Sanskruti

Whether you live in Manchester, are visiting for a weekend, or simply just passing through, you NEED to head to Sanskruti.

All credit to my Sister-in-Law on this one who was looking for a restaurant to take a vegetarian friend and happened to stumble across this hidden gem. The menu is entirely vegetarian with a hefty amount of vegan options too - my attempt at going vegan would've maybe lasted longer than 3 days had I known about this place! Now, before you all turn your nose up at this for the lack of meat, I can solemnly say that my own Dad claimed he could become veggie after going here; something I don't think anyone thought he'd ever say (name and contact details available on request for those who don't believe me). 

"Sanskruti" literally translates to mean Tradition or Culture. It is obvious why they have called the restaurant this when you see the menu - if you're expecting to see Kormas or Tikka Masalas then you can jog on up the road to the curry house. Sanskruti serve up authentic and traditional dishes, reminiscent of the Indian sub-continent. The menu is HUGE. Check out their website here to see the full load but carry on reading to see a snapshot of dishes I've provided (I'm nice like that). First up, starters:

Aubergine and paneer with a few pomegranate seeds thrown in.
Added bonus is that it's gluten free. For those who don't know, paneer is a cheese which can be cooked without melting. Think of halloumi and you're on the right sort of track!

Mushrooms sauteed in an indo-chinese mix of garlic and ginger with mixed vegetables.

Tandoori Paneer Tikka. Has the tikki flavour that most are familiar with but with the not so common combination of paneer. Worth a try.

Masala Dosa. This is a traditional South Indian dish consisting of a fermented crepe made from rice batter and lentils, with a potato based filling. This one came with a mango chutney and an amazing coconut cream condiment.










Next up, mains and sides:

Mushroom Palak. This was a flavoursome combination of mushroom and spinach cooked in a mildly spicy "green gravy". Nothing too overpowering here so was a general crowd pleaser.

Kaju Khoya. This is a cashew-based dish consisting of stir fried cashews (obviously) in a creamy cashew and khoya based sauce. Khoya is basically evaporated milk solids - hence the richness. It wasn't too dissimilar from a Korma sauce although without the coconut.

Bhindi Masala. An okra based dish which packs a punch. Eat with caution. Or just have a cold beer at the ready!

Sev Tameta Nu Shaak. A tomato based dish cooked with cumin and ginger, topped with sev (vermicelli to you and me). I wasn't a massive fan of this as I'm not overly keen on tomato as a main ingredient but I seemed to be the only one with this opinion! A mild dish so no red faces to worry about.

Ringan Tameta. Aubergine and tomatoes cooked in gujarati spices. This was full of flavour considering aubergines can be quite bland.









On top of all the above, we also had a side of dahl, a HUGE hanging naan bread, two desserts and five pints of Cobra. The grand total? £95. Yep... a three-course meal with sides and drinks for 5 people for under twenty quid each. Fan-bloody-tastic. Now, don't get me wrong. I absolutely love London and don't plan on leaving our beloved capital anytime soon. But I don't even want to think what the cost of this meal would've been had it been based here! Sanskruti is authentic, unpretentious and all about the food. An absolute must.

Nic
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Grain Store

I won't lie. When I first heard about the Grain Store restaurant, I thought it'd be purely vegan meals and plant based drinks. Don't get me wrong, I think you can do some amazing plant-based meals, some of which I've tried myself. But the thought of basing an entire menu on one left me a little skeptical. Luckily, I was totally wrong about the concept. The menu has a great mix of meat and fish based dishes, but they often keep vegetables at the heart of each meal. Of course there are vegan options, but you are not solely limited to that. Created by chefs Bruno Loubet and Michael Benyan, the inspiration for the menu comes largely from Loubets' proudly owned vegetable patch! 

A two minute walk from Kings Cross station, the relatavely new Grain Store occupies a space on Granary Square. I was surprised by the large interior... for some reason I had more of a cafe-style space in mind. How wrong was I? The modern yet rustic decor has been designed to look like an exploded kitchen, with a huge open preparation area that everyone can see, no matter where they may be sitting. It's definitely a relaxed environment but is done in such a way that it feels a little bit special at the same time. I would definitely recommend booking ahead. The restaurant itself doesn't open until 6pm, although there is a bar where you can drink beforehand. As soon as 6pm hits, the place is RAMMED. 

The drinks on offer look incredible and are certainly different (celeriac bellini anyone?). But tonight was all about the food. What we have here is the Sprouting Seeds & Beans, Miso Aubergine, Crispy Citrus Chicken Skin with Potato Wafer. I know what you're thinking... chicken skin probably doesn't sound too appealing. But trust me, this was. Just think of childhood roast chicken dinners when the chicken is cooked to have a crispy skin (don't tell me you didn't pick at it. We've all been there). Without this element or the miso aubergine, this could've fallen into the "bland" category, but the flavours worked together so well that it could never be described as that. 




My companion/housemate had the Wild Mushroom Croquettes with Pine Needle Salt. These get top marks for presentation alone. These were incredibly light and not at all oily, which you quite often find with breaded mushroom options. From the look of sheer bliss on my housemates face, I could tell she was enjoying these. Perhaps a little too much?

Onto the mains and, as predicted, I went for one of the fish options: Steamed Seaweed Sushi, Braised Pak Choi, Black Garlic Puree with Hake in Vanilla Butter. There was a lot going on in this one dish but it all worked together perfectly. I'm not a massive fan of rice in general so, personally, wouldn't have chosen to have the sushi rice as part of the meal but I suppose it acts to bulk out the finished product. The fish was cooked perfectly (soft flesh, crispy skin = winner) but I would've preferred the pak choi to be cooked for slightly longer as it became a chore to get through it. Again, presentation cannot be faulted. 



Also served up was the Preserved Piquillo Pepper, Artichoke & Vegetable Chorizo Paella. Vegetables definitely dominated over the rice in this. How they put together the vegetable chorizo, I will never know but it added an interesting level to the overall dish. My housemate made a comment about how the size of the vegetables could've been smaller but I think it made the dish look wholesome and rustic. To be honest, I think she was still gutted about not being able to have more of the mushroom croquettes.



Now for a sweet fix. I went for the Goat Milk and Yoghurt Pannacotta with Poached Rhubarb and a Wild Strawberry Sauce. Now, I LOVE pannacotta. However, I hate goats cheese so I probably shouldn't have gone for something with goats milk in it. The flavour is so strong and overpowering that it dominates anything you put it in. If you like it then this would be great for you , but if you don't then steer clear! Having said that, the rhubard and strawberry sauce was incredible. Although it was only supposed to act as an accompaniment to the pannacotta, I'd have happily munched away on a bowl full of this. 


My housemate opted for the Sweet Potato Doughnuts with Citrus Curd and Dill & Vodka Ice Cream. This isn't something I would ever have gone for just because it seemed a bit heavy after a big meal but my housemate is one of these annoying people who remains slim regardless. She was slightly disappointed by the doughnuts as they tasted just like any other doughnut. I suppose the sweet potato provides a gluten-free base but, flavour-wise, it didn't add much. However, this was all forgotten when we tasted the dill and vodka ice cream. Mindblowing. It shouldn't work but it absolutely does. I'm tempted to try and make this myself at home (watch this space). 

So there you have it. Do not judge this little establishment in the way that I did. There really is something for everyone and what I have reviewed above is obviously just a small snippet of a pretty generous menu. With drinks, I imagine this can become pretty pricey but, when you know you're getting good quality, wholesome food, as opposed to mass-produced chain food, I'd say it'd be worth it!

Nic
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Vegan Banana Bread

A vegan diet may fill a lot of people with fear, primarily because it often leaves people questioning what they can actually eat! I tried a vegan diet and, I'm not going to lie, I found it incredibly difficult. The main reason was that it is very hard to find suitable vegan "on-the-go" items which won't break the bank. If you are able to plan your meals and snacks ahead then that's great but, personally, I'm not going to carry around a whole days worth of food with me! However, I was pleasantly surprised when I researched into vegan recipes and how easy it can be to adapt recipes in order to make them vegan. The internet has LOADS. However, this little beauty is courtesy of a friend of mine who very kindly passed the recipe on to me. I plan to post a lot of vegan recipe ideas in future, whether it be meals or snacks, but this vegan banana bread is so good that it had to go first! 






You will need:
-225g wholemeal flour
-3 tsp baking powder
-75g brown sugar
-3 tsp cinnamon 
-4 large black bananas
-75g sunflower oil
-50g dried fruit/nuts (optional)

To start with, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. If you haven't got any overripe bananas, put 4 ripe bananas in the oven at this point for about 5 minutes. If necessary, turn the bananas and leave for a few minutes longer until completely brown. Next, peel and mash the bananas and combine with the sugar and oil.

Add the flour, baking powder and cinnamon (I added an extra teaspoon of cinnamon for a hint of spice) and combine well. This is the point to also add any additional ingredients. I chose to add 50g of chopped, dried cranberries but any dried fruit, nuts or even chocolate would work really well.




Bake in a greased and lined 2lb loaf tin for 20 minutes, before checking. If the bread is browning , cover with foil before baking for a further 40 minutes. Check that the centre is cooked through by inserting a clean knife and seeing if any dough appears on knife. Bake for longer if necessary but keep regularly checking. I ended up baking it for a further 10 minutes when it could've done with slightly less....you live and learn!

This loaf can be sliced and served straight away or cover and keep for up to 48 hours. A great tea time treat or handy snack for the working day. Enjoy!

Nic
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