27 August 2011

On the Ninth Day of Christmas

Café Spice Namasté, a few steps from the Tower of London

“Your 2010 Christmas present is 12 memorable meals out over the next 12 months, featuring:

Michelin Stars
Celebrity Chefs
Spanish Tapas
Modern Seafood
Modern Italian Cuisine
High Class Dim Sum
in London, Surrey and farther afield.”

“On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…”a birthday dinner at Café Spice Namasté in London’s Aldgate district, a stone’s throw from the Tower of London.

I first met Cyrus Todiwala OBE at the 2010 MasterChef Live exhibition where his Pan-Asian cuisine wowed visitors to The Restaurant Experience. I have been wanting to visit his restaurant ever since, so the Ninth Day of Christmas was the perfect occasion.

Madame Thermomix and Chef Cyrus Todiwala at Café Spice Namasté — Madame Thermomix and Chef Cyrus Todiwala who uses several Thermomixes at Café Spice Namasté

We arrived to a warm welcome just after opening time and sat down in the colourful décor of Café Spice Namasté’s main dining room. It is a very large place, in a Grade II-listed building, a stunning former magistrate’s court. The décor is different from what you typically see in many Indian restaurants in the UK, but has a more ethnic, authentic feel to it.

The à la carte menu is vast, “incorporating the best of Indian cuisine with specialities and influences from all over Asia, often with a European twist.” This was evident in that week’s Seasonal menu, where British-sourced Romney Salt Marsh Lamb and rare breed chicken are given a delicious Indian twist. Not only does Cyrus regularly offer changing seasonal menus specialising in various cuisines from across Asia (this month it’s Goan cuisine), he champions British produce from sustainable sources. His efforts have earned Café Spice Namasté the title of Green Champion of the Year as awarded by catering equipment manufacturer Gram UK, as well as the City of London’s 2011 Sustainable Food Award, and many others.

But back to the menu. Page after page of lip-smacking dishes boggled my mind and left me wishing I lived nearer so I could eat at Café Spice Namasté more often. I could probably eat there every day for a year and never order the same dish twice! To my dismay, it would appear that I am not so unusual (drat! I thought I was pretty special) and Chef Todiwala has thought of a brilliant solution: let the kitchen choose for you with The Kitchen Suggestions Menu. Bingo! I’m always happy to have the chef create his choice of dishes and thus try foods I might not have chosen myself and also ones that the chef and his team enjoy preparing. All you have to do here is specify any dietary requirements or preferences/dislikes and sit back and enjoy the food. Genius!

Our selection of dishes from the Kitchen's Suggestions at Café Spice Namasté

So off we went on a Sub-Continental culinary journey with fresh British accents. Dish after dish appeared on the table and promptly disappeared into our eager selves. The spicing of the Salt Marsh Lamb, for instance, was subtle enough to let the taste through, while other dishes had Cyrus’ special spice twist to them. Particularly outstanding were a duck sausage with beautifully balanced spices and the trio of desserts which included coconut pancakes and a luscious kulfi.

Namasté! for Madame Thermomix's birthday

Also outstanding was the service provided by Café Spice Namasté’s staff. Cyrus has set up personnel policies that have earned the restaurant Champion status in the Investors in People programme. The company’s concern for its employees’ welfare is reflected back at its customers by the namesake, Namasté, which means “warm welcome” in Hindi.

This warm welcome is extended online too, at Mr. Todiwala’s online shop where chutneys, pickles and cooking sauces – all “made in Cyrus Todiwala’s kitchen to a highly original recipe” can bring the Indian and Pan-Asian tastes of Café Spice Namasté home. Cyrus’ recipe books, also available online, further assist in recreating Chef Todiwala’s innovative approach to Indian cooking at home.

As from September 2011, international travellers will also be able to taste Cyrus Todiwala’s inventive cuisine at his new venue, Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen, situated in the new Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5. Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen will offer the same exciting and innovative pan-Indian cuisine for which Cyrus is renowned.

We thank Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala for their warm welcome and delicious food at Café Spice Namasté and bid them “Namasté!”