Food Joint experience

 This time I accompanied a friend who lived there as a child – and who wanted to see the changes wrought by transformation from home to restaurant.
They have kept the buffet formula – US$10 for one visit to the buffet – US$15 for return refills – but it feels tireder than a year ago.  Arriving early we sat on a bench table outside and ordered fresh guava juice (US$2). Thick, clearly full of fresh fruit, it was delicious and refreshing – but by the time the fourth member of our party joined us – it was finished. Not many other customers were visible to explain this run on the juice.  Our visitor was welcome to go through the house taking photos.  The place is friendly and strangely homely in spite of the garish purple and silver décor. 
We chose to sit at picnic tables on the outside raised deck and enjoyed the casual atmosphere looking out over the street from under shade on a sunny afternoon.
Buffet dishes were fish curry, chicken vindaloo,  beef and potato curry – accompanied by dhal and three very western style looking vegetables – green beans, spicy potatoes and dried beans.  Side salads were tomato and onion, Durban salad of grated carrot and onion and a cucumber raita. A basket of bread – rotis and something deep fried was brought to the table.  The food was all okay, but honestly nothing special – and my recollection is that there was more promise a year ago with vegetarian dishes especially feeling more authentic.
The spicy potatoes were good but the tomato and onion sambal had a hefty dose of chillie powder sprinkled on it. I would have preferred fresh chillie – and in general there was an absence of fresh herbs – coriander, curry leaves, chillie.
Dhal is a favourite Indian staple and a good indicator of the kitchen. That  lunchtime it was a bit watery and lacking in flavour – highlighted for me the very next day when a friend turned up in my home, took over my kitchen and produced in a very short time the most delicious dhal.
Here is my friend’s recipe for a delicious, thick tasty dhal – real comfort food.
Hulled mung beans are her favourite – but this recipe works well with any kind of lentil. Some take longer to cook than others.  She used split red ones readily available and very fast cooking. 
Wash them until the water is not cloudy – cover with a couple of centimetres of water and bring to the boil. Scoop off all the scum – very important – and then add grated fresh ginger, ground turmeric, and a couple of chopped tomatoes.  Cook till soft adding more water as needed (don’t add salt as this hardens them). Heat oil in a frying pan – add black mustard seeds and when they start to pop throw in chopped garlic, cumin seeds, fresh curry leaves and chopped green chillie. Finally add ground fenugreek and some chillie powder to taste. Tip that into the lentil mix, stir and put lid on. Let cook for a couple of minutes to allow the flavours to blend.
The trick is in the tempering – the final flavouring of oil with fresh herbs and spices. She served this with lemony potatoes and roti – we ate with our fingers and it was completely delicious.
The Food Joint seems well set up for that kind of casual food and certainly the potential is there. I don’t know if catering to the restaurant-going public means that food becomes more homogenous regardless of ethnic origin. I hope not – and hope for more authentic variety.
– g.jeke@yahoo.com