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Global Street Food Kitchen – bringing International favourites to London

January 19, 2016 by manjirichitnis 18 Comments

The first of a chain of restaurants soon to open in London, Global Street Food Kitchen has opened its first outlet in the busy mall which houses ASDA in Hounslow East.

Not to be confused with the regular multi-cuisine restaurants which often manage to serve up sub-standard food with confusing menus and buffet style dining. Global Street Food Kitchen has a well researched A la Carte menu concept backed up by a philosophy of sourcing which an emphasis on provenance. For instance usage of only the very best herb fed, free range chicken from Pilmoor Farm, in Yorkshire, similarly only organic tomatoes to go with the pizza flour and cheese for the pizza which are imported from Italy.

No wonder then that the Butter chicken was delightful not just in taste but texture and managed to enhance the robust spices used in the marination. This dish is a firm favourite with me when it comes to North Indian food. It is a very popular Indian dish and  most roadside ‘dhabas’ (little shanties that dot the national highways) serve this indulgent curry with buttery parathas – fuel for all those driving long distance on dusty roads in temperatures hitting 40 deg cel plus.

Butter Chicken at GSF
                                                                           Butter Chicken at GSF

When I first walked into GSF with my friend the first thing we noticed was the cool college canteen style look which screams ‘shack’ or ‘tapri’ (meaning a small roadside stall in Marathi, usually built with scrap material lifted off construction sites like scaffoldings and wooden planks). The rustic feel is emphasised by the functional but dhaba style furniture and wooden effects.

Unfussy decor at GSF

I especially liked the open plan kitchen and bar area.
Open plan Kitchen and bar at GSF

The wood fired oven adds a comforting warm glow to the huge open plan kitchen.

Wood Fired Oven at GSF

The massive warehouse style space which can house a large number of guests has a very welcoming vibe.

Spacious interiors at GSF

With so many tempting dishes on offer I really was at a loss at where to start sampling. I picked my top 2 fav’s – Pani Puri is my absolute favourite when it comes to Mumbai street food and I also can’t resist seafood especially Prawn Koliwada – blame it on my roots – a true blue Bombayite aka Mumbaikar and a Maharashtrian with a staple diet of fish curries – I go weak in the knees at the very sight of prawns.

Prawn Koliwada at GSF

One bite of these crispy spicy prawns and there’s no going back folks!

Pani puri shots at GSF

Clearly, consultant Chef Shailesh Deshmukh and Head Chef Sudhir Jadhav who have worked together to conceptualise the menu have found just the right mix for the various spices and techniques to perfect global street food classics. With Oriental, Indian, Mexican, British, Italian and American cuisines on the menu there is something to satiate every type of street food craving. All ingredients are sourced from high-quality suppliers and farms and the proof lies in the fresh flavoursome food which does justice to its respective cuisine.

Consultant Chef Shailesh Deshmukh brings with him a rich background of experience gained at establishments like The Dorchester, Marriott, Hyatt, Four Seasons and Jumeirah, that coupled with boundless energy and passion has resulted in the creation of dishes like this Bakarwadi chaat – presented so tastefully, to tempt even the most discerning palate. Bakarwadi is a classic snack from Pune in the state of Maharashtra India – best described as a spicy crunchy fried spring roll like savoury snack, made famous by ‘Chitale Bandhu’ – Pune’s premier purveyors of traditional Maharashtrian sweets and snacks. No trip to India is complete for me unless I queue up outside Chitale Bandhu to buy freshly made bakarwadi by the kilo 😉

Bakarwadi Chaat at GSF

To keep us hydrated we had a fabulous mocktail called Tamarind Chilli – love the way they describe it on the menu too, very entertaining! I also like the cocktail called Mr.Gatsby – potent but refreshing all at once.

Tamarind Chilli Moctail at GSF

We also sampled the crispy aubergine which are so morish we could have easily eaten a few more portions but there was so a tempting variety of dishes to sample we had to do justice to all of them 😉

A medley of flavoursome global street food

L-R: Mexican Quesadilla, side of sauteed spinach with shallots, onion rings, Wall Art – a world map with a difference at GSF, a juicy GSF classic beef burger served with hand-cut triple cooked chips.

I was very keen to try Misal Pav which hails from the state of Maharashtra in India, done well this dish is a absolute delight. A combination of a humble legume and sprouts curry spiced with sev and served with a soft ‘paav’ bread. At GSF they this spicy curry topped with fresh ‘farsan’ commonly known as the Bombay Mix, with a side of a delicious mystery sauce which is to be poured on the top.Finally the dish is topped off with finely chopped red onions and a generous squeeze of lime. No wonder this dish won the ‘Foodie Hub Award’ in London last June!

Misal Paav at GSF

One of the reasons this dish is so delicious is the bread that is served with it is so fresh. Like all their other carefully selected ingredients and their emphasis on provenance, all the bread served at GSF are specially made for the restaurant by artisan baker Maison Blanc.

Though I would have loved to sample their dessert menu I simply couldn’t after devouring such a feast but then we had one last treat come our way – Masala Chai served with a fabulous Bun Maska. Now folks bun maska takes me back to my days in Pune where I frequented this place called – Cafe’ GoodLuck where my friends and I spent hours drinking one cup after another of hot sweet masala chai served as ‘cutting’ -half a cup with a soft bun doused in golden soft butter and sprinkle of sugar. Winter evenings in Pune after work were so good! The same delightful treat I also enjoyed as a college student at various Irani Cafes around Matunga, Dadar and South Bombay – perfect treat for an always broke college student perpetually in need of more ‘pocket money’.

For those with a sweet tooth do take note that GSF source all their ice cream and sorbet from the award winning ‘Snow Flake Luxury Gelato’ – yet another reason why their food is so good – the focus is clear – to create and serve authentic dishes.

Masala Chai and Bun Maska at GSF

I urge you not to miss out on this simple but fabulous treat at GSF, the buttery goodness encased in a fresh soft bun is almost like having a feathery light sponge with creme’ chantilly….

Global Street Food Kitchen offers a refreshing new take on serving street food – authentic flavours, emphasis on provenance and chefs trained at some of the best establishments in the world – all key ingredients to their delicious offerings. I for one cannot wait for their new branch in Central London, until then whenever the craving for street food hits I know where I will be going.

*With  thanks to Humayun Hussain and Global Street Food Kitchen for the invite. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: A la Carte menu, Bakarwadi chaat, beef burger, Bombay Mix, Bombayite, British, Bun Maska, Cafe' GoodLuck, Chef Shailesh Deshmukh, Chitale Bandhu, dadar, farsan, Foodie Hub Award, Gatsby, Global Street Food Kitchen, GSF, hand-cut triple cooked chips, India, Indian, Irani Cafes, Italian and American cuisines, maharashtrian, Maison Blanc, Masala Chai, Matunga, Mexican, Mexican Quesadilla, Misal Pav, Mumbaikar, onion rings, Oriental, pani puri, Prawn Koliwada, Pune, sauteed spinach with shallots, sides, South Bombay, Tamarind Chilli mocktail

Salon du Chocolat’s first Chocolate Fashion Show in London

October 27, 2013 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

For any one with a sweet tooth going to a fashion show and watching models walk around in clothes made with chocolate is a pure test of resilience, thankfully I sampled almost all of the varied offering by master chocolatiers after to not feel deprived 😉

During National Chocolate Week – Salon du Chocolat‘s world famous fashion show came to London for the first time.On Friday the 18th of  October Chocolate Couture was its best with various world-renowned chocolatiers teaming up with designers and artists to  present their creations live on the catwalk at the VIP Gala Evening.The venue was National Hall, Olympia ,at Kensington in London and before we (Nisha of My Kitchen Antics and Suchi of Kitchen Karma) went there we had quite enjoyed dressing up and doing our own hair and make up , after all ”girls just wanna have fun”, huh?

The weekend saw many events unfold like demonstrations, talks, interactive workshops from acclaimed chocolatiers and chefs including master patissier Eric Lanlard in action, Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite and leading pastry chefs from Hakkasan and Le Manoir aux quat’saisons.

Lindt’s strapless chocolate dress weighed a whooping 50 kg and was made with chocolate and chilli.Called the “Eternal Diamond” it was designed by Graduate Fashion Week 2013 winner Lauren Smith:

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My favourite though was this elegant and beautiful creation by Mark Tilling of Squires Kitchen.

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Artisan du Chocolat’s ‘Alaya’ dress made by Sabina Motasem with white, caramel and dark chocolate, embellished with chocolate pearls and sugar diamonds and accessorised with a Kelly Spence tulle veil trimmed with intricate chocolate lace.

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Fruitful Blooms who specialise in bespoke artistic chocolate creations created a chocolate bikini with matching cover up with British designer swimwear brand, Bikini Fling.

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French patissier and chocolatier Les Sucreries de MĂ©lodie’s sweet creation was adorned with cupcakes, macarons and edible brooches.

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The chocolate bath had tell tale signs that some one had taken a dip in it and as I found out later ,sure enough earlier on in the evening a model had done exactly that!

Hotel Chocolat’s life size chocolate cocoa tree:

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Some of the best chocolate companies from the UK and abroad such as Artisan du Chocolat, Paul a Young, Rococo, Hotel Chocolat, Paul Wayne Gregory, Marc Demarquette, Divine, Prestat, Lindt, Valrhona, Pralus and Bonnat offered tastings to lucky visitors.

Iain Burnett – The Highland chocolatiers intricately decorated designs made for a very pretty mixed box, apt for a very special gift idea indeed!

 

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ChocoMe’s brilliant combinations and ever so tempting display of goodies had me drooling.

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Comptoir du Cacao’s delicious offering are very tastefully  packaged in very artistic packs, I love the brunette in a red scarf cycling past the Eiffel Tower and oh yes I tried ALL the yummy flavours 🙂

Chocolate Week fashion show resized images

 

Am so glad I was sent a free entry ticket for the Chocolate Week and choose to go see the spectacular Fashion Show, was so much fun!

For spectacular photos of the fashion show, visit The Salts article here and The Metro’s beautiful photo gallery here 

Filed Under: Events, Food Tagged With: Artisan du Chocolat, Artisan du Chocolat's ‘Alaya’ dress, artistic, bespoke, Bikini Fling, blogger event, British, caramel, chocolate bath, chocolate bikini, chocolate creations, Chocolate Fountain, chocolate pearls, chocolatier Les Sucreries de MĂ©lodie, ChocoMe, cococa tree sculpture, Comptoir du Cacao, cupcakes, dark chocolate, designer swimwear brand, Divine, edible brooches, Eiffel Tower, embellished, Eric Lanlard, Eternal Diamond, food event, French patissier, Fruitful Blooms, Graduate Fashion Week 2013 winner Lauren Smith, Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite, Hakkasan, Hazelnut paste in a tube, Hotel Chocolat, Iain Burnett, intricate chocolate lace, Kelly Spence tulle veil, Kensington, Le Manoir aux quat’saisons., leading pastry chefs, Lindt, london, macarons, Marc Demarquette, Mark Tilling, National Chocolate Week, National Hall, Olympia, Paris, Paul a Young, Paul Wayne Gregory, Pralus and Bonnat, Prestat, Rococo, Sabina Motasem, Salon du Chocolat, Squires Kitchen, sugar diamonds, sweet creation, The Highland chocolatier, Valrhona, white

Is the British Summer really here ?

June 20, 2012 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

It’s been a fine few Sunny days this week , with no rain , the cloud all baby blue with fluffy tufts of white cloud like cotton candy flitting about , all pleasing to the eye. I notice more when I walk around , I smile to myself as I see the whole place washed in bright sunlight . I love the feeling of not wearing a heavy coat or finally getting a chance to show off my pedicure and my new Accesorize chappals 🙂 with shiny beads that glint like a million diamonds in the morning sun !

Even the early morning office goers seem to be smiling in spite of the rush!

The pubs are full in the evening with the wooden benches finally occupied with footfall fans enjoying the game with their mates.

My favourite park is packed to the brim with mum,s buggies, happy babies, toddlers of all shapes and sizes with pink cheeks crowding around the happy ice cream van vendor .

I hope this lasts though , I could really soak up a lot more sun. The evenings are definitely still chilly and as I wrap myself in my spring denim jacket and pace up home from my evening stroll , I look at the spanking new Coffee shop that;s come up around the corner .

Is my lazy little ”end of the road” locality going to loose it’s villagey charm I fear ? Sighh… anything and everything is bearable I feel if the British Summer soaks up the nation in all it’s summertime glory and if last years extended autumn was anything to go by then let’s hope for a spiffing one this year round too !

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Miscellaneous Tagged With: British, clouds, coffee, football, ice cream, lazy, park, pubs, summer, sun, toddlers

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