Three food stories: carrots, spice and Posh Spice

Simon Rimmer rang up happy last week.

His place Greens on Lapwing Lane in West Didsbury, has won Best Non-Approved Vegetarian Restaurant of the Year at the Vegetarian Society Awards. We wholeheartedly agree with this result, Greens is a damn fine place and not just for veggies either. Rimmer was understandably delighted at scooping the accolade which is based on the cooking, the presentation and the service. “It’s a real honour,” he said, “and justifies the hard work we’ve been putting in at the restaurant recently....and over the years.”

But what the hell’s a non-approved vegetarian restaurant? Is it where they cook veg in lard? We asked the Veg Soc. It’s one which isn’t in the Vegetarian Society Guild and thus not subject to an annual fee and kitchen inspections and so forth. In the Veg Soc Guild restaurants have to prove the provenance of a leek down to its fifth generation of lineage. Or something like that. Non-approved restaurants have greater freedom in sourcing ingredients but, of course, must show that their vegetarian food is of the highest standard.

Other entries included the Canteen on Clifton Street in Cardiff, The 78 in Glasgow (which our pal Simon rates), The Gate in London, and chains such as Manchester-based Tampopo, and, bizarrely, Pizza Express, nationwide.

The Awards’ are in their ninth year and to quote their publicity,‘celebrate the very best in vegetarian food, catering and lifestyle, highlighting to the nation those companies and services which make life better for vegetarians in the UK’. That’s much more carrot than stick in terms of promoting the vegetarian lifestyle we think – ho, ho.

Other winners include Best Vegsoc Approved Convenience Food, Macsween Vegetarian Haggis; Best Vegsoc Approved Breakfast Product, Whole Earth Peanut Butter; Best Vegsoc Approved Snack or Confectionary, Byron Bay Triple Choc Fudge Cookies; Best Vegsoc Approved Skincare/Personal Care Product, Lush Happy Hippy Shower Gel; Best Vegsoc Approved Drink; Grolsch Lager (Manchester’s Marble Beers were in this category and they lost - you what?). The Special Achievement Award 2009 went to the Meat Free Monday Campaign which Confidential somehow missed.

Confidential has its own award for the Vegetarian Society. They win the Longest Titles for Awards award and the Longest Titles on Award-winners award. By the way the ceremony took place at the Magic Circle Headquarters in London. Apparently all the meat vanished for the evening.

Curry conquest

We really have to review this place. It’s not as if Ashton-under-Lyne is far away. We could walk there in a couple of hours or so. But the Indian Ocean has been named Best Restaurant in the North West for the third year in a row at the prestigious British Curry Awards.

We love the press release which states that: ‘The British Curry Awards created by Enam Ali MBE, are amongst the highest honours available in the spice industry.’

The awards are judged on a regional basis and the Indian Ocean beat off stiff competition from across the North West for the third year in a row. Apparently it stood out against its competitors as a result of its menu which brings together recipes from across India, the Punjab and Kashmir. They also scored highly on service and community presence with charity events and support of local initiatives.

The Awards were held at the oddly titled, Battersea Evolution Centre in London last week. It was attended by Sir Trevor McDonald, David Cameron and Chris Tarrant - which if you had to put an unlikely trio together wouldn’t be far from top of the list.

Apparently David Cameron highlighted the importance of the curry industry in Britain, which is worth £3.5 billion per year, and said that it is important that immigration policy allows the top chefs from the Indian subcontinent to enter Britain and further enhance the quality of Indian food.

Confidential loves a bit of early electioneering and happens to agree with Cameron, though we’re a bit concerned that the implication is that Labour is currently engaged in some curry chef repression programme. The Party would probably deny that.

The presence of Cameron also shows which way the Asian food industry thinks the 2010 General Election will go. Curry’s gone blue.

The Top Ten Celebrity Haunts in the UK

The best recent advertising-masquerading-as-fact email came from booking service OpenTable. They investigated the ‘Top 10 Restaurants for Celebrity-Spotting in the UK’ and noted some of the celebs you might see there. Eight are, not surprisingly, in London, half of which are in Mayfair.

These are: Nobu, Mayfair (Cheryl Cole, Brad Pitt, Kate Moss, Tom Cruise, Elton John, Naomi Campbell); Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Covent Garden (Christina Aguilera, George Clooney, Elle McPherson, Thandie Newton, and Mariella Frostrup); Cecconi’s, Mayfair (Madonna, Stella McCartney): Automat, Mayfair (Lily Allen, Mark Ronson, Mike Jagger); Paradise by Way of Kensal Green, Kensal Rise (Kate Moss, Lily Allen, Sophie Dahl); The Collection, Chelsea (Tim Burton, Helena Bonham Carter, Ashley Cole); China Tang, Mayfair (Kate Moss, Sir Philip Green) and St John , Smithfield (Anthony Bourdain's, Tracy Emin).

The rest of the UK in terms of celeb spotting get two out of the top ten places.

Liverpool has Café Sports England. This is described thus: ‘Owned by Liverpool footballer Jamie Carragher, he is usually seen alongside his team mates and manager Rafa Benitez to celebrate match wins and follow other international games. European footballers like to dine here after European cup games, so you could very easily end up seated next to Viera, Totti and a multitude of European WAGS who tag along.’

OpenTable haven’t been following the footy much lately have they? Liverpool players and managers, given one victory in eight, will be more likely drowning their sorrows rather than celebrating. Benitez is probably banned. As for European players, unless something improves the foreign glamour is as likely to come from the overseas players of Tranmere Rovers next season rather than Roma.

And in Manchester we have Ithaca high in the list. This is the OpenTable blurb for the entry: ‘Ithaca is renowned for its innovative pan-Asian cuisine and opulent interior, but it’s the A-list clientele that really grab the headlines! Jay Z held his after-show party here last year, and Kanye West and Posh Spice regularly enjoy the sushi. Of course, due to its proximity to Old Trafford, an evening spent there is bound to reveal a premiership footballer or two.’

Have they moved Ithaca then, is it on Warwick Road South now, or next to Lou Macari’s chippy on Chester Road? Has Posh Spice moved back to Alderley Edge? Bless.

So that’s it then for the top ten celebrity haunts. We have two of them in the North West and nowhere outside London even gets a shout - although whether Jamie Carragher is as A-list as George Clooney is open to debate.

Still the discerning Confidential male staff have spotted something.

Kate Moss is a regular at three of these places according to OpenTable. We like restaurants and so does she. Anyone got Mossy’s number? There's another couple of benefits with the lady as well. Not only is she very beautiful but she might be a cheap date too. Whilst she tucks into her supermodel regulation lettuce leaf, cracker and plate of chip with garden pea, a lad could indulge in a big four course meal with the trimmings.

Being modern folk we’d have to go dutch as well.