Andrew Kay enjoys and alternative take on the Sunday roast at Indian Summer

Summer lovin’

Iremember well my first ever visit to Indian Summer when they opened in Hove. What a breath of fresh air they brought to the Indian food scene. Gone was the high street tandoori image; gone were the hotplates and steel serving dishes, the need to order all your accompaniments and the almost inevitable leftovers that you simply could not finish. Proprietors Minesh and Byron came up with a model that has been much copied over the years, so much so that on occasions you might crave the old school, flocked wallpaper and all.




Of course I jest, the transformation of Britain’s curry scene has been revelatory and Indian Summer were at the forefront of that, not only in their western presentation of dishes, but also in the style of the place and their championing of regional cuisine. Goodbye to brown sauces and hello to variety that reflected the scale of the Indian continent.

Indian Summer is now in East Street and the style has continued to develop and grow. The premises are large, stylish and comfortable. I like comfort, it makes me believe they want me to relax and stay – not feed me and then tell me to push off. They have now introduced a new Sunday lunch menu which embraces the concept of the good old British Sunday roast but with that clever Indian Summer twist.

I invited my friend Mr L to join me there for lunch and to give the new menu a whirl. As ever, he was more than happy to oblige. I had breakfasted light to make sure I was hungry, but I should have skipped it completely, or skipped a starter. Sadly I can never resist their bhel puri, that mix of crispy and soft, of sweet, sour and spicy, ticks so many of my culinary boxes that I almost go into auto-pilot when I see it on a menu. Indian Summer do it so well but be warned, it’s a big dish and quite filling.

Mr R chose the paneer tikka, cubes of rich cheese in a spicy marinade cooked on skewers in the tandoor. It was delicious, I pinched a bit, and again generous, there is no skimping on portions at Indian Summer – a very good thing too.

Both of those dishes were on the a la carte menu, it was over to the Sunday specials for the main event and ‘event’ is a very appropriate term.

Mr R quickly settled on Lamb Zafrani. Lamb shoulder, slow cooked on the bone, then stripped from the bone for ease of eating and served with a served with a delicious dish of saffron sauce. It was divine, rich and earthy, full of flavour and tender as can be.
I chose the Pork Belly Vindaloo. Now having been to Goa, home to vindaloo, I know that it is a dish so remarkably unrelated to some of the fiery slop so often served in the UK, that I was filled with expectation. I was not disappointed. Vindaloo means in my book a spicy sauce made with garlic and vinegar, a fine balance of hot and sour and a fresh and vibrant flavour that is miles apart form Mr L’s zafrani – but a good contrast. I loved it, it was exactly as I remembered form my Indian adventure, and I loved it with the pork which was succulent and tasty. I think maybe they need to cook the skin and crackle it separately but otherwise it was a fantastic dish. Both roasts were served with their appropriate sauces, jeera aloo, roast parsnips and bean and asparagus thoran. It was more than enough and I failed to jump the spicy potato hurdle much to my shame, eyes bigger than belly pork I guess.

Mr R had room for a pud! A blood orange and hazelnut pudding served with vanilla ice cream. I was satisfied just to watch as he demolished the lot and I finished our bottle of house white.

The roasts were both £13.95 for the complete meal, excellent value compared to some sabbath offerings around town, and the quality of the cooking was faultless, as was the service.

I love Indian Summer and their new Sunday concept works well. Byron promises there will be live music too, which you may like. I will reserve judgement on that as I am rather picky about how live music is presented as food is at the top of my list and not songs.

Indian Summer, 69 East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HQ, 01273 711001, www.indian-summer.org.uk