A takeaway is a pretty rare event in our home but a Chilli Pickle Canteen delivery would be our first choice. It's far beyond your average takeaway and a shame to put it in that category at all really. I'd prefer to file it instead under "restaurant food home delivery" as the Canteen service is as good as eating in their Jubilee Street restaurant itself (minus all the pretty silver trays and dishes).

I know I bang on about my love for this restaurant but I suppose the biggest respect I have for it is the unfaltering quality they have retained since opening in 2009 (winning some well deserved awards in the process too). Despite their success they haven't taken their eye off the ball or let greed get to the better of them by cutting corners. Instead thy continue to dazzle us with regional Indian dishes and gaining themselves somewhat of a Brighton institution status.

The CP canteen service is a bit of a lifeline at the moment. A new baby sort of halted any plans for a nice restaurant visit on our anniversary, so the next best thing was to get a delivery at home (eaten with said new baby asleep on my lap -sigh...the romance).

I've eaten pretty much everything now from this restaurant but I realised I have never tried their vegetarian food (made flipping hard with their incredible tandoori meat platters, fish dishes and succulent meat curries).

Takeaway curry doesn't photograph well but taste is everything!

In some ways I think you need more skill to make vegetables shine against the punch of Indian spices but the Aubergine Stew with Pickling Spices sounded good. I love nuts and Indian spices together and the stew had fried aubergine slices with a tamarind, peanut, cashew nut jaggery and sesame gravy tempered with pickling spice. As it turned out, the aubergine was sweet, smokey and silky with savoury, nutty undertones against sweetness of the jaggery. I really thought I was going to catch them out here but no, they handle vegetable dishes with equal success of everything else. I can vouch that vegetarians would never feel second best in this place.

So here I am on the third leg of my food home delivery service and it's a biggie. This time I'm trying out the UK's second best takeaway as voted by hungryhouse's customers from more than 10,000 restaurants. The vote is based on "their consistently positive customer ratings, their ability to deliver food to hungry customers without fail, and their high Food Hygiene Rating scores". All good news to me.

It seems that the food home delivery service is booming. I've come across a good number of new sites that now offer a new way to order in your dinner. To be honest, I've only ordered take away to my home a small number of times as I can always rustle up a plate of spaghetti, aglio e olio, but really take away food has never appealed. A stale pizza in a box or a low-quality burger? No ta. But I am really interested in restaurant food home delivery and this is where these sites come in handy. Great for the restaurants too as they can easily increase their client base without the hassle of organising drivers and logistics.

As a parent now, I remember those early baby days (weeks, hell...months even) of not really being able to get out to my favourite restaurants. This really is a lifeline for new parents (or anyone that can't get out) to get their fix of favourite food too. I'll be testing out a couple of these services in the next few weeks but first up is https://www.dinein.co.uk/.

DineIn is well established in London with some fantastic restaurants on the list, they have recently launched in Brighton. At the moment there are only a few places listed like MEATliqour, Regency, Coggings & Co., The Creperie as well as some pizza places and fast food outlets. Great news is that Curry Leaf Cafe will be available from the spring and hopefully more restaurants will join them. I'd already been for a menu tasting at MEATliquor this week (hard life) so tried out Chaula's, an established Indian restaurant in town.



As 50% of the experience is the booking here I thought I'd show you the site too. If I'm honest, the website design and UX is pretty basic. The navigation isn't that intuitive and feels clunky. You also need to click on an info button for dish description which is a tad tedious as some restaurants have a huge food list. Although I do like the clean nature of the design in theory, the branding and colours don't evoke a sense of food, warmth or deliciousness (it's a word!).

The ordering side is not too bad though and ran pretty smoothly but again, I think a better design, bigger buttons and a slicker interface would improve customer experience. You only need to register an account if you have to use a voucher or code. Later you can track your delivery which I did think was a useful touch and the restaurants are given a tablet and an app so they can be quite specific as to the stage of your delivery.


My delivery from Chaula's turned up right on time for my chosen slot and was really well presented in a branded poly-fabric bag. Ten points for first impressions and food-wise this was a no-frills great curry. We ordered a Hydrabadi Chicken and Lamb Jalfrezi and thoroughly enjoyed them too.



There was a generous amount of meat in both dishes which was also tender and lean. Nothing worse than mean, gristly or chewy chunks of meat. The saffron rice was gorgeously fragrant (not just dyed with turmeric, which is what I was testing for!).

Delivery charges are worked out on distance and credit cards are charged at an extra 3%. So yes, other than a few niggles with the site design and build, all in all a really good service, and hope more restaurants are made available soon. In time I would like to see how my favourite fish, steak or other non standard takeout food travels but the concept is great and as I said before, really will appeal to various demographics.

https://www.dinein.co.uk/

I was invited to review Dine In with a part paid voucher.

I love frozen yogurt. Anything that I can pass off as a relatively guilt-free treat, I'm all in. And I'm not the only one. The froyo craze is still running hard in the UK, particularly the self-serve, sold by the weight model which is what Angelberry is.

We're still not quite used to the idea of self service in the UK. People look awkward trying to do it. I like it though, and the set up here is quite basic. Grab a cup, choose your base probiotic froyo flavour(s) from the wall mounted pumps, then head over to the topping station. Then you weigh and pay at the till. All the while trying to retain an element of self-control.



I opted for a mix of plain natural yogurt and superfruit flavours which were as healthy as you can go and topped it with fresh mango, strawberries and blueberries. I don't have a massively sweet tooth so the tang of natural yogurt is particularly appealing and the superfruit flavour was fresh and fruity with the bonus of being sweetened by stevia not sugar.


Although with the eight other flavours, those that do prefer sweet things can knock themselves out with banana, tropical, chocolate or lemon cheesecake base flavours. There were loads of other toppings like cookies, sprinkles, marshmallows, sweets, nuts and chocolates too. I really enjoyed my portion, the fruit toppings were really fresh and exactly what I needed to cool off, felt like a treat and definitely left me wanting to revisit.



As it is sold by the weight, a guide for something like mine would be £3.75 at £1.85 per 100g. I thought that was quite a big portion but the tendency is to cram everything on. Probably not so good for the wallets of people who are a tad uncontrollable around buffets. Mr GF I'm LOOKING AT YOU. Other than that they do a variety of blended yogurt smoothies for £3 and hot drinks.



So all good. the problem? The problem is the bright pink and white brand in the environment of the North Laine. It looks a touch like a children's soft play centre from the outside so they will be attracting a very niche age group of teens and foreign students. And froyo is for everyone! I admit I have walked past due to this but the whole of the froyo sector seems to suffer a little from this saccharine aesthetic. It has that American jolliness which looks great in a US shopping mall, but not so great in the UK, especially away from the high street like this Brighton branch. Maybe it's the contrast with our grey skies?

Only a few of the other froyo brands get it right like Yog which is pretty target generic, mainstream and fresh looking and Snog who went for an edgy and cheeky vibe. I see Samba Swirl are rebranding to be in line with the cooler look of their Camden flagship store - a good move for them. And I loved Brighton's own homegrown store, Lick, which has now closed in favour of a wholesale and retail operation but it always looked at home in the North Laine with the right mix of fun and design the passing demographic craves. Angleberry jars in the environment and the large, bright shop looks out of place next to the bric-a-brac stalls, trendy cafes and indie boutique shops. I think it will have to work really hard to overcome this which is a shame as the product is really good.

Anyway, along with the good froyo, the other plus of this place is it's a great space for buggies and kids (a rarity in the area) and I sure will be treating Baby Foodie soon for a first froyo taste.

Give it a blast.

Angelberry
27 Kensington Gardens
Brighton BN1 4AL

You can't deny that the arrival of Street Diner in Brighton has completely shaken up the lunchtime options and introduced us to a huge amount of exciting new food. It's also been a great platform for people with a passion for food to gently start up their own business, some even taking it further and cleaned up some less than desirable green spaces in the centre for everyone to enjoy.

It's great, has a real positive vibe and I love how it is going from strength to strength with new sites and fresh ideas.

So I really think that there is a good chance for those that have a pitch here to get quite far, and possibly win the British Street Food Awards.

Although the judging will be put to the public vote, I was asked to give my favourites for you to maybe consider. But really, the best thing you can do is have a taste over the next few weeks at a Street Diner day then head down to the South heats on June 14th, 11am - 3pm. You'll need to download the BSF app http://britishstreetfood.co.uk/app/ to vote. There will also be live music and should be a fun event.

My picks are;


Toston Tolon http://www.tostontolon.com/
I have heard so much good stuff about Toston Tolon and they sure deserve the hype. Their arepa are a delight. The perfect size for lunch and a break from bread too with cornmeal buns, made and toasted on-site. They are then filled with shredded beef or pork, black beans, fried sweet plantain, cheese and your choice of sauce. They are a lovely Venezuelan family that serve up their traditional food with love. Another plus (for me) is that they also have the best looking stand which is no wonder as they have a few graphic designers in the family. The Graphic Foodie loves graphic foodies.

Ahimsa - https://twitter.com/ahimsabrighton



You don't often want to be weighed down by a carbolific lunch. Sometimes my eyes get the better of my belly and I want to curl up under my desk for a snooze. Not with Ahimsa - their Indian street food is vibrant, fresh and uplifting with great textures. They vary their food but their thing is the chaat (above is the Mumbai Beach Chaat). You'll be cartwheeling back to the office. Maybe.


Cin Cin http://www.cincin.co.uk/
I have to vote Italian, right! And if street food can be served with a little glamour then why the hell not. Cin Cin bring it with the bubbles and glorious Italian food from their gorgeous 1972 Fiat van. I like that they offer something completely different to most of the other street food vendors too. In a town where decent Italian food is thin on the ground, their well sourced antipasti boxes with arancini or meatball sandwiches are ray of sunshine through the dreary clouds of sloppy pasta and cardboard pizza. Shame I can't have it with a Bellini (because that's how I roll) due of licensing but hey, you can't have it all. Salute!

The Creperie is a dream for those with an eye for design. The website and interior have been exquisitely crafted. As a branding designer this would have been a dream job, details are everywhere from the striped paper straws, branded napkins and plates and logo plaques on the table. Stylish, relaxed with the right twist of quirky, it's an absolute pleasure to dine in.



As well as all of that (and I could go on believe me) Brighton was really desperate for a creperie. I just love the things and their versatility so that they can be adapted for all times on the day. I'm not really a cooked breakfast fan, you won't find me down the greasy spoon for sure, so The Creperie is an ideal start to my day.



I went for a classic sugar and lemon crepe with my Small Batch coffee which I thoroughly enjoyed. The crepe was paper thin, delicious and simple. At just £4.95 and served with either juice tea or coffee, I think it's a bit of a bargain as most cafes will charge a few quid for a good coffee anyway.

Mr GF would probably die of starvation on just my simple crepe to start the day, so he opted for the heartier breakfast crepe with a poached egg and bacon. Amazingly this was also £4.95 with a drink which I think was either a print mistake or too cheap. Crisp streaky bacon was tucked all around the perimeter so it was a decent breakfast. The only negative was the wastage from such a huge portion of ketchup.

Although tucked away, I think The Creperie will do well here in the summer. The menu has been well thought through (designed and created by Karen Samuel formally of Food For Friends). They have a good selection of gelato from locals Gelato Gusto and there are plenty of sweet options. Savoury-wise there is a separate hot and cold menu and I will be returning to make a good dent into both for lunch. You could go classic with a twist with locally haddock in a creamy cheese sauce or wild mushrooms, crème fraîche, white wine, dill and spinach leaves. There are some more unusual options like curry or a fajita inspired galette but really, something to suit all moods.

You would be hard pushed to spend more than £8/9 on lunch here, especially with the take away prices, unless you double or triple up. Which, with the style and attention to detail the owners have gone into is ridiculously good value.

A great addition and nice to see something a little different for Brighton. I like it so much I'm adding it to my Brighton Black Book: www.pinterest.com/graphicfoodie/graphic-foodie-brighton-black-book/

www.thecreperiebrighton.com

Pang pang pang! Textures, flavours, heat, sweetness...my Mumbai Beach Chaat from street vendors Ahimsa today had it all going on. A great little salad with chickpeas, little squares of potato, peanuts, pomegranate, sev (pieces of crunchy noodles) and lifted with herbs, tamarind and yogurt. Tasted as good as it looked too, and on a dreary day like today (summers over then), the jewel-like colours are exactly what the doctor ordered.

Sandwiches are DEAD to me now.

Ahimsa are relatively new to the local street food community here in Brighton. Catch them as well as other gems at Street Diner in Brighthelm Gardens on Friday and Saturday and for the next two weeks (18th-29th September) on Wednesday and Sunday at the lawns by St Peter's Church. Great seeing more Brighton green spaces used so well...for eating!

Latest information of regular and guest stalls and menus from www.facebook.com/streetdinerbrighton or @streetdiner

Right, let me get something off my chest. The word "gourmet" gets thrown around far too much in the takeaway or street food arena. It doesn't belong there any more than the term "trakkie bottoms" at Dior, "glamour" at the dog racing or "demure" on a Saturday night down West Street. It pisses me off no end. The pizza is a beautifully simple thing; rustic, honest, working class food for the masses. Yeah you need a sprinkling of talent to make a decent one, and a good understanding of chemistry probably helps too but every time you put the words "pizza" and "gourmet" together a Neapolitan fairy dies. Word.

Norris has been with us for a few years now, he's not too much trouble and needs feeding every week and generally he's a pretty reliable fellow. We got him from Gerald, the sourdough starer at the amazing Lighthouse Bakery. But tonight he let us down. The dough was a no go, but the hankering for pizza was just too strong. With a few of the usual suspects tried lately; Pizzaface, Pronto in Tavola and Pizza 500, Gourmet Pizza Kitchen was the next try.



We ordered early and it was mid-week so delivery time was spot on. The base, and it's all about the base, I have to say was the ideal thickness. I am done with paper thin bases as much as the thick and heavy. When I eat, I want to actually eat - half of the pizza bases around here can barely support air let alone any toppings they are so thin but GPK ones have a good chew and ideal at around 4mm. I think being on the opposite side of Brighton, the pizza suffered a little. It should really be eaten blisteringly hot out of the oven and ours was lukewarm and the cardboard taste from the box had transferred a little, but still, the chew and thickness was on the money. Texture-wise there could have been a little more lightness and air and a heavier pinch of salt, but I would be keen to eat in and try them at their best.

The topping choices are one of the things that have historically put me off GPK, some even warranting a letter of apology to the entire nation of Italy. Cream features heavily (WTF?) and some sound vile (Lamb, Aubergine & Feta and yes my pet hate of pizza fusion; Peri Peri Chicken, Hoi Sin Duck (with cream - puke), Salt Beef and Gherkin (you think I'm fricking joking now?) or Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese.) I think I even saw cucumber as one of the toppings, the thought of which raises my blood pressure. I learnt many moons ago to go simple with pizza. Margarita or prosciutto and cheese is as far as I go. My Margarita was fine, edible enough on the sofa with a half bottle of wine - I always think you can take off a third of the cheese, but this wasn't over the top.



The pepperoni was fine too - thin and thankfully not those edge curling discs that the fat pools into.

So many people rate GPK, many of whom live within the vicinity and probably eat them at their best. Or maybe they just aren't as fussy as I am. As well as their obvious fans, would I recommend a pizza here? Well go for it, why not, knock yourself out. You can sure as hell do a lot worse locally but you can pick up a far, far better pizza in many of the back end dodgy streets in Italy for a few Euros. Pizza here hovers around the £10 mark. You shouldn't be paying more than that for a pizza unless you are extremely rich and stupid or just plain stupid. Maybe opt for the eat in and keep it basic with the toppings. I wouldn't rule out a re-order but I'm certainly in no rush.

Simplicity is clearly one of the most difficult things to master.

gourmetpizzakitchen.co.uk
East Sussex BN3 1JD

I was just about to walk out of the door with my takeaway order when the chap behind the counter called out "there's an automated hand sanitiser just on the wall there". And that's just it with this place. Detail freaks. What other burger joint has a hand sanitiser available to customers? The first I've seen and makes total sense with it being food you eat with your hands on the fly.

These days La Choza is HEAVING at lunchtimes, so if you need lunch on the quick then the to-go option may be the way.

Although known for their burritos, I really need a dose of clean eating so went for their street food salad (doing everything I could not to add a portion of pulled pork).

For £5, the portion was decent, lots of crunchy red cabbage, carrots, iceberg, onion, radish all slightly softened by the lime dressing and dotted with a few cheeky fresh chillis and strips of toasted tortilla. Basically this is the nice little salad that is served as a side to most of their main dishes with a few pieces (three) of avocado thrown in.

I think it could be made more of really, more avocado, maybe some of their "green" rice or beans. For a decent lunch feed you really need to add meat or a side like the calamari. Nice but I'll be hungry by 4pm on this.

La Choza36 Gloucester Road, Brighton BN1 4AQ

Yeah you read that right. Food in vans has come a loooooooong way since the "grease served in a bun" era. Mobile wood-fired pizza ovens, proper burgers, pulled pork, burritos...street food has well and truly gripped the nation. But Cin Cin is different. I've yet to come across Prosecco and Italian antipasti served up from a van (and a charming 1972 Fiat 900T* at that) before now.

Cin Cin–that's cheers in Italian–launched just this week and is run by an Italian heritage husband and wife team. Sourcing decent Italian produce and wine, the offering is simple, elegant and fun.

I just love the concept of Cin Cin. Shame it isn't operational and parked permentanly outside of my house I say. It is however available to hire for events and will be serving at festivals and things like Street Diner around the Brighton area. This would be a real talking point and something a little different for weddings and even corporate functions. Had me and Mr Graphic Foodie got married here instead of Italy we would have had to get these guys in to serve the aperitif for that bit of Italian charm.

As most people are now familiar with Italian cured meats and olives it would be good to see them offer some more unusual produce like Baccalá (preserved salt cod), 'Nduja, Caciocavallo (one of my favourite cheeses) or Lardo. I like things like deep-fried stuffed olives with my aperitif and preserved octopus can look pretty stunning too as well as cutting through the small talk at functions. What I did try at the launch though was beautifully presented and great quality. Most people wouldn't have tried mortadella outside of the sweaty supermarket packets, so nice to see it here in thick cubes with giant caper berries. I loved the Pecorino (one of my favourite cheeses...again) with the lemon marmalade and Arancini are always a crowd pleaser and so versatile with what you can flavour them with. Fricking good olives too.


With the sun shining, and wine flowing, I could have quite happily grazed all afternoon.

I could also see them offering a dessert course service as there are plenty of great Italian pastries and desserts that transport well and can be washed down with some fizz too.

In any case, if they get the word out I have a hunch that this is going to do rather well.



To hire or see where Cin Cin is appearing, check out their website www.cincin.co.uk. Their next pubic appearance will be at Street Diner in Brighthelm Gardens, Brighton on Friday 26th July and Bank Holiday Monday 26th August, where they will be selling antipasti snack boxes and giving away taster samples of their Prosecco.

*I think. Correct me if I'm wrong, which is possible because this is a food blog not a van blog.

I must have walked past Namul in Brighton's North Laine everyday for two weeks before one of my studio mates brought up the fact it was there. I hadn't even noticed the former generic cafe had even gone. And that's a little problem with Namul, you could just whizz past it and what a treat you'd miss. Serving the Korean dish Bibimbap, which translates to "mixed rice", this really does offer something a little different, and healthy, for lunch.

Essentially you choose a rice base (white, brown or black) and then add your numerous vegetable ("Namul") and protein toppings from the selection available or choose a pre-set menu. You then mix it all up in the bowl just before you eat. I chose the Kimchi Adventure with hot sauce as I'm a terrible sucker for pickles.



As well as being one hell of a feed, this was just so interesting, fresh and tasty. As the bulk was rice it did feel quite light despite it's size, so I didn't feel the need to crawl under my desk for a little kip after, although if they offered a smaller portion at a slightly cheaper price I would opt for that. Despite being at the top end of what you'd pay for a take-away lunch, it is good value for money.



Even though the tuna was of the tinned variety, the crisp greens, spiky kimchi pickled cabbage, egg, carrots, sprouts and seaweed were all well made and fresh. The black sticky rice looked dramatic but added more to the dish than white. There are numerous choices of sauces, and I can vouch for the fact that the hot sauce was HOT.





Staff are friendly, eager to explain and the place, despite being open for just a couple of weeks, looks well organised, well designed and inviting. As well as take-away, you can opt to eat in too.

Highly recommended. Screw you sandwiches.

Namul
Gardner Street

I don't often do jokes around here so here goes. When is a pizza takeaway not a pizza takeaway? When it's probably the closest thing you are going to get to proper Italian cooking in Brighton. Not funny? Well the real joke is probably the PizzaPastaPizzaPasta Italian "influenced" food, depressingly found in the restaurants that take up a large chunk of Brighton's dining scene.

Pronto in Tavola has been well received as a takeaway pizzeria for a while now, but they have added a few tables as of January and Nino, chef and owner, has branched out into offering authentic, home style Italian dishes.

Nino is great. He's one of these passionate foodies that practically levitates when he talks but his ingredients, cooking, family and Calabrian roots. Apart from pizza, you'll now get some regional Italian delights that even I haven't come across like the deep-fried Crocchette di Patate in the bread basket. I would love to see Nino really focusing even more on Calabrian cuisine, because the food in that neck of the woods is truly something to celebrate.




We started with a classic antipasto washed down with a decent bottle of Prosecco. Roast peppers with oil and parsley, Boccocini mozzarella, grilled sheep cheese, pickled octopus, olives and cured meats. All served with a basket of bread cooked fresh in the pizza oven and the aforementioned potato croquettes that deserve a whole review to themselves. I could have eaten a bucket of them.



We had to try some fresh pasta which was served with a cooked to order sauce, made with green peppers. Again, simple but tasty, and the sort of pasta we'd have at home for big Sunday family dinners. The goat's cheese on to was maybe a flavour too far and a couple of shavings of Gran Padano or Pecorino would have done it for me. Still, the green pepper sauce idea I will be nicking for home.





Also, Nino is happy to cook whatever you want with notice, if you have a favourite risotto - whatever. In fact he had a couple of sea bass and rustled up Acqua Pazza ("crazy water") for us, a dish I have always wanted to try. Essentially the fish is stuffed with herbs, tomato and garlic then seasoned and partially covered in water to cook on the hob or in the oven. So it poaches in all that seasoned goodness. My sort of dish, simply executed with the ingredients hero. Nino even brought the fish to the table whole and de-boned it for us. This was served with roast potatoes with rosemary and peas cooked in herbs and wine, so Italian and so delicious. A real stellar dish this so ask him if he has any fish in if you go or phone ahead so he can get some in for you.



For desserts, which are made by Nino's wife, are very typically Italian. The cream filled zeppole (choux pastry puffs) covered with chocolate looked good but we opted for a slice of Torta di Nonna (Grandmother's cake) which is essentially a pie, consisting of pasta frolla (shortcrust), lemon custard cream and pine nuts. This made me smile as it's just like something I'd get visiting an auntie back home (who are all incredible at cakes and pastry). Great consistency, not too sweet and nothing like you have tried before, with lots of that vanilla sugar dust you see on Italian pastry. The coffee here is brilliant so if nothing else, swing by in the evening for something sweet and an espresso to polish off the night.



We didn't eat any of the pizza at this meal but definitely come down to eat it fresh out of the oven. It really shouldn't be shoved in a cardboard box and driven half way across town in a Nissan Micra. Pizza needs to be eaten, risking lip scolding, as soon as possible after it is ready.

So, down to business. This is not refined restaurant food. This is good, honest, home-style Italian food at a really reasonable price, served up with a huge heap of love.
My only concern is that I'm not sure if local people will get this place. It doesn't project the image as a tourist trattoria with the checked tablecloths and the candle in the straw covered bottle of Chianti on the table that people may be accustomed to. This is more akin to the everyday spots you actually get in Italy, the DIY plank benches fixed to the wall, tight space, tinny Italian radio dipping in and out of reception in the background, pictures of the kids on the wall, the phone going for takeaway orders and a drinks fridge full of San Pelligrino. It's the spit of my cousin's bar back in Italy.

There is so much more to this little place that meets the eye. Give it a try, see what specials are on and you'll get a dining experience like no other in the city and you'll still have change out of that £20.

Pronto in Tavola
43 Waterloo Street
Brighton

I was invited to review Pronto in Tavola.

Whilst dining out hasn't entirely been eradicated and is creeping back more and more, it does make you more selective, which is good, but it does mean you miss out on trips your old faithfuls not wanting to miss out the latest hot young thing on the restaurant scene with your precious night-off token. And one old faithful I dearly miss is my number one place to eat in Brighton, The Chilli Pickle.

So when I heard about their latest string to their bow, The Chilli Pickle Canteen take away, my heart raced and my stomach growled. Despite getting a tree load of takeaway menus though the door each week, I have never made use of them, it has never felt normal to me to get food delivered to my front door when my kitchen door is in view. But food I'm certain I can't cook at home, I love and I know has been cooked with passion and pride? Pass me the phone...

There is a good selection to choose from without being too over the top. The curries and accompaniments are similar if you order the Grand Thali or the Railway Tray, the latter being smaller with fewer accompaniments. There is also the Biryani set or the curries, sides and pickles all individullay priced. Meat eaters, vegetarians, pescatarians and vegans are all catered for.

We ordered the Tanjore Mutton Curry Grand Thali (£15.50) and the Old Delhi Chicken Railway Tray (£12.95) and they really did make a good impression when they arrived.