Restaurant Review: Salaam Namaste

I’ve been meaning to go to Salaam Namaste for a while. I don’t even remember why it’s on the list but it must have got a good review at some point. The concept is Modern Indian cuisine, which I like the idea of. I've not got around to going mainly I think because it’s in Bloomsbury which I rarely have a need to visit. However, we were going to a gig near Euston and this place fell fairly close. It’s in a weird place for a restaurant. Unlike Soho, Covent Garden or Shoreditch there’s no density of eateries here and we had to walk through quiet streets for ten minutes or so before finding this solitary restaurant on a back street near Russell Square.

We were greeted and shown to our table. When we asked to be moved because it was right next to the toilets the response we got was rather frosty which set us off on a slightly uncomfortable footing. This kind of set the tone for another few standard service mistakes like not bringing the tap water we asked for, standing at the head of the table looking bored whilst people flapped over what they wanted etc. On top of this when we were asking about sides they weren’t very helpful. I asked if my main came with anything, and was told a very firm ‘No’, so I ordered rice, then it turned up with flat bread. This happened with a few other side options which resulted in us ending up with way too much food.

And, I warn you now, asking for a glass of wine before you've finished your last one. Well, I think you could describe that look at pretty scathing. The upshot was that I didn't feel particularly comfortable in there. However, we still had a nice evening.

The food in contrast was great. There was a whole grill section on the menu which I really like at an Indian. My minted lamb tandoori was beautifully presented and came with an interesting crunchy salad, great sauces and the lamb it's self was delicious. This was then scooped up in buttered flat bread which resulted in a party in my mouth. Appreciative noises from other people around the table seemed to indicate that the food was of overall high quality. I was especially jealous of the ginger lamb chops. We also got a drinkable bottle of house wine for £15, which is always nice.

I was able to book online a few hours before and didn’t have any trouble securing a table for 5 people. When we turned up, just after 7pm, I think we could have got away without booking at all. Although it was full by 8.30pm.

The upshot is: Odd location and stroppy service countered by great, well presented food at a reasonable price. Would I go again? If I was in this area and was in the mood for an Indian, probably but I have to say that the service did put me off. 5/10

Loin of pork stuffed with chorizo, spinach and lemon

This is a great little recipe. It's a pork tenderloin stuffed with chorizo, spinach and lemon. I've had it book marked on another blog, which I follow, for probably about four years now and because it's been so long I always forget to cook it.

The other day I was cruising the supermarket looking for inspiration, which is never a good idea because it always lands me back on old favorites. What I really wanted to do was slow cook something. I had ideas of slow cooked duck, lamb shanks or pulled pork for a relaxed Sunday evening meal. The problem is that I was going to be out all day and didn't fancy getting back late and trying to start roasting something.

Luckily I spied a tenderloin and this little baby popped into my head. You can prepare everything in advance and then just pop it in the oven for about half an hour. I also prepped and par-cooked some paprika and onion roast potatoes with go with this, that just needed heating through at the end. All it needed at that point was a bit of sauteed asparagus to complete it.

It felt pretty special, it was very tasty and mega easy on the day. I would recommend it.

Pork tenderloin stuffed with caramelised onion, chorizo, lemon and spinach stuffing 

Serves 4

1 pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cooking chorizo sausages, finely diced
150g baby leaf spinach
a handful of breadcrumbs (1-2 slices bread)
zest and juice of half a lemon
black pepper
12 rashers pancetta

Peheat the oven to 200c.

Cut the pork in half, lengthways. bash each piece of meat with a rolling pin (place the meat between a couple of layers of cling film or in a plastic bag) to flatten it a little.

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onions until they begin to soften. Add the chorizo and fry until the meat is cooked and the onions have begun to caramelise. Add the spinach to the pan and cook until it wilts, placing a lid on the pan to make this easier. Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and juice. Season well with salt and black pepper.

Place the pancetta rashers in a line, on a board, slightly overlapping. top this with one half of the pork tenderloin and cover this with the chorizo, spinach and lemon stuffing. top with the other half of the tenderloin and wrap the pancetta around it, sealing in the stuffing. place, seal side down, on a lightly-oiled baking tray and roast for 25-30 minutes, until the pork is cooked through. leave to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve slices of stuffed pork with sauteed asparagus and  mini roast potatoes roasted in a little oil, smoked paprika, onion granuals, salt and pepper.

Japanese Stir Fry

I've always struggled with stir fry. Traditionally I've had it as a low fat option, finding it edible but not exciting. Upon proclaiming my disappointment on Facebook a few weeks ago I was given a few suggestions on how to perk it up and give it some new flavors. The most interesting was from by brother who has traveled to Japan in his time and has turned out some amazing Japanese dishes at his place over the years. He suggested kobu seasoning (that I couldn't find), bonito (which I did. I think might also be called dashi when mixed with water - a Japanese stock), mirin and sesame oil.

So, I took myself off to the local Asian supermarket and found almost all of those things that I didn't have already and found a noodle recipe on the Japanese Center's website. I adapted it a bit and came up with this.

It had a more savory stock based backdrop, whilst at the same time being sweet (from the mirin I guess), The main appeal is that it got away from that over powering taste of soy sauce. I also loved the fact that things like ginger were different, because I got pickled sushi ginger. Also, spring onions too because I sprinkled them on the top rather than cooking them in.

This is what I did. I'll be doing this basic idea again but taking the chance to experiment further with sesame oil, ground peanuts, lime juice and maybe different vegetables.

Prawn and Scallop Yaki Udon

Serves 1

For the stir fry:
Peanut oil (or something like ground nut oil)
1/4 red pepper
1/4 yellow pepper
1/4 red onion
Handful of beansprouts
3 chestnut mushrooms
1 packet of ready cooked udon noodles
50g of tiger prawns
30g of scallops
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp of mirin
1.5 tbsp of dashi (which I made out of 1 tsp of bonito flakes dissolved in about 80 ml of boiling water)

To topping:
pickled ginger
1 spring onion
1/2 red chili
coriander
crispy onions
more bonito granules

I started by heating the oil in a very hot pan for a few minutes. I then added the next five ingredients, all thinly sliced, and frying fast for a few minutes. Then add the noodles, prawns of scallops (you could easily use any seafood or chicken). Then, after a few minutes, I added the soy, mirin and dashi.

Once warmed through and some of the liquid has boiled off, tip into a dish and garnish with the topping ingredients.

Whilst eating it I ran out of the topping ingredients very quickly so would either recommend adding loads of them, or having bowls of extra on the table.

I loved this. You should definitely make it.

Next challenge is to find kobu and work out how to use that.