The Bite Magazine - Spring 2019 - Issue 24

bite cuisine Y ou will discover dining at Grand Trunk Road restaurant in South Woodford, east London is most defi- nitely “a moment in time, a stretch of history, a map of flavours with a modern take on ancient delicacies using traditional cooking methods.” Taking its name from one of Asia’s oldest and longest major roads, founded around the 3rd century BCE by the Mauryan Empire of ancient India, you will find yourself on a timeless gastronomic journey of delicate flavours. For more than two millennia, the Grand Trunk Road has linked South Asia to Central Asia, running from Chittagong through to Dhaka in Bangladesh, then across Northern India through Delhi, passing from Amritsar, in the north-western state of Punjab. It then contin- ues towards Lahore and Peshawar in Pakistan, and finally terminates in Kabul, Afghanistan. In the 19th century, this trade corridor was up- graded when the East India Company carried out metalled road construction work. At Grand Trunk Road restaurant, you will be seduced by exotic flavours from the barbecued temptations of Peshawar and Rawalpindi to the sumptuous secrets of the Imperial Dastarkhan’s (royal dining style) of Delhi and Agra. From the succulent kebabs of the princely state of the Awadh region to the sublime vegetarian repast of Varnanasi, the tantalising seafood from the Kolkata and sweets from Bengal, it is the best Photography:Tony Wellington Grilled Scallops introduction to the fulsome flavours of India. This fascinating restaurant in hues of brown and green is beautifully decorated with several orange lit patterned motifs and columns of exposed brick work on the side wall. It has hanging lights in a bowl-like shape and panels of tiles with pictures of a plant with grape-like decorations on the exposed wall at the back. The avocado green banquette seating runs along the left side of the restaurant with dark brown wooden tables and white padded chairs with solid spittle back. After we were shown to our table by Taz, the restaurant manager, we were immedi- ately introduced to Head Chef Dayashankar Sharma who has had 30 years of hospitality and culinary experience. Having started in hotel management in India, Dayashankar’s interest in cooking was first piqued when he watched his mother preparing dishes. He soon understood which types of spices worked well with meat and fish dishes but admitted that in Indian cooking this can be difficult to articu- late at first. Working at the 5-star Taj Hotels in India, he was transferred to Sri Lanka where he worked for four and a half years. He also participated in Indian food festivals in a variety of countries such as the Maldives, Malaysia, Switzerland

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