I don't have an article yet, just a title I really like. Watch this space.
Tuesday 31 May 2011
Wednesday 25 May 2011
Africa Cavern, Newton Street, Manchester, Friday 20th May 2011
The word "Cavern" in the title was a lot smaller than "Africa" so for quite a while I thought it was called just "Africa" and made lots of jokes about going to Africa (for dinner).
James and I had the curried goat and jollof rice; Jo had vegetables in sauce with plantain. Jo and I had half -and-half of each other's accompaniments.
I loved the taste of the curry. Some of the pieces of meat were lovely and tender, but some were bit big and tough, one so much so, that I couldn't finish it. Sadly, the bone I got had no marrow to suck out either. But the sauce was delicious; tomatoey, rich and spicy. Our chef and host gave me some extra chilli sauce on the side in case I wanted it hotter. I didn't need it, but tried it anyway and somewhat regretted it as it set my mouth on fire. I had to wash away the heat with lashings of this:
Ting. Jamaican grapefruit soda. A little too sweet for me, but a nice change to other sodas.
I get the feeling that the African and Caribbean food with the most flavour has meat or fish in it, which is a shame, because it's often too rich and heavy for me. I'd like something with more of a mix of flesh and veg. I enjoyed the food but can't compare it to anywhere else doing similar food in Manchester, so: open verdict.
What I did like about the place: the very genial host / chef from the Ivory Coast; the man who was playing a drum that everyone dismissed in a friendly but offhand way as if to say, "Oh, he's always in here" ; the telly showing Ghanaian pop videos, and take-out food costing more than eat-in, presumably for the cost of the packaging.
James and I had the curried goat and jollof rice; Jo had vegetables in sauce with plantain. Jo and I had half -and-half of each other's accompaniments.
I loved the taste of the curry. Some of the pieces of meat were lovely and tender, but some were bit big and tough, one so much so, that I couldn't finish it. Sadly, the bone I got had no marrow to suck out either. But the sauce was delicious; tomatoey, rich and spicy. Our chef and host gave me some extra chilli sauce on the side in case I wanted it hotter. I didn't need it, but tried it anyway and somewhat regretted it as it set my mouth on fire. I had to wash away the heat with lashings of this:
I get the feeling that the African and Caribbean food with the most flavour has meat or fish in it, which is a shame, because it's often too rich and heavy for me. I'd like something with more of a mix of flesh and veg. I enjoyed the food but can't compare it to anywhere else doing similar food in Manchester, so: open verdict.
What I did like about the place: the very genial host / chef from the Ivory Coast; the man who was playing a drum that everyone dismissed in a friendly but offhand way as if to say, "Oh, he's always in here" ; the telly showing Ghanaian pop videos, and take-out food costing more than eat-in, presumably for the cost of the packaging.
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