prawn was a giant prawn split down the middle and was plenty for a starter although it was so nice I could have easily eaten another one.  The mango sauce was not too sweet and had a very subtle spice flavour. 

Craig went for Nizami Sheek which was minced lamb mixed with coriander, tomatoes, mint cheese and spring onions.  This was no ordinary sheek kebab.  The meat was moist and tender and the spicing really well balanced.  It was also served with the same mango sauce as my starter.

For my main course I choose South Indian Garlic Chilli Chicken.  I didn't want rice and bread so I asked for a side salad to go with it. The side salad turned out to be a mixture of various leaves, fresh green peas, green peppers, red onions, cucumber and tomatoes.  It was fantastic although my only complaint would be that there were not many leaves in it.  The chicken dish was probably the best chicken curry dish I have ever had.  Long strips of chicken breast in a rich sauce that had a very gentle heat.  the chicken was still very moist and tender.

Craig ordered a Chicken Rogan Josh, Bombay Aloo, Mushroom Pilau, and a nann bread (why do men always feel the need to order half the menu?)  We shared the naan which was hot, light and fluffy, very nice.  The potato dish was also very good with decent sized chunks of potato in a tomato spiced sauce. For some reason I forgot to take a photo of the curry! Sorry.

When we had finished the table was cleared and the waiter brought us a dessert menu.  We didn't have anything as we were both full so we just asked for the bill.  The bill arrived on a plate with 2 chocolates and 4 straws of sherbet which is something I have never seen in a restaurant before.  I thought this was a nice touch.

I know I have said this before but this is now our new favourite Indian restaurant in Maidstone.  The food was much lighter, fresher and more modern.  I liked the decor, and the little touches like the sherbet.

Give it a go, its worth it.

Spice Fusion

Sharon x

Beer Butt Chicken

I never imagined the day would come where I cooked a roast chicken by putting a can of beer up its bum!!!

I had heard this method of cooking mentioned in the past (in fact I think my sister has done it?) but had never seen a recipe until recently.  I was looking through "Jamie's America" by Jamie Oliver and I came across the recipe accompanied by a rather obscene looking photo of the chicken cooking (see first photo).

With friends due for lunch on the Sunday I went out a bought a couple of free range chickens (never battery!) and some large cans of Budweiser beer.  This was going to be a joint cooking effort between Craig and I since there was a barbecue involved!

The whole idea of cooking this way is that the beer in the can heats up and steams the chicken from the inside out keeping it nice and moist while the outside gets nice and crisp.

The recipe starts by making a rub for the chicken and letting it maride for a while.  Once you have mixed up the rub use your hands to massage it all over the chicken making sure you get all the nooks and cranny's!

The rub is made up of the following -

1 heaped teaspoon fennel seeds - ground up in a pestle and mortar
1 level teaspoon cumin seeds - ground up in a pestle and mortar
1 level teaspoon smoked paprika
1 heaped teaspoon brown sugar
1 level teaspoon mild chilli powder
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Mix everything together and massage into the chicken in a large dish. Cover and leave to marinade for a couple of hours or overnight.

When you are ready to cook you need to get your kettle BBQ hot.  Move the coals to either side so you are not putting the chicken over a direct heat.  And the BBQ must have a lid.  If you don't have a BBQ you can do this in the oven, you just need to make sure you have the height so you might need to take out the shelves.

You need a 473ml can of beer.  We used Budweiser but I don't think it matter what beer you use.  Drink or pour away a few good gulps so that the can is about half full.  Then lower the chicken over the can so that it is sitting upright.

Then put the chicken on the BBQ for about an hour and 10 minutes to an hour and a half until its golden and the juices run clear.  Its important to keep the lid on while cooking so the heat stays in.

This photo is the chicken ready to get cooking, how weird does that look!  We put a tray underneath them to make it easier to lift them out and catch all the juices as they cooked.

The last photo is the chickens when they have cooked, you can see some juice in the tray.  I think we cooked then for slightly too long however the finished product was delicious.

It was a really fun recipe to cook and it had a "wow" factor however I obviously wouldn't do it like this every time I cooked a chicken.  I would use the rub for a normal roast chicken though or even on chicken breasts on their own.  One word of caution, the beer is very hot when you take the chicken of the BBQ and we accidentally pierced the can and hot beer poured out so be careful (another comical sight - use your imagination!!!)

Have fun :-)

Sharon x

Papas Barn, Maidstone

Papas Barn is a Fish & Chip Restaurant and takeaway in the Ditton area of Maidstone.  We have been driving past it for years now but have never stopped to go in.  Last year it unfortunately burnt down and was shut for a long time.  The owners took the opportunity to rebuild it bigger and better than the original establishment.

A couple of weeks ago Craig and I decided it was about time we took a drive over to Ditton to have fish & chips for tea.  When we arrived the attached car park was very busy but luckily for us there was one space left.  We wanted to sit in the restaurant part to have our dinner and there were a couple of free tables.  The decor was very bright and fresh and modern and I noted very clean.  The atmosphere was buzzing and the smell coming from the kitchens made our mouths water.

Any thoughts of dieting went straight out of the window, we were in a fish & chip shop after all!  I decided to go for plain and simple cod and chips.  I was really worried I would end up with a piece of fish the size of a small whale however I was pleased that my fish was a very manageable size to eat.  The batter was very crisp and hot and not too thick. Sometime it can be a bit stodgy but not in this case.  I had a wedge of lemon dipped in parsley to squeeze over the fish which I duly did.  The chips were delicious and just how chip shop chips should be (but often aren't).

Craig ordered one of his favourites, Rock and Chips.  Rock has a big bone through it.  Last time he had it in a fish & chip shop it was raw in the middle so he hoped that this time there would be no problems.  He needn't have worried as the fish was cooked perfectly.  Again his batter was crisp and hot and very light.  He didn't have the lemon but he did have a little pot of tartare sauce (which he hates so he didn't try it)

The food was great, the service was good and the atmosphere was buzzing.  We really enjoyed our meal at Papas Barn and its somewhere we intend to return to (occasionally) if we fancy fish & chips for tea. We got chatting to the manager and he told us that they also open for breakfast and morning coffee and cakes.  Unfortunatly there is no website so I cant post a link.

Papas Barn
497 London Road
Ditton
ME20 6DB
Maidstone

Sharon x

Cadbury Cocoa House, Bluewater

Last weekend Craig and I had a Sunday afternoon shopping at Bluewater shopping center in Kent.  We arrived around lunchtime so that we could get a bite to eat first before we started on the shops.

We decided that we only wanted something light rather than a full meal so we chose the Cadbury Cocoa House.  Its a fairly recent addition to Bluewater and we had not eaten there before or even know anyone who had, so we were trying it out without any pre conceptions at all.  I had had a peak inside previously when I have walked past and thought it looked good.

When we arrived every table was already taken and the only option was to be seated at one of the high marble topped tables with tall stools.  Normally I hate sitting on these as I find them uncomfortable however I was very surprised to find that they were actually just fine.

A waitress came over to give us our menus.  All the waitresses are dressed in really cute old fashioned tea shop uniforms complete with hairbands.  This sets them apart from other cafes I thought and it was a nice touch.

The menu had plenty to choose from including a whole page of chocolate drinks.  Funnily enough I'm not really into chocolate so I stuck to black coffee however Craig decided to order a Rich Malted Milk hot drink.  It arrived in a big thick white mug, piled high with cream.  Not my thing at all but Craig loved it (he is a real chocoholic)

To eat I went for a Club Sandwich.  This came presented on a wooden board with a little basket of fries. These were hot and crisp and really good.  The sandwich was on white bread (brown is also on offer) and was filled with boiled egg slices, chicken, tomato, and bacon.  It was a nice sandwich although nothing out of the ordinary.  But there was nothing wrong with it either and I would order it again.

Craig had the Fish Finger Sandwich which also came with chips.  Two fillets of fish freshly fried and served in a floured bap.  He absolutely raved about the sandwich.  It was hot, fresh and homemade.  Again the chips were good. A little pot of tomato ketchup also came on the board.

The food, drinks, service and atmosphere at the Cocoa House were all really good and I would say its a great choice for somewhere to eat if you are at at Bluewater.  They also do a great range of breakfast dishes and afternoon teas which we intend to try on another occasion.

Cadbury Cocoa House

Sharon x

Roast, Borough Market, London

Yesterday was my final day at the company I have worked at for the last 12 years.  As a celebration my wonderful boss took me and the team (just four of us) to Roast in Borough Market for lunch.  Roast is somewhere that has been on my list of restaurants to try for a long time but until now I had not had the opportunity.  No offence to my lovely husband but it made a really nice change to share a meal in a new place with other people.

I had booked the table online which was quick and simple.  On the day I received a call from the restaurant to confirm the booking.

As it was a Thursday the market was open and buzzing with activity when we arrived at about 11.50pm.  For those who don't know Borough Market is a fantastic food market full of really great stalls selling everything from artisan cheeses, breads, meats, fantastic and interesting fruits & vegetables to seafood and shell-fish.  Its open on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  On the other days some of the permanent shops are open but the stalls with the exception of one or two remain closed.  There are a number of restaurants and cafes around the market with tastes to suit everyone, however today was all about Roast.

The restaurant is in a building right in the center of the market and has huge windows all around it that give a great view right into the heart of the action.  The photo below is the view from the bar area.

The restaurant itself was far bigger than I expected and some of the tables were on a raised area.  This is where our table was located and it gave us a great view of the rest of the place.  The kitchen is open plan and you can watch the chefs hard at work.

We were given menus and our drinks order was taken.  Beer for the boys and wine for the girls (just the one).  We decided to have the market menu with 3 courses for £28.  This menu had a choice of four starters, four main courses, and four puddings.  Plenty for us to choose from.  We discovered main courses came without any vegetables and potatoes so you need to order these as well if you want them.

To start with me and one of my colleagues had the Selection of cured British meats with toast and piccalilli.  A beautiful arrangement of different meats on a long platter came with a nicely spicy piccalilli. The dish was garnished with young pea shoots which I really enjoyed as you don't see them very often.  I felt the toast was unnecessary as the meat was good on its own.  I have not been a fan of cured meats in the past however I enjoyed every mouthful of this and I am now converted.

Connie had the Laverstoke Park buffalo mozzarella with baked figs and mint. Three thick slices of very good looking mozzarella were interleaved with bright purple figs and fresh mint leaves.  The figs had cooked to a jammy consistency and all in all Connie enjoyed the dish.

The final starter for the boss was Cornish Pilchards on toast with a caper and lemon salad.  The pilchards were a decent size sitting atop a piece of toast.  The onions in the salad were sliced very thinly and had taken on the lemon flavour  Stu enjoyed this dish and declared it "Superdonic"!

Now onto the main course. Three of us had the Roast Goosnargh Chicken with bacon and bread sauce.  A quarter chicken topped with two crispy slices of bacon and lots of rich gravy arrived.  The chicken was extremely moist and very plump.  We had side orders of mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, carrots and red cabbage.  The mash was a little cold but delicious none the less.  The roast potatoes were cooked well and very crispy.  The carrots were, well.....carrots.  The red cabbage was a surprise. Its was raw, thinly sliced in a horseradish dressing.  I only had a taste at the end but I loved it.  I wished I had more.  One to remember for next time.

Connie went for the Roast Sausage of the day with chips and grain mustard (except she asked for it without the mustard). I must mention that the waitress returned to our table after the order had been taken to check if Connie was allergic to mustard or just disliked it.  I thought that was very on the ball of them.

A large coil of sausage arrived on a wooden board along with a little basket of chips.  The inside of the sausage was stuffed with black pudding.  I don't think I would have liked it but Connie loved it.

Only three of us had pudding as Stuart was full by this point so he just had a coffee.  I don't often have one but I was enjoying the meal so much I didn't want to miss out.

Both Connie and Antony had the Apple & Blackberry Crumble with custard.  It arrived in a ramekin with the custard in a jug on the side to pour over.  Both really liked the dish.

I had the Plum and Almond Tart. It comes with a jug of pouring cream which I passed over to Antony who wanted to mix it with his custard.  The tart was light and had a decent amount of fruit.  I couldn't finish the whole piece though as I had also had enough by now.

During the meal the service that we received was excellent.  On one occasion we noticed the waiter trying to give our puddings to the next table but they very quickly realised their mistake.  Bread and butter were served to us at the beginning of the meal and when we emptied the basket we were offered more (which we accepted).  Iced water was topped up throughout the meal.  We did notice that once the restaurant became busier the service did slow down.

Overall this was a fantastic meal and if I could I would return to it time and time again.  There were many dishes on the menu that I would love to try especially the roast suckling pig which was the roast of the day.

I highly recommend  Roast if you are in London and are looking for somewhere special to have lunch or dinner.  I must give a mention to the breakfast menu which you can find here. They sometimes do a 2 for 1 offer.

Boss, if you are reading this thanks for a lovely leaving lunch x

ROAST

Sharon x

Imperial Dynasty, West Malling, Kent

After a rather shocking day at work on Friday I decided that a couple of very large glasses of wine were just the thing required to chill me out a bit. Of course, wine alone would make me light headed (read...drunk!) so a meal to go with it was the plan.

At first we had intended to go out as a family with the teenage son to Nando's however he decided he didn't want to go out so that gave us scope to go somewhere he wasn't fussed about.  So we decided upon ID as we have been many times in the past and its my favourite Chinese restaurant in these parts.  The food is nearly always excellent and the atmosphere is generally lively and buzzing due to its popularity.

The first thing I love about ID is its style.  Its very modern and contemporary and feels a bit more upmarket than your bog-standard Chinese restaurant.  There are no plastic artifacts here, instead there are white tablecloths, tea lights, stylish furniture, and interesting artworks.  The only downside is that there is not a lot of room to move as they really pack in the punters.

Having booked a table for 7.30pm we arrived to find the restaurant nearly full including two very large tables so it wasn't going to be a quiet evening.  Waiting staff were rushed off there feet but we could see some tempting looking food coming out of the kitchen.

A very large glass of wine for me and a diet coke for Craig were ordered while we looked at the menu. At the same time a large basket of prawn crackers were put on the table.  These unfortunately were slightly stale.

Often in a Chinese restaurant we order a set meal however as I follow Weight Watchers and am dairy intolerant this time we ordered individual dishes.  This gives me much more control over what I end up eating.

To start we ordered Steamed mixed Dim Sum and a portion of Chicken Satay.  There were 12 pieces of dim sum in total.  Six were minced pork & coriander (I think) and the other six were minced prawn.  They came with a dish of sweet chilli dipping sauce.  They were extremely hot and fresh and the filling was light.  They were absolutely delicious.

The Chicken Satay sticks (4) were served with a dish of very think peanut sauce.  You could see large pieces of peanut in it which was nice as its usually very smooth.  The chicken itself was a bit tough however this didn't affect the flavour.

For our main course we ordered King Prawns with Black Bean sauce and Green Peppers, Chicken & Cashew Nuts in Yellow Bean sauce, and Stir Fried Shredded Beef Fillet in Sweet Chilli sauce.  To go with these dishes we had a portion of plain boiled rice and a portion of Egg Fried Rice.

The prawn dish was a decent sized portion with a very thick and rich sauce.  Whole pieces of red chilli could be seen which added just the right amount of heat for me.  The prawns themselves were huge.

The chicken dish again was a decent sized portion and had lots a crunchy cashew nuts.  The chicken was thinly sliced and really moist & tender.

The beef dish was not quite what I expected. By the way the menu description was written I thought it would be just slices of beef stir fried in a sauce.  I didn't expect it to be deep fried.  The good news is that I actually really like this dish and often order it elsewhere I just hadn't intended to on this occasion.  No matter, it was still really good.  The carrots were very crisp and the sauce nicely spiced.

At this stage in the review I must apologise for the awful photography used here.  I always use my iPhone to take the pictures and I try to be very discreet.  I wait until there are no waiting staff hovering nearby and then I quickly take a photo. Unfortunately the place was so busy that there was always someone about so I just had to get on and take the picture as quickly as I could.  This seems to have resulted in blurry photos.....sorry.

We waited quite a while between courses but to be honest we didn't mind.  The two large tables got louder and louder as the evening went on and by 9pm lots of tables were being turned around for the next lot of diners.  This is a good sign and shows how popular the place is.

The food isn't the cheapest for a Chinese however around the Maidstone area it is in my humble opinion the best and is worth every penny.

Give it a go.

Imperial Dynasty

Sharon x

The Gurkha Restaurant, Maidstone, Kent

Recently I heard about a new curry house in Maidstone run by Gurkha's.  So on Saturday night Craig and I decided to ignore the pork chops I was thawing out for dinner and head on out for a curry.

Gurkha's are renowned for their excellent curries and I had heard from a friend that this new restaurant was really good so we both had high expectations.  We were not disappointed.

The restaurant focuses on authentic traditional Nepalese Cuisine. They bring the true taste of Gurkha either in the restaurant or as a takeaway..

The tiny restaurant is located in Maidstone’s Week Street in what used to be a cafe. We arrived fairly early (6.45pm) so we weren’t surprised to find the place still half empty.  There was one couple already eating and another couple came along a short while later.  I was surprised however that by the time we left the place wasn’t full up.  I suspect that word has not got out yet.  However with food as good as this it won’t be long before the place is heaving.

The decor was clean, modern and bright with table clothes on the tables and a few tasteful pictures on the walls. There were also fresh red roses and candles on each table which I found quite amusing as this sort of thing is normally reserved for romantic French restaurants.

Once we were seated menus were delivered to us and our drink order taken.  Craig decided to have a bottle of Gurkha beer.  Well I have to say it was a bit of a surprise when the biggest bottle of beer I have ever seen arrived.  660ml to be exact and nice and cold. I ordered a glass of house white wine which thankfully came in a smaller glass than the ones that were already on the table.  These were like those ones you get that holds half a bottle of wine.

Onto the food.  It was really nice to see a few dishes that you don’t see on a normal Indian menu. For example for a starter I ordered a dish named Momo which is Steamed Nepali dumplings stuffed with minced chicken served with tomato and sesame seed chutney. Five decent sized dumplings with a dish of the chutney arrived.  I was in heaven.  Not only were they extremely low fat but they were also extremely tasty. They were similar to Chinese dim sum which I adore the only difference being the tomato chutney was nice and spicy.  This dish was an absolute winner in my book.

Craig ordered the Sheek Kebab which was pieces of kebab cooked with tomato based cream, butter sauce.  When they arrived they were much bigger than those we order in the Indian we normally go to.  Craig was given a plate with a fresh salad garnish and then the kebabs arrived on a sizzling black iron dish on a bed of onions. I tried a piece and I really enjoyed it.  they were not to spicy and had a nice smooth texture.

For my main course I was disappointed that they didn’t have my first choice available so I was under pressure to choose an alternative quickly.  I decided to go for the Lamb Tikka which was Lamb pieces marinated with fresh green herbs & spices grilled in tandoori oven and Served with green salad.  Again this arrived on a black sizzling iron dish on a bed of onions.  Seven or eight decent sized chucks of lamb were very tender and nicely flavoured.

Craig had the Khorsanae (hot) Chicken which was cooked with onion, green pepper in tomato gravy & flavoured with green chillies & herbs.  I didn’t try this as I suspect it was far too hot for me. Craig likes his Curry's with the heat turned up high.  It certainly looked good and it was a decent sized portion.

To go with the main course we also ordered some naan bread, Gurkhali Aloo which is spiced boiled potatoes, Chyauko Tarkari which is shallow fried mushrooms and green peas with crushed coriander seeds, and lastly some mushroom rice.

The potatoes were just right however while the mushroom dish was very tasty it seemed to be missing the advertised peas.  The nann bread was hot, spongy and well flavoured and was just the right thing to mop up the sauce.

All in all the food was delicious and in our opinion better than the place we normally go to when we want a curry.


Now onto the really good news, the whole bill came to £35.35.  Yes you did read that right.  I have even taken a photo as evidence because we couldn’t believe it ourselves.   We will be returning thats for sure.

            
The restaurant also does takeaway but I’m not sure if they deliver.  Even so it’s worth the drive into town to pick it up.



The Gurkha Restaurant


Sharon x

Dishoom, Covent Garden, London

It’s a little while since I have written anything for the blog.  Life has been really busy of late as we are decorating the house which has taken up most of our free time.  The times we have been out for a meal we have returned to trusted places I have already written about.

However, not too long ago Craig and I had an evening out in London to go to a concert and we had a meal first at Dishoom in Covent Garden.

Dishoom is a restaurant based on a traditional Bombay Cafe.  As I have never been to Bombay I cannot comment to compare its authenticity, however I can say it’s a really nice place. The large restaurant with its tiled floor has a mixture of tables and seating booths all watched over by the open plan kitchen. Each bare table holds a stack of plates and a tub of napkins and cutlery ready for you to use when your food arrives.  Lots of mirrors and bare bulb hanging lights give the whole place a really interesting look.

The all day menu starts with breakfast from 8am.  The menu holds a mix of small plates, grills, Biryani, sides, breads, soups, salads, desserts and drinks. The general idea is that you each order lots of little dishes until you have had enough.  The food comes out of the kitchen as it is ready.  It’s a bit like Indian tapas.

First of all we had a plates of vegetable samosas.  Two decent sized parcels filled with lightly spiced vegetables and fried until crisp were served up with a wedge of lime and an assortment of pickles.  Delicious.

Next came a dish of calamari with lime and chilli.  Again these were fried until crisp and golden and have a great flavour and not too greasy.  I will at this point say though that if you happen to be on a slimming programme you will have to have a night off!!

Next up came a dish that I ordered out of curiosity as I had never seen this on a menu but ended up being my favourite dish, Bombay Sausages. This was chipolata sausages tumbled in a tasty Bombay Masala (the menus description not mine!). I can honestly say I have never had such tasty sausages and I am going to try and recreate this dish at home (although I am thinking it will be more like Jean Slater’s “Sausage surprise”!!)

Next a dish of house black Daal served up with Roomali Roti bread. The daal is a slow cooked dish of spiced lentils and the bread is light unleavened bread stretched and cooked over a hot stone. We watched the bread chef making all the bread to order in the open kitchen, fascinating stuff.

Dhaba Chicken was served with a dish of plain boiled rice. I can’t describe this dish as I didn’t have any however Craig said it was great.

The last dish was spicy lamb chops.  These were rubbed with cracked black pepper and chilli’s and then cooked over a hot grill until blackened.  The meat was pink and juicy and the spices just right for my taste.  This was my second favourite dish of the meal.

By this point we were full and had left no room for one of the desserts but there was plenty of refreshing and delicious options on offer had we wanted one.

There was no dish that either of us disliked and nothing about the place, the service or the food that I could say anything negative about.  Dishoom is a really good casual restaurant where you don’t need to dress up or book a table.  It would be a great place to go as a group as well as just as a couple.  I would highly recommend giving it a try next time you are in Covent Garden.

Dishoom