MK FEAST

What's better than one food festival? How about two?! MK FEAST was created by Franzi Florack aka @mkfoodrev, who saw that local producers and community programmes were struggling to get their messages out into the local population. Thus a feast was born and on Saturday the 20th February, 3,000 other MK'ers decided to descend on a beautiful and historical building hidden in an industrial park, a fitting metaphor for Milton Keynes itself I would suggest. 

As 3 of those 3,000 we wandered down to Bradwell Abbey to see what was going on and I found some really enthusiastic traders selling burgers, cupcakes, cheese toasties, beer, lamb, pizza, focaccia, BBQ - breathe -  apple juice/brandy and cider, pakora, chutney, tea, chopping boards, jam as well as maps and soaps. Among other things...!

So plenty to choose from then! Unfortunately, while I thought I had turned up at a fairly reasonable 1:30pm, the fantastic turn out of the day meant that I missed my chance of a pizza or any BBQ so I had to settle for a burger from the Happy Herefords, no photo because Mrs P and the Child got in there before me, but the bit I had was tasty and convinced me that I certainly wouldn't say no, if I knew how to get my hands on any more.

Next came some pakora from Safs Kitchen:

The pakora themselves were tasty, heavy on the spicing and both Mrs P and The Child announced that they were sure fire winners. Which is good considering that Saf's cater for at-home curry nights as well as run these pockets of currified magic. For me, the food was good but not great and I would be interested to see what Saf's could do when they have some time on their hands.

Bourton Farm severely tempted me with their lamb and pork freshly packed straight from their farm. And don't they look smart!

I didn't quite manage to come away with the lamb ribs that the Child begged me for but next time boys, next time.

We also picked up some of Virtual Orchards amazing apple juice. We've had this before and if we see them setting up stall somewhere we usually can't go past without sticking one of these in the back pocket. It really is some of the best apple juice I've ever had and whenever we whip it out for guests it goes down an absolute storm. Again no photo because it all got drunk but Mrs P did pick up some apple and thyme jelly from the Urb Farm Growing People collective. Tart and herby is not my personal favourite flavour combo but Mrs P ate half a pot in the first sitting so I would say that's a pretty good endorsement.

Next I couldn't resist a oozy, goozy (is that a word? It should be), cheesey toastie. Now I know I've not been particularly complimentary of commercial cheese toasties vendors in the past but I've seen them a few times cropping up since then and I must choke on my words as I admit that, yes, this is indeed a thing. And here we had MK's very own version in the Good Times Cafe. Thankfully, GTC have seen sense and offer other items to compliment the oozy, goozy (yes, I said it again), toasties with The Child proclaiming that she was served with the best hot Chocolate in the WORLD*. I've also heard their coffee is pretty damn good too.

We enjoyed the tomato and basil mix with some apple-y coleslaw which was crunchy, fresh and a world away from the mayo laden slop which is usually ladled out of a 5 litre tub from some disreputable establishments. 

Finally we managed to persuade Minkiemoo Bakery, yes that's their brilliant and actual name, to part with the very last secret, hidden slice of cake even though their stall actually looked like this:

It was lovely, moorish and over oh so quickly. Still, looking at the pictures of the frankly ridiculously talented cakes on their website these guys are going on my list of 'nice things to surprise Mrs P with when I need some extra brownie points'.

So, in short the event was a spectacular success and the local folk of Milton Keynes showed a real appetite for supporting their community and produce which is fantastic considering all we have to offer in the vicinity. We've still got a long way to run but if this event is anything to go by I've got a really positive feeling about what can be achieved.

Well done to everyone who organised, came, bought and sold during the day and I look forward to seeing you all again!


*Her emphasis.

Wrapchic - Milton Keynes

There I was minding my own business when my friend said to me:

'Hey, there's this Indian burrito place opening up in town, you should check it out.'

'Indian burrito?' I retorted, 'That sounds a bit odd, I'm not sure about that.'

'But they're really nice' piped in the makers of the Indian burritos, 'you should try one.'

'Yeah, but it's a burrito filled with curry' I said, 'does sound a bit weird though you've got to admit.'

'Perhaps, but they are dead tasty, come down and see for yourself.'

Yeah, yeah, that's basically what happened.

So I did, and despite their generous invitation, I managed to miss the launch day but catch their lunch service the following day. Based in Midsummer Place (where Ed's used to be), Wrapchic has a shanty shack theme, although I suspect it's a very designed and carefully constructed theme which is no bad thing depending on how you look at it. It's a note of difference (even a small one) in this, the most chained of restaurant chained towns and therefore should be welcomed.  

Mrs P. and I wasted no time and joined the queue for this latest entry to the cantine style, fast service, lunchtime offer. Yes, there was a queue, when all the other lunch services in the square were slack and over staffed. Wrapchic was attracting enough attention to maintain a wait for food throughout the time it took us to eat our lunch. 

So what was on offer? While waiting, we were invited to take a drink and pud/snack from the open fridge and I was really pleased to see that healthy options were placed front and centre.

I took a smooth and luxurious strawberry lassi while Mrs P. decided to ingest half of her entire daily sugar intake with a can of Passionfruit Rubicon. We also picked up a pot of coconut pannacotta. A closer look at the drink flavours showed some more 'interesting' options such as apple and cucumber or apple and beetroot. Hmmm, maybe next time.

Onwards to the burritos we went and I ordered a Mutton Madrasi with brown rice, cheese and salad. 

Whereas Mrs P. had a Chicken Mughlai wrap with cheese, coleslaw and salad.

  
Quite frankly, I was surprised at just how much I liked them. They were really tasty and as a quick weekend shopping lunch time filler-upper they were fresh, the right side of spicy and generous. It wasn't completely fun-filled-fairy-cakes though, take it from me; don't have the cheese. There was nothing inherently wrong with it, but as other bloggers have also noted no-one needs processed cheddar cheese on their curry. However, as it's entirely optional if you choose it, it's your own fault. 

The curries were both good and distinct, the mutton is worth particular mention because not only was it tasty and full flavoured, but anything that brings mutton to a wider audience is worth supporting. Mutton has a developed and specific flavour that is reminiscent of lamb but still individual and if you feel squeemish about giving it a go, then you should probably know that you've probably already had it at any one of your bland/non-descript Indian takeaways. Anyone for a 'meat' curry? I'm glad that Wrapchic embrace the mutton because more should be done to bring it to the British public, it's really tasty and lamb is only half the story. Mutton is cheap and delicious, plus it makes the best shepherds pie you've ever tasted.

Mrs P.'s chicken tikka was a little more average but had a welcome warming heat to it that you wouldn't find at other popular lunch orientated on-the-go food kiosks. And coupled with the other options available here in the food court it seems like a hands down preference.

Our sides were a slightly more hit and miss affair, the wraposas had sold out so we went with the tikka wings and wrapchos. Now far be it from me to say that I know my way around a bowl of nachos, but it has to be said that I've had some experience on the matter and I'm afraid that these didn't quite work it for me. They were simply overwhelmed by the sauces (of both guacamole and sour varieties) and in the end became just a bit of a soggy mess. I understand why they are on the menu (it's Indian and Mexican food, gettit?) but this isn't the same standard of fusion that the rest of the meal promised.

The chicken wings faired better and brought the Indian flavours back to the meal but it was a shame that they relied a bit too heavily on a English-ised tikka coating rather than a tandoor style but I suspect there would be considerable logistical issues to standardising this. Still, they were decent value and benefitted from the good spice blend of flavour that is consistent across the other parts of the menu so I'm sure they'll be popular.

We finished up with the coconut panna cotta and although the coconut was mild, creamy and cooling after the curry, the regulated and uniform pud was just a bit too jellied without enough soft oozing for me. As a coconut milk jelly though, it tasted lovely.

In short, despite the winners and losers, there is no doubt that with their standard offering, Wrapchic is mass market fusion done well, in fact it's probably the best I've eaten. Haute cuisine it ain't, but as an attempt to bring proper, different and real flavour to your fast food lunch-to-go, I'm pleased it surprised me and I've no doubt that this particular store will happily take more of my cash in the near future.

I may have been invited to try Wrapchic but the views expressed here are very much my own.

@wrapchic
www.wrapchic.co.uk

Papa J's - Milton Keynes

Don’t you just love it when you find a five pound note in a pocket that you've completely forgotten about? ‘Great’, you think ‘that's brilliant. That just made my day just a little bit better.’

Eating at Papa J’s isn’t like that. It’s like finding a tenner instead.

Recommended to me at a recent Milton Keynes foodie evening get together, I am ashamed to say that I hadn't really heard of Papa J’s presence in the 18 months they have been at Oxley Park. It's the baby brother of the original restaurant back in Luton (which I hadn't heard of either) but I have to admit that I was more than a little skeptical when it was first pitched to me as 'the best Indian in town' by @nirajwriter because my evening at Mastee was still fresh in my memory. However I am nothing if not a team player and so always willing to suffer for the cause, I persuaded Mrs P. to yet another dinner out and swung by Papa J's a couple of days later.

It seems to be the time for Indian fusion to come to Milton Keynes, first Mastee with modern British Indian, next a newly opened Indian burrito option (more on that in the next couple of days) and now Indian tapas. Not two words you would usually find together, but here they were thrown onto the same menu without any care for what you might think about it. We were looking at an Indian menu the like of which I had never seen and everything looked good. We had to be guided through it by a very helpful waiter who pointed out a couple of favourites that we might want to try. We were advised to choose only three or four plates and so we were forced to be ruthless in our approach.

We've all eaten popadoms, these are standard Indian restaurant staples that you don't think twice about. They all look the same, taste the same and are the same. Not quite. The two you see here cost the same as six in your standard balti house, but I implore you to try them, they are fab. u. lous. These are the Real McCoy, the popadoms that all others aspire to be. The plain one was beautifully seeded and tasted of sunshine and pleasure, while the masala option was scattered with tomato, onion and chilli and set the tone for the rest of the meal in stunning style. Expensive? At £1 / £1.30 each, yes eye wateringly so, but worth it? Without question. Go on, you only need one right? 

On then, first we shall deal with the Chicken Delicious. Yes, that's what it's called. I'm afraid that I missed a photo but it's a dry chicken dish across which was scattered peppers, coated and fried chicken and was, unsurprisingly, delicious.

Second was the Chilli lamb, and here the fusion style started to kick in with a sweet soy based sauce with chilli and spring onion, now I wasn't a massive fan of this because I felt the lamb was just too chewy and each bite left half of each mouthful in between my teeth. This was not my ideal dish but Mrs P. scoffed at my reticence, declared it phenomenal and forced me to agree that it did taste lovely regardless of my chewy reservations.

Now lets talk Chatpata Chicken wings, I had no idea what to expect from these and I still find them hard to describe. A dark sticky glazed plate of chicken that didn't look like much but smelled and tasted like the best curry-fied KFC hot wings you've ever tasted. Which I can assure you is a serious compliment.

Then we come to Aunty K's Baby Chicken.

This was not a baby chicken as the menu promised, but I feel I can let that go because it tasted absolutely unbelievable. It ticked all my boxes, savoury with a hint of sweet creaminess, strips of ginger giving a great twang to cut through the rich, velvety sauce. The chicken was sweet, tender and very generous in portion size. It was a dish that, if it wasn't for the fact that there were so many other things on the menu that I need to try, that I could go back to again and again.

But I must also find time to mention the extras, the naan for example - house made without a hint of microwave, exactly how it should be; crispy on the edges, with doughy pockets and a savoury mouthful that reminds me why I can never give up carbs.

And as for the rice, this was a vegetable Biryani number and quite honestly, I could have eaten this all night long. Ever heard of black cardamom before? I certainly haven't but here you can see an example in the center of this picture. It's massive, about the size of a small grape but it's beautifully mild cardamom flavour doesn't give you that palate ruining soapy pungency that totally ruins the meal when you crunch down on it by mistake.

And now, after all that, I've got to talk about the spicing. Perhaps I've given you the impression that the meal was tasty and unusual but otherwise fairly standard. Oh no. No, no, no, no. The spice was what took this right up to another level; hot and chilli heavy for sure but it was so effortlessly blended that it acted as a seasoning that lay over the dishes with such delicacy that even Mrs P. managed to worked her way round it without too many problems. Don't think that your heat levels won't be tested, but trust the chef and you'll enjoy the pleasure and rush of chilli heat without the caustic morning after ring-sting which is so prevalent in your standard madras/vindaloo typical English curry houses.

So, is Papa J's the best Indian in town? Well, it is certainly right up there and I am only grateful that we have a growing choice of good food. Mastee and Papa J's (and maybe soon to be Maaya if we're lucky) cater for different types of experiences, both with fresh ideas on great Indian food and I would happily go back to both. For Mrs P and I including drinks, Papa J's turned in at £55 which I understand is pricey for a curry but raise your expectations and you will be rewarded plus we took home enough food for another complete diner so I would certainly consider the meal to be worth the expense if you are going for a really special evening.

I'll give Mrs P. the last word on this review because when I offered to continue our evening elsewhere, her response will hopefully inform your next choice of dinner out:

Me: That was a great evening, do you want to go to the cinema?

Mrs P.: No, let's go home. I want to show off our leftovers to the babysitter.

Boom.


@papajsuk
www.papajs.co.uk