List of All Articles with Tag 'food'

Is a hot dog a sandwich? What about a burrito? It depends on whom you ask—and what state you live in.

The town of Rye is one of my happy places. I go there at least once or twice a year to visit in-laws and its charm never fails to make me smile. It’s all twisting alleys and cobblestone and centuries-old houses. Retail and restaurant chains haven’t got the same hold here as they do in every other town in the UK – there’s a Boots and a Waterstones, but no Primark, H&M, Pret or Caffé Nero. There isn’t even a Costa. It’s a place that takes pride in its independent shops and restaurants. Some are quirky – a shop that sells antique French confit pots for hundreds of pounds, for example, or a pub called the Waterworks that renovated and refurbished the old, unused public toilets and now sells local beers and ciders. It’s very historic, too; the oldest hotel, The Mermaid Inn, was built in 1156 and is said to be haunted. I’m inclined to agree as my partner and I received a phone call just after falling asleep during our one night there, but no one was on the other side. Spooky indeed. But I’ve always thought there was one thing that the town desperately needed: a Nice Restaurant. Before Covid brought the restaurant industry to its knees, there used to be a family-owned Italian, Tuscan Kitchen. I never got the chance to visit for one reason or another, but my in-laws sang its praises all the time. But a couple of years ago, it closed when the family packed up and went back to Italy, understandably tired of life in the UK. Since then, the only other place to go if you didn’t want to cook and you didn’t want fish and chips has been Mahdi Lounge. It’s good, but the town has been gasping for something different. Then came The Union Rye. Previously The Union Steakhouse, the restaurant was taken over by Rajh Siva, who also runs The Plough, located closer to Winchelsea, and has since overhauled the menu to focus on modern British cuisine. The building was built in 1401 and is a rustic, relaxed space with cosy open fireplaces, exposed brick and wooden furniture. The warm and welcoming restaurant is headed by chef Ben Dafforn, previously of J Sheekey and Simpsons on the Strand in London. I visited The Union Rye recently while on a weekend away with friends, excited at the prospect of trying a new Nice Restaurant in my favourite small British town. I was first alerted to its existence by Marina O’Loughlin, former restaurant critic for The Times, and had been keen to try it for months. The four of us swept in on a Sunday night, and while it was rather empty, we hardly minded – it almost felt like having the entire restaurant to ourselves. Though I hope being empty at dinnertime won’t be an issue for it for much longer, as it truly deserves a visit. Resisting the urge to order the entire menu, we opted for lots of dishes to share. The seasonal menu changes on a daily basis as the chefs work with whatever fresh local produce is available, but this is exciting for me as it means trying new dishes and flavours each time I go. We started with marinated anchovies with caper berries that were simultaneously fresh, sweet and tart, and got very into a plate of ham knuckle croquettes that were fatty and rich, accompanied by a creamy aioli. We also had a rather unusual sweet and savoury granola dish, which comprised of cottage cheese-like curds with granola flavoured with fennel seeds and a jam to cut through the almost bitter, herby flavours. It was imaginative and surprising, which I took great pleasure in. Large fried sardines arrived with their heads still intact, opaque eyes and all, to be covered in burnt lemon. Fat, juicy scallops and their bright orange tongues with samphire on toast. Fried, caramelised mushrooms with hazelnuts and plenty of butter. A succulent pork chop with syrupy charred fruit. A burnt basque cheesecake to share among friends. Oh, how we feasted. The Union Rye is the Nice Restaurant that the town deserves. The dishes are bright and refreshing, but comforting at the same time. I highly recommend going with a group of family or friends so you can order plenty of dishes. It was certainly a night to remember, and I’ll be back there soon, I’m sure. The Union Rye, 8 East Street Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7JY | 01797 229289 | www.theunionrye.co.uk Read More Forest Side: Heavenly Cumbrian produce elevated to Michelin-starred proportions Papi: Pandemic troublemakers’ restaurant is a fun, flirty hit I tried the food at Idris Elba’s restaurant – he should stick to wine

The history of diner dining, from their Lunch Wagon ancestors to those “We Are Happy to Serve You” take-out cups—and what the future might hold for these beloved establishments.

Dumplings are a delicious staple that transcends borders, but how did these doughy delights rise to international fame? Join host Justin Dodd as he unpacks regional adaptations, diverse fillings, and the traditional techniques of dumplings.

Trader Joe's admits their parking lots are small, and they don't plan on changing that anytime soon.

Regulators in the United States have approved the sale of chicken made from cultivated cells, marking a huge step for the nation’s first “lab-grown” meat. The move comes after Good Meat, a developer of chicken grown from animal cells, announced in March 2023 that it had received a “no-questions” letter from the Food and Drug Administration, which indicated the FDA was satisfied that the product was safe to sell, according to CNN. Upside Foods, another company that makes chicken using cultured cells, received a similar letter from the FDA in November, the outlet reported. At the time, Dr Uma Valeti, the founder and CEO of Upside Foods, called the approval a “watershed moment,” noting it’s “never happened before in the history of humanity”. However, before the lab-grown meat could be made available to US consumers, it required approval from the US Department of Agriculture. With Tuesday’s approval by the Agriculture Department of federal inspections required to sell meat and poultry in the US, the two California companies will be able to make the lab-grown chicken available to restaurants and, later, to supermarkets. The goal of lab-grown meat is both to eliminate harm to animals and to reduce the enivornmental impacts of traditional animal agriculture. “Instead of all of that land and all of that water that’s used to feed all of these animals that are slaughtered, we can do it in a different way,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and chief executive of Eat Just, which operates Good Meat. The cultivated meat is made using cells from a living animal and grown in steel tanks. Upside’s lab-grown meat first comes out in large sheets, before it is then formed into recognisable chicken shapes, while Good Meat turns the chicken cells into cutlets, nuggets, shredded meat and satays. Good Meat’s chicken is already available in Singapore, the first country to allow the sale of lab-grown meat. As for when individuals living in the US can expect to see the meat in grocery stores, it will likely be some time, as the lab-grown chicken is more expensive than traditional meat, and cannot yet be produced on the same scale, according to Ricardo San Martin, director of the Alt:Meat Lab at University of California Berkeley. However, those eager to try the cell-cultivated meat will be able to do so in certain restaurants, with Upside partnering with San Francisco restuarant Bar Crenn to make the meat available to consumers, while dishes made with Good Meat will be served at Chef Jose Andrés’ restaurant in Washington, DC. According to Amy Chen, Upside’s chief operating officer, the most common response the company has gotten from people who have tried the meat is that it “tastes like chicken”. Read More Lab-grown meat is worse than real thing for climate. But will it always remain that way? Company creates mammoth meatballs using DNA from extinct animal Lab-grown meat takes one step closer to hitting supermarket shelves

Butter chicken is often considered to be one of those dishes that takes ages to prepare and to cook, but this version will give you flavourful results in almost half the time with half the effort,” says Sanjay Aggarwal, author of Spice Kitchen. “Just allow your chicken to marinate overnight so that the meat is more succulent and the flavours can develop.” Ultimate (and speedy) butter chicken Serves: 4 Ingredients: 500g boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks 2 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil 2 tbsp ghee 1 tbsp Tarka (see below) 1 onion, sliced 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste (see below) 1 tbsp garam masala (see below) 400g can plum tomatoes ½ tsp harissa (see below) 1 tsp salt 50ml double cream 1 tsp sugar For the marinade: 100g Greek-style yoghurt 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp garam masala ½ tsp harissa 1 tsp salt To serve: Naan 300g rice 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, optional For the tarka: 50g black mustard seeds 50g cumin seeds For the garam masala: 35g cumin 28g coriander 11g black peppercorns 6g ginger powder 3g cloves 8g cinnamon 4g star anise 2g nutmeg, grated 2g cardamom For the harissa: 21g paprika 3g coriander 3g caraway 3g cumin 27g chilli powder 27g chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) 5g garlic granules 10g salt For the time-saving ginger-garlic paste: 125g fresh ginger 125g garlic cloves ½ tsp salt 1 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil Method: 1. For the tarka: This blend uses whole spices; simply mix the seeds together and store in a jar for when you need them. 2. For the garam masala: Put any whole spices into a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar. Grind. Then add in any powdered ingredients and mix by hand to combine. Label and store in a clean jar in a cool, dark place for up to six months. 3. For the harissa: Put any whole spices into your coffee grinder or pestle and mortar. Grind to your desired consistency. Then add in any powdered ingredients and your chilli flakes, garlic granules and salt. Mix by hand to combine. Label and store in a clean jar in a cool, dark place for up to six months. 4. For the time-saving ginger-garlic: Peel and roughly chop your ginger and garlic and add to your blender with the salt and oil. Blend until you have a smooth paste. Either scoop into a clean jar or bottle and store in the fridge or freeze in ice-cube trays and pop out a cube when you need to cook. 5. For the butter chicken: First make the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a large, non-metallic bowl. Add the chicken and give everything a good stir to combine. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight if you can, or for at least two hours to permeate the meat. 6. When you are ready to cook, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chicken pieces with the marinade, and fry until browned, turning just once and resisting the urge to move them around the pan. They will need about three minutes on each side (you will finish cooking the chicken later in the sauce). Set aside. 7. Give the pan a quick wipe and put it back over the heat. Add the ghee and, when hot, add the tarka and allow the seeds to sizzle and pop for around 30 seconds, being careful not to burn. Next, add in your onion slices and stir to coat them in the spice-infused ghee. Cook gently for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Once the onions have started to sweat and become translucent, add in the ginger-garlic paste and cook for about a minute. When the raw smell has disappeared, add in the garam masala. Cook for a further 10 seconds, stirring to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan and burns. 8. Next, add the tomatoes, harissa and salt. Cook over a low-medium heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool a little, then, using a stick blender directly into the pan, carefully blend your sauce until it is completely smooth. If you’re finding the sauce is splattering around too much, transfer it into a deeper pan for this step. You can also stir in a little water if the mixture is too thick. 9. Add the cream, sugar and chicken to the pan and give everything a good stir. Simmer for a further 10 minutes to ensure the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve with fresh naan bread, rice and chopped coriander scattered over the top. Recipe from ‘Spice Kitchen’ by Sanjay Aggarwal (Quadrille, £22).

A sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry makes this a really simple lunch, and although cooking the onions needs your attention, everything else is incredibly low effort,” says Sanjay Aggarwal, author of Spice Kitchen. “Make sure you cook the pastry until it’s a deep, burnished golden-brown; too pallid and it will still be soft and floppy underneath.” Quick tomato, onion and herb tart Serves: 4 Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil 3 red onions, sliced into half moons 1 tsp caster sugar Pinch of salt 1 tbsp Italian seasoning 2 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry 500g cherry tomatoes 150g pitted black olives 1 egg (skip the egg wash if you’re vegan, or use a splash of oat milk instead) Handful of chopped fresh parsley Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon Method: 1. Warm the vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the onions over a moderate heat, stirring frequently so that they soften but don’t stick. After five minutes, add the sugar and salt. 2. After another five minutes, add the Italian seasoning and the vinegar and cook for a final five minutes. Set aside to cool. 3. Preheat the oven to 190C fan/210C/410F/gas mark 6½. 4. Unroll the puff pastry sheet onto a lined baking tray and create a border by using a knife to score a line a little way in from the edge (don’t slice all the way through the pastry). 5. Spread the onions over the pastry inside the border, then top with the tomatoes and olives. Beat the egg and paint it over the border. Transfer the tart to the oven and bake for 20 minutes until risen and a rich golden-brown around the edges. 6. Top with the parsley and lemon zest and serve while warm. Recipe from ‘Spice Kitchen’ by Sanjay Aggarwal (Quadrille, £22).

Even if the weather lets you down, the flavours of this spiced-up summer treat never will. We bring to you a warming twist on a British classic,” says Sanjay Aggarwal, author of Spice Kitchen. Eton mess with strawberries and black pepper Serves: 6 Ingredients: 500g strawberries, hulled 6 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns Freshly ground black pepper 300ml double cream 6 shop-bought meringue nests Method: 1. Put half the strawberries in a saucepan with four tablespoons of the sugar. Squash them a little and place over a low heat. 2. Add the whole peppercorns and simmer until the strawberries have collapsed (keep an eye on them, as you don’t want the sugar to turn into caramel). Squash completely, pour through a sieve and set aside to cool. 3. Meanwhile, slice the remaining strawberries into quarters and put in a bowl. Cover with the rest of the sugar and a good grinding of black pepper. Toss and set aside. Whip the cream to soft peaks and crumble the meringues. 4. Gently ribbon the strawberry sauce through the cream, then fold through the sliced strawberries and meringue pieces. 5. Serve immediately. Recipe from ‘Spice Kitchen’ by Sanjay Aggarwal (Quadrille, £22).

A celebrity chef has “banned” vegans from his restaurant after reportedly receiving a negative review from a customer who criticised the lack of plant-based options. On Tuesday, Chef John Mountain revealed on the Facebook page for his restaurant Fyre that the eatery would no longer be catering to vegan diners. According to Mountain, the decision to ban vegans from the Perth, Australia, restaurant was due to “mental health reasons”. “Sadly all vegans are now banned from Fyre (for mental health reasons),” the post on the restaurant’s Facebook reads. “We thank you for your understanding. Xx.” The post also included the caption: “Yep. I’m done.” and the hashtags #vegan, #not, #pleasegoelsewhere, #veganfreezone, and #nomorevegans. The decision allegedly stemmed from a bad review posted by a vegan customer, with Chef Mountain telling PerthNow that a customer had reached out to him to ask if there were any vegan options at the restaurant, and that he’d promised he would accommodate her. “A young girl reached out to me and said she was coming to the restaurant… and asked if there were vegan options,” he said. “It was my only shortfall… I said I would accommodate her, I said we had gnocchi, vegetables… and that was that.” However, according to Mountain, who previously starred on the BBC show Great British Menu, he’d forgotten about the woman’s request when she came to dine on Saturday, as he’d been busy catering a private party. “Saturday came around and sadly I’d forgotten… I had a private party I had to cater for,” he told the outlet, adding that his sous chef had reportedly reprimanded him for “not telling them about the vegan customer”. According to the UK-born chef, the woman wrote a complaint to the restaurant on Facebook the following day, in which she’d criticised the $32 vegetable dish that had been her “only option”. The woman’s message also reportedly read: “I think it’s incredibly important nowadays that restaurants can accommodate everyone and to not be able to have actual plant-based meals shows your shortcomings as a chef. “I hope to see some improvements in your menu as I have lived in Connolly for quite some time and have seen many restaurants come and go from that building and none of them last. If you don’t get with the times, I don’t hold out faith that your restaurant will be the one that does.” The restaurant reportedly addressed the woman’s complaint in a response of its own, in which it noted that it tried to “accommodate everyone” before encouraging the customer to “feel free to share your sh**ty experience”. “Thanks for your negative review… please feel free to share your sh***y experience and I look forward to not seeing you again. How very childish. You and all your vegan mates can all go and enjoy your dishes in another venue, you are now banned,” the restaurant’s response read, according to PerthNow. Although Chef Mountain admitted he’d said he would accommodate the woman and then “didn’t,” she’d made the complaint “personal”. The chef also claimed that, as a result of the woman’s complaint, his restaurant was flooded with negative one-star reviews on Google, which he said “really hurts the business”. “F*** vegans seriously… I’m done. At the end of the day, it’s not what I want to do, they can f*** off,” he added. Mountain reiterated the sentiment while speaking to 7News, with the chef telling the outlet: “F*** vegans, I’m done with them.” Mountain also claimed that customers should “know what they’re getting from me,” as he has previously written a cookbook titled Pig. “I once wrote and sold a book called Pig which had pork recipes. People know what they’re getting from me,” he said. “I understand where vegans are coming from but my job is to make food taste as good as I can and I can’t always cater to everybody’s dietary requirements.” On social media, the chef’s ban on vegans has sparked an intense debate among customers, with some praising Mountain and Fyre, while others have condemned the decision. “Bravo! Good on you mate, great stance. It’s nowhere near where I live but I will definitely come to your restaurant now,” one comment under the Facebook post reads, while another person wrote: “Can’t wait to try this place, just booked a table! Looking forward to a nice piece of rare steak.” The restaurant has also received a flood of positive reviews on its Facebook, where many have praised both the food and the staff, while others have applauded the restaurant’s “principles” and “ethics”. “Outstanding chef. Great rules and ethics,” one review reads, while another recent review states: “Great staff, great food and a chef with principles.” However, the restaurant has also continued to face criticism over Mountain’s “ban” on vegans, with one recent review reading: “You can’t call yourself a chef if you can’t even cook veggies. Owner is very arrogant and can’t take criticism.” “Discriminating and refusing vegans into his venue, all for a complaint for not following an agreed vegan option. How disgusting,” someone else wrote. The restaurant’s alleged ban on vegans comes after a vegan landlord in New York City recently went viral after requesting that only tenants who follow a plant-based diet live in the building. The Independent has contacted Chef Mountain for comment. Read More Vegan landlord seeks tenants for $5,750 New York apartment with period features. Meat eaters need not apply Vegan family asks neighbours to close their windows when cooking meat Former vegan says meat ‘saved her life’ after diet ‘made hair fall out’ Italian waiter refuses to serve woman her cappuccino until she finishes pasta The top 10 most satisfying food sounds have been revealed Chef says ‘don’t get hung up on authenticity – it’s unachievable’

A foreign object found in a school meal in China was the head of a rat, Chinese authorities have concluded, overturning previous official reassurances that it was duck neck in the latest twist to a food safety scandal that gripped the nation for weeks.

An Italian waiter has gone viral after a video of him refusing to serve a customer her cappuccino until after she finished eating her pasta was posted on social media. The clip was posted by Nadia Caterina Munno, a cook, author and influencer known as The Pasta Queen on Instagram earlier this week. It shows her and her friend Cat Sullivan dining at a restaurant in Milan, when Sullivan asked the waiter for a cappuccino while still eating her pasta. The man serving the pair appeared shocked at her request. In Italy, it is common to only drink cappuccinos before 11am, and espressos after dinner. It is also frowned upon to pair cappuccinos with pasta dishes. The waiter asked Sullivan: “With pasta? After pasta. Are you sure?” When she answered in the affirmative, he walked away and remarked: “This hurts so bad.” The clip then shows Sullivan sipping on her wine with her empty plate in front of her. The waiter then arrived to clear her plate and place her cappuccino in front of her. Sullivan thanked him, but added: “But I just finished my pasta?” “I am sorry we are slow… we made sure to delay as much as possible so you wouldn’t eat your pasta with cappuccino,” the waiter confessed with a smile, with both Sullivan and Munno bursting into laughter. Later, Munno revealed that the request was a prank on the waiter, adding: “I can’t believe that I am even involved in this prank.” She captioned the humorous video: “In Milan with my friend Cat and a traumatised waiter.” Some found the waiter’s strict adherence to Italy’s unspoken food rules hilarious, but others were less than pleased with his customer service. “I feel so uncultured right now, because I would actually be annoyed. If I’m a paying guest, give me what I want, within reason of course,” one person wrote. Another said: “The customer is always right. Mr waiter [sic] has no business telling her what not to drink with her pasta.” However, several people defended the waiter, with one person explaining: “Losing a customer is not the end of the world in Italy. The waiter’s job is to give the customer the best experience of how the chef wants his food to be experienced. “So if you don’t like it, you can leave and the world does not revolve around you.” Others chimed in with their own experiences of ordering food in Italy that is deemed outside of the norm. “My boyfriend wanted to order pasta Bolognese in Venice and the waiter denied the order,” one commenter wrote. A second shared: “I once had a very nice gelateria employee in Rome refuse to give me the first flavours I ordered because they wouldn’t go well together.” Read More I couldn’t climax, so I let ‘big testosterone’ take me for a ride John Goodman reveals he’s lost 200 pounds as he makes red carpet appearance Kelly Osbourne criticises Prince Harry for ‘whinging’ about the royal family The top 10 most satisfying food sounds have been revealed Chef says ‘don’t get hung up on authenticity – it’s unachievable’ Celebrity chef bans vegans from his restaurant