Asian food in St Albans
So before I post some postcard-worthy shots of St Albans, here is a final post on some of the Asian restaurants spotted in the city centre at St Albans. It is worth clarifying that there is a wide range of cuisine available in town including, I assume, lots of pub-food going by the numbers of pubs within a mile radius of the town centre.
I decided, once again, to succumb to "Asian restaurant voyeurism" which involves walking up to an Asian restaurant, reading the menu, peering into the interiors of restaurants and trying to guess from the wafting aroma whether this would be worthy of a visit at some future point. Usually I come to the conclusion that I could just as easily cook something at home and it might even taste more authentic.
However this time I actually ventured into a restaurant. But more on that later- first the round-up.
First up was Koh-i-noor (like the diamond) Restaurant. When they say 'Bangladeshi and Indian' on their sign it usually means the chef(s) are from Bangladesh. So my guess is that the flavours will be more 'East India' rather than North India (Punjabi) or West India (Gujarati) or South Indian (Andhra) to name a few of nearly two dozen states in India. It's somewhat hard to keep up as they do keep forming new states every few years.
There were a few Thai places including one from the Thai Square chain.
Tucked away in a little alley was Samoji. I didn't go inside but it felt like one of those places which you might also hire for a private function/ party.
As I left the town centre and started heading towards some residential areas I was surprised to see Singhli. I stopped, checked the menu, peered inside and then checked the menu again. I walked further and found myself at the back of the cathedral. Wandered there for a bit, enjoyed looking at the early blossoms on the trees and then decided I must go back and have some of the awesome Indian street food that Singhli was advertising.
After a mental tussle between aloo tikki, bhel puri and samosa I made up mind that it would have to be samosa and chai, a standard Indian evening snack. This is the view as I walked inside.
.JPG)
When I came in it was a bit bare (of people) but the owners were warm and friendly and chatted to me nicely. They have only been open a year and have not been advertising aggressively. Through word of mouth they said they had a loyal and growing local clientele. This proved to be correct as within 20 minutes of my coming in about half the restaurant was full with the dinner-goers (I forgot to take pics by then as I was busy sipping my chai!)
.JPG)
The masala chai was really good ( apart from a small problem with the pot which didnt pour well and kept spilling). The samosas were OK. They were made in a regional style that involves a bit too much garlic for my palette (my family is from central Uttar Pradesh/ foothill of Himalayas and we go easy on strong garlic and onion). I also found that chilli as well as other spices in the samosa were a bit too mild even for my 'mild-to-medium' taste buds. A result of the Dehradun cooking influence from my family I imagine. The crust was not deep-friend, so it may have been more healthy but the dish didn't taste like a Delhi ka samosa!
As I continued to dig into the samosas, the restaurant was filling up with a lot of white British/ European folk. It occurred to me that some dishes may have been tailored to meet the local demand. I wouldn't say it's not authentic, it's just a different style. Often the same dish in India differs a lot depending on which city/ state you eat it in. Some friends would even go as far as to say that the gol gappas sold at the footpath of Bengali Market in central Delhi are radically different to those at the more clinical (but equally busy) Haldiram outlets in Delhi!
Back at Singhli's I didnt try the bhel puri which apparently is the most popular starter. Pao bhaji is no longer served as the Indians loved it but the non-Indians (read local demand) felt disappointed to see a bread roll (pao) with the veggie dish (bhaji) :(
Verdict: For those trying out Indian street food hesitantly for the first time- this is a safe bet. The masala chai was good. And the lovely owners will make you feel very welcome.
Here's snapshot of the menu.
******************
I decided, once again, to succumb to "Asian restaurant voyeurism" which involves walking up to an Asian restaurant, reading the menu, peering into the interiors of restaurants and trying to guess from the wafting aroma whether this would be worthy of a visit at some future point. Usually I come to the conclusion that I could just as easily cook something at home and it might even taste more authentic.
However this time I actually ventured into a restaurant. But more on that later- first the round-up.
First up was Koh-i-noor (like the diamond) Restaurant. When they say 'Bangladeshi and Indian' on their sign it usually means the chef(s) are from Bangladesh. So my guess is that the flavours will be more 'East India' rather than North India (Punjabi) or West India (Gujarati) or South Indian (Andhra) to name a few of nearly two dozen states in India. It's somewhat hard to keep up as they do keep forming new states every few years.
There were a few Thai places including one from the Thai Square chain.
As I left the town centre and started heading towards some residential areas I was surprised to see Singhli. I stopped, checked the menu, peered inside and then checked the menu again. I walked further and found myself at the back of the cathedral. Wandered there for a bit, enjoyed looking at the early blossoms on the trees and then decided I must go back and have some of the awesome Indian street food that Singhli was advertising.
After a mental tussle between aloo tikki, bhel puri and samosa I made up mind that it would have to be samosa and chai, a standard Indian evening snack. This is the view as I walked inside.
.JPG)
When I came in it was a bit bare (of people) but the owners were warm and friendly and chatted to me nicely. They have only been open a year and have not been advertising aggressively. Through word of mouth they said they had a loyal and growing local clientele. This proved to be correct as within 20 minutes of my coming in about half the restaurant was full with the dinner-goers (I forgot to take pics by then as I was busy sipping my chai!)
.JPG)
The masala chai was really good ( apart from a small problem with the pot which didnt pour well and kept spilling). The samosas were OK. They were made in a regional style that involves a bit too much garlic for my palette (my family is from central Uttar Pradesh/ foothill of Himalayas and we go easy on strong garlic and onion). I also found that chilli as well as other spices in the samosa were a bit too mild even for my 'mild-to-medium' taste buds. A result of the Dehradun cooking influence from my family I imagine. The crust was not deep-friend, so it may have been more healthy but the dish didn't taste like a Delhi ka samosa!
As I continued to dig into the samosas, the restaurant was filling up with a lot of white British/ European folk. It occurred to me that some dishes may have been tailored to meet the local demand. I wouldn't say it's not authentic, it's just a different style. Often the same dish in India differs a lot depending on which city/ state you eat it in. Some friends would even go as far as to say that the gol gappas sold at the footpath of Bengali Market in central Delhi are radically different to those at the more clinical (but equally busy) Haldiram outlets in Delhi!
Back at Singhli's I didnt try the bhel puri which apparently is the most popular starter. Pao bhaji is no longer served as the Indians loved it but the non-Indians (read local demand) felt disappointed to see a bread roll (pao) with the veggie dish (bhaji) :(
Verdict: For those trying out Indian street food hesitantly for the first time- this is a safe bet. The masala chai was good. And the lovely owners will make you feel very welcome.
Here's snapshot of the menu.
******************
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