Andrew Kay: Dines Out
A Selfless Gesture
After the excesses of Christmas January is always billed as a month of restraint. All around me I am surrounded by people who are having a “dry” month, “cutting out sugar”, “avoiding fat”. It’s noble stuff for sure but not as noble as one act that this month has really moved me for its simple and selfless honesty.
I met Kanthi Thamma, chef and one of the men behind the hugely successful Curry Leaf Cafe, some years back on stage at the Live Food Show in the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival. Back then he worked for Alun Sperring at The Chilli Pickle. I then met him again when he became one of the team of teacher chefs at Jamie Oliver’s Recipease, a role he excelled in. But it was not long before he confided in me that he was working with someone to create a new Indian eatery in town. It was hardly any time ago.
Now Curry Leaf Cafe has garnered a bevvy of accolades and the most loyal of clientele – and all well deserved.
A week before Christmas Kanthi told me that he wanted to celebrate his birthday in a different way this year by hosting a charity dinner to raise funds for a school for deaf children back in India. I immediately agreed to take a table of six, confident that I would have no trouble in persuading five friends to join me. I was not wrong and nor was Kanthi, the event sold out in less than 24 hours.
The dinner was superb, starting with a glass of Ridgeview Cavendish we then sipped a spicy ginger and tomato rasam with crisp lentil fritters. Next crisp seasonal vegetable pakoras and milagu chicken fry, truly delicious!
For main course we could choose two curries and these came with rice, daal, garlic pickle, poppadum and a huge sour dosa. I chose the chicken dish and the aubergine and I was blown away once again by the intelligent spicing that the CLC kitchen achieves. I like hot for sure but I like to taste my food too and not be reeling in a chilli haze. Full marks too for the garlic pickle which was a hit of real delight. Others chose the Chennai Meen Kuzhambu, sea bass fillets in a tangy fennel seed infused tomato and onion sauce. I must try that soon as it will be on the menu for the next month.
At this point I absented myself from my friends and their delicious desserts to conduct the draw of a raffle. Kanthi had inspired his restaurant owning friends to donate prizes to help raise even more money and I suggested that tickets were a £10 each, after all, the least expensive prize was worth a cool £50.
Hats off then to Drakes Hotel, Jeremy’s Restaurant at Borde Hill, Indian Summer, Terre à Terre, La Choza, Moshimo, La Cave a Fromage, Metrodeco, Beach BBQ, Butler’s Wine Cellar and of course Curry Leaf Cafe and their own wine supplier. In total the raffle raised £540 which took the total for the evening to £1300 – an impressive sum from a room of around 40 people, all of whom see themselves as friends of Kanthi and of Curry Leaf Cafe.
Kanthi is a supporter of the Little Flower Convent School for the Deaf in Chennai, an 89 year old institution that helps children with hearing impairments and promotes the education of both English and Tamil languages to kids of all ages.
Twenty-five classrooms were destroyed in the recent floods leaving the school with a desperate need for major repairs and replacement equipment and it is estimated that £10,000 will be needed to get the school fully operational once more.
Kathi’s inspirational birthday dinner has gone a long way to reaching that total and I know that Kanthi would like to thank all of the guests and kind supporters who made this possible. I would like to thank Kanthi for his selfless actions. I know that he had a good night and after the fun had ended he told me that he’d had his best birthday ever, that giving was far more satisfying than receiving. Kanthi should be very proud but he is far too modest, I am proud to count him as a true friend.
60 Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AD 01273 207070
www.curryleafcafe.com
