For the second year running, B2M has just been included in the Good Food Guide’s “100 Best Local Restaurants” – one of only 13 in the northwest. The Guide judges places not just on the quality of the food but also the warmth of the hospitality. And, as long term customers here , we know it scores highly on both counts. It seemed like a good reason to go and have dinner and offer congratulations in person.
Bhel puri is always good here. Crisp puffed rice, bits of potato and tomato, chilli, a freshness from coriander and a citrus zing from tamarind chutney. Chicken simmba brought strips of chicken coated in a very clingy spicy sauce – more glaze than actual sauce. We’d not ordered this before but would do again. At this point, there was a bit of a surprise. We’d gone on one of the Sunday evening where, along with the normal menu, they offer a tasting menu of different Indian regional foods – Goa in this case. Donya brought us a couple of samples to try – a lovely minced lamb patty made to the recipe from chef’s nana. And a Goan take on a fish cake – mackerel, potato, spices and a semolina coating which crisps as it fries. Just lovely.
For main courses, there were a couple of old favourites. Sindhi Seyal lamb is from Sandeep’s family heritage in Sindh province (in Pakistan since 1947). It’s like a traditional bhuna but, with the addition of yoghurt, has a nice little background sourness that sets it apart. Bharli Vangi is from the Mumbai area and is one of the tastiest things on the whole menu. Baby aubergines are long cooked in peanut based sauce – so there’s the earthy sweetness of the nuts which have been blitzed down to form a smooth, quite creamy sauce but one which still has well rounded spicing. We shared rice and a roti.
