FOOD AND DRINK What happening with food... Where can I get great Sushi? Where can I take my wife for dinner? This guide will tell you all about food and drink - where you shouldn't miss - who will be easy on the palete, and those that will be easy on the wallet - when it comes to food and drink - we've got the lowdown... 
CALCUTTA BRASSERIE
Calcutta Brasserie’s new Head Chef, Salam Abdul was awarded Asian Chef of the Year at the MKFLA on Sunday 12 May. The glitzy ceremony, held at Jury’s Inn in Milton Keynes was attended by over 200 people from the food and leisure industry. The evening celebrated a wide range of sectors with Calcutta Brasserie shortlisted in the ‘Best Asian Chef and the ‘Best Asian Restaurant’ categories. Salam Abdul faced tough competition from other local restaurants but was recognised for his culinary skills and special attention to detail. The awards received over 3,000 votes submitted by MKFM listeners and readers of the Milton Keynes Citizen. The award winning chef will be cooking the menu between 22 May and 21 June at Calcutta Brasserie in Stony Stratford. Diners can sample the menu during this time for £34.95 and £5 will be donated to local charity, Willen Hospice. Diners are asked to pre-book and give 48 hours notice. Mo Abdul, Proprietor at Calcutta Brasserie said “We are delighted to have won the Best Asian Chef awards for another year; I am very proud of Salam and his passion to deliver exceptional food. We welcome diners to taste the menu created for the competition and hope they enjoy the dishes as much as the judges did.” Further information about Calcutta Brasserie can be found at www.calcuttabrasserie.co.uk
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Cape Town to county town
The Embankment in Bedford has a new head chef. The culinary talent of Patrick Moore, who hails from Cape Town in South Africa by way of the Michelin-starred Nobu in London, is now starring in the kitchen at the riverside pub and is already making his mark on the local food scene. Patrick brings with him a love of seafood and fish, as well as influences of pan-Asian cuisine, picked up from his travels and experience working in acclaimed restaurants in the capital and further afield. Having decided at a young age that he wanted to cook for a living, he gained his chefs whites at the Warwick’s Chef School near Hermanus in the Patrick joined the Millennium Hotel in Knightsbridge, working under executive chef Tom Thomsen at the MJU Restaurant, and was mentored by Justin Quek, one of Asia’s most respected chefs. So his love of pan-Asian food was born, and with it the realisation that food was not just a job, but a passion. A move to the Michelin-starred Nobu overlooking Hyde Park came next, and then Patrick cooked for celebrities and royalty alike at Cocoon Restaurant on A visit to family in Norwich saw Patrick swap the bright lights for life by the sea, where he became one of the team behind the highly successful launch of The Lounge Restaurant at The Andover Hotel in Great Yarmouth, gaining his first head chef job at just 24. This start-up eatery serving modern British cuisine with an Asian slant rapidly achieved AA Five Star Restaurant with Rooms and two AA Rosette statuses and a place in the Michelin Good Food Guide with Patrick as its head chef. Patrick then joined the team as head chef at d'Arry's in Cambridge before settling in historic Saffron Walden, where he was asked to launch The Old Cross Keys restaurant with rooms, serving up fantastic quality fresh British food with a twist and with it a solid reputation for good things to eat. Of his food and joining the award-winning team at The Embankment, Patrick says: “I’m thrilled to be heading up my own kitchen here and to be working in exactly the kind of place I love to eat in. Over the years I’ve had some fantastic culinary experiences and learnt from so many great chefs and I’m really proud to have the opportunity of putting it all into practice here. “I’m taking on this new challenge with both hands. I want people to love what we do and savour what comes out of my kitchen and of course to keep coming back for more. I’ll be adding some of my own signature fish and seafood plus some Asian-inspired dishes onto the menu as well as making what we already do here at The Embankment better and tastier than ever. I’ll also be talking to as many guests as possible to find out what they love, and work with the team to ensure they have it,” he says. “Patrick is a really talented chef who turns every ingredient he touches into something amazing,” says Embankment manager Jonathan Taylor. “His food is vibrant and exciting. Everything I’ve tasted from his kitchen is full of flavour and colour. I’m confidently predicting that he’ll wow people with every bite. Make sure you come and experience it soon.” The Embankment is on Bedford’s beautiful riverside at number 6 The Embankment, Bedford, |
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Restaurant Review
The former Hillside restaurant has been recently transformed into Kippings Bistro and Wine bar with a completely refurbished interior, a new chef and dynamic new menu. Kippings is situated in the heart of the picturesque village of Wheathampstead close to Welwyn and St Albans.
The Sticks dropped in for Lunch the other week to see what Kippings had to offer. Kippings has a good ala carte menu with a wide selection of dishes both for starter/main course and desert. For starters I chose pan seared sea scallops, sweet potato purée, cumin, coriander –the scallops were amazing not over cooked like I have had at some restaurants and the accompanying potato puree went so well with it.
For main course I selected char grilled ribeye, fried duck egg, triple cooked chips, blue cheese butter-the ribeye was the tastiest I had had in a long while and perfectly cook Medium rare as requested and the blue cheese butter and fried duck egg is a different twist on the norm,but extremely good.
And for dessert cheesecake topped with fresh fruit – a wonderful smooth cheesecake topped with fresh fruit a great way to finish a meal.
This is one restaurant you should visit soon, great food, great service,and great menu ideas. Kippings should be commended on what they have achieved since opening in September.
Kippings is open daily from Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner and Sunday for breakfast and lunch.
Telephone - 01582 833122 Email - reservations@kippings.co.uk
Owner Patricia Kandrácová explains all about Kippings and her vision :- “Despite the seemingly never ending news of corporate failures and house repossessions, we plan to buck the by opening a new restaurant in an iconic Wheathampstead landmark. “The 42 cover Bistro provides a new use for the Grade II listed dwelling that forms part of the site, as a wine bar and lounge ' It is an important that the building provides flexibility to suit customer moods and the wine bar provides the opportunity for them to enjoy the building without necessarily having a sit down meal. Interview with Kippings Chef Jack Blackwell:-
Have you ever wished you could create those wonderful, authentic Indian curries, but don’t think you have the time or know how?
Well the Sticks may have the answer …….. We tried out this amazing product Bipin's Curry Fusion Masala Range The fresh curry paste creations are a delicate blend of 20+ pure unadulterated fresh green Indian herbs and whole ground authentic spices based on 4 generations of authentic Indian cooking. Simply add Bipins fresh masala curry paste to freshly prepared meat, fish or vegetables. For a slightly milder experience use more of the core ingredient. Additionally, add vegetables to the meat such bell peppers or sweet potato. This will serve 4+ people as a main dish. Or simply use half the amount to serve 2 people and save the rest of the masala paste for later. Cook on low heat in a heavy pan keeping the lid on to prevent loss of moisture. Cook for about 20 minutes mixing occasionally. An option is to finish off by folding in about 2-3 tbsp of single cream, yoghurt or coconut milk. This will add a new dimension to the dish and make it saucy. Warm through and rest for 5 minutes and garnish with coarsely chopped coriander. Serve with plain boiled rice and green leaf salad with thinly sliced onions. There is no need to add any oil, salt or water or brown the meat. Keep it simple and natural, you'll be amazed how the flavours infuse into the meat/vegetables/fish. You'll be surprised as to the amount of moisture released from the meat/fish/vegetables, a truly tasty experience that makes you think it was made in a restaurant. Bipin's masala is made from pure unadulterated fresh Indian herbs and spices to traditional authentic Gujarati recipes handed down through generations with a little sprinkle of innovation added through a scientific background to put the authentic experience in your hands. The result has been a unique highly aromatic deeply flavoursome blend of masala that everyone can use. There are just 100% fresh ingredients, no additives, no preservatives, no colourings and no flavourings. There are 6 main varieties of fresh Curry Sauces; Surti Masala, Jeera Masala, Methi Masala, Machi Masala, Grama Masala and Sheek Masala. In addition there are the Royal Korma Masala Chilli-heat-free and special limited addition hot masala. Bipins of Hitchin Make Authentic All-Natural Curry At Home
Bipin's are a local producer in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, of a unique range of All-Fresh, All-Natural Gujarati Masala (a distant relative of the curry paste!). Bipin's masala is a very convenient way of making a real authentic Indian cuisine without all the fuss; simply "add & cook" to create a truly authentic, fantastic tasting aromatic curry. On this website you will find lots of new dishes and recipe ideas to try out. Over 12,300 people have enjoyed the masala with 100% resounding success.
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ew that this is what I wanted to do, so, at 16 I left school and went to train at Hertford regional college for two years and gaining my qualifications. I then went on to work in a few local pubs and restaurants in the area. I decided that to further my knowledge, experience and to get to where i wanted to be that I needed to move to 
