Balti-Birmingham

The Euro may be on the verge of being discredited but Europe may, at least, be about to do its bit for Birmingham's signature dish. An application is currently in advanced stages of discussion in preparation for submission for 'TSG' status.

The Birmingham Food Fest is due to start on 14th October and run until 23rd. Imrans and Shabab are both involved and for more info visit www.birminghamfoodfest.com 

The Punjab Paradise has closed its doors, possibly for the last time. Always on the decline from the halycon days of Mohammed Shabaz, it is still a great shame. RIP Ali (one of the best restaurant 'House' Managers in the business) and the back of house team who undoubtedly produced the best sizzler this side of Lahore.

The recent unprovoked attack on Balti by Lasan’s head chef, Aktar, gave me an attack of gross indigestion as well as indignation but I’ve now recovered in order to set the record straight.

First of all, Lasan is a great restaurant doing mainly ‘authentic’ South Asian cuisine with an innovative twist ... therein lies the key because for ‘innovation’ read ‘invention’, the very thing that Aktar criticises. Yes, Balti is a Brummie invention yet isn’t that the same with all styles of food at some stage? The fact that when I spoke to Aktar a few months ago, he didn’t even know what Balti was, to me, speaks volumes. To remind him, it is a simple but effective style of preparing food and perhaps it could be said to be Brummie equivalent of tasty, inexpensive (compared to Lasan’s platinum prices) street food – the latter concept being one that Lasan have proudly featured at various times.

Now turning to Aktar’s view of the Balti Triangle as being a sort of alcoholic’s paradise … it may have escaped his notice that this mainly Muslim area boasts mostly unlicensed restaurants and whilst usually allowing customers to drink alcohol on their premises, ask their customers to drink sensibly … usually always the case, anyway, given that most customers are families or couples. Probably a somewhat less inebriated profile than one or two of the braying ‘City Gent’ (Daily Mail readers?) types that I’ve seen pass through the portals of Lasan at various times.

Aktar also criticises the ‘same old, same old’ baltihouse décor. Now I don’t know whether he still orders prawn cocktail, chicken in the basket and black forest gateau if he occasionally ‘goes for an English’ but the generic ‘Indian’ flock wallpaper style is definitely a bit 70s and as rare in the Balti triangle as the proverbial rocking horse droppings.

Finally it is an irony that Lasan’s (well deserved) fame for its food was brought to the fore by a Scotsman, Gordon Ramsey, whose favourite ‘Indian’ dish is chicken tikka masala INVENTED in the fair city of Glasgow!

Aktar … keep your head down and cook because that’s what you’re best at and do us all a favour and leave the Brummie Balti alone to be enjoyed unpretentiously and in peace. 

ANDY MUNRO

Aktar Islam, who fronts Lasan in the JQ, is under fire for attacking city's balti dish Birmingham Post article.

Andy says: “There are some very good restaurants in places like the Balti Triangle around Sparkhill. Just because they are cheaper than Lasan doesn’t make the quality any less.

“The balti is a unique style of cooking and not the dish itself, so Mr Islam’s argument is poor. There is a real bit of snobbery involved.

A Guide with a difference has been launched highlighting the tremendous range of independently owned shops and restaurants in Alum Rock, the Balti Triangle, Soho/Lozells and Small Heath/Bordesley Green.

This free Guide highlights the unique ness of these multicultural areas and on the eating front it includes information on Moroccan, Turkish, Lebanese and Iraqi restaurants to name just a few.

Well done to Al Frash for their participation in Comic Relief and their 'chilli challenge' competition.

Students from University College Birmingham are undertaking research on people's opinions and awareness of the Balti Triangle. Their findings will be published on this site. Watch this space!

Taste of Birmingham is apparently not going to be the previous rather elitist affair in Cannon Hill Park in 2011 so hopefully this will be a great opportunity for restaurants in the Balti Triangle to work with Marketing Bham for the Autumn Event.  All ideas welcome!

One of the original and best baltihouses, Shabab, opened its doors again following refurbishment ... read the review!