Discovering that I had an amazing Indian on my doorstep has to be one of the highlights of moving to Meath. I was leaving behind Ananda, Megha and the local byo, the Royal, and moving to the countryside where I thought I would never manage to find an Indian to rival my favourites. How wrong I was!
Copper and Spices is a South East Asian restaurant on Ludlow Street in Navan, owned and run by Carmel and Nitin Gautam. It is an inviting looking restaurant, from the black and gold entrance to the cosy and well presented interior. The food they serve here is a cut above the rest and is up there, in my opinion, with some of my Dublin favourites. They do the best samosas and curries a girl could wish for. They also do the best value early bird take away I have ever come across! It’s amazing value for money. Anyway I am being sidetracked by my love for all of their food and need to talk about their wonderful Summer Tasting Menu which I recently got to sample.
The Summer Tasting Menu is a seven course menu filled with a variety of tastes and sensations. It is an elegant menu which showcases Asian food in a creative and interesting way. Each course was paired with a glass of wine which offsets the flavours perfectly. First up was the Amuse Bouche which consisted of Semolina and Durum Wheat Puffs, Sweet Tamarind and Mango sauce. This was a bitesize explosion of flavour.
The Summer Tasting Menu is a seven course menu filled with a variety of tastes and sensations. It is an elegant menu which showcases Asian food in a creative and interesting way. Each course was paired with a glass of wine which offsets the flavours perfectly. First up was the Amuse Bouche which consisted of Semolina and Durum Wheat Puffs, Sweet Tamarind and Mango sauce. This was a bitesize explosion of flavour.
Next up was the fish course which was Tandoor Baked Monkfish, Mustard and Curry Crab Croquettes and Salsa. It came beautifully presented on a banana leaf and looked almost too good to eat. Almost!
Following this was the chicken course which was presented in two ways - Chicken Coriander Taste Supreme and a Crispy Fried Wing. Himself was a bit apprehensive about the coriander as he isn’t a huge fan but he devoured this and declared it delicious.
Before the next three courses there was a Basil Sorbet to clear the palate. This was the one thing I wasn’t mad about as I found it quite strong but judging by the rest of the table and their empty glasses I think my tastebuds and I were alone in this.
Then it was onto one of my favourite meats – Duck. We were given a good slice of Cinnamon Infused Duck and a Five Spices Duck Roll. The duck roll was crunchy and filled to the brim with meat. It was far removed from those soggy, anaemic, limp rolls you sometimes see in Asian food.
For the final meat dish we were given a wonderful plate of Lamb with a Chettinad Spiced Cutlet, Tea Infused Chickpeas and a Shoulder Samosa.
A light dessert of Panacotta with Kafir Lime Leaf and Wild Berry Icecream helped to round off the meal. I had never experienced anything made with Kafir Lime Leaf before and it gave the panacotta a lovely summery flavour.
Food such as this shows how special Asian cuisine can be. Flavours can be highlighted through the delicate blend of spices and not everything has to be hot, hot, hot to have flavour. Another big plus is that all the food is sourced locally and all the spices are blended and roasted in the Copper and Spices kitchen. Carmel and Nitin are onto to a winner here and I am delighted to say that it is my local!
The Summer Tasting Menu is €45 and €70 with wine. It runs till the end of summer.
Disclaimer: I was invited to this event free of charge but was not asked to write a review in return. This review is my own personal opinion and sure I love their food anyway so really it was high time to tell you about them anyway!
No comments:
Post a Comment