Lockdown Easy Tiger Takeaway Review Plus NHS Support
At time of writing we are now in week three of restrictions that have been placed on all our lives. Brighton’s famous and thriving restaurant scene is in now in serious need of support from us residents, as many of our much-loved eateries have been forced to close their doors to the public until this awful pandemic gets under control. Some are offering takeaway and delivery services so you can still enjoy food from your favourites. Absolute Magazine will be keeping you all up to date on what is on offer, and I will often be posting reviews of the takeaway options available here on our website, so please visit regularly to keep up to date on what is going on in our wonderful city.
A relative newcomer to the scene that has received a great deal of praise, and one that has been on my list to try out ever since it was opened by the team behind The Pond and Chef Kanthi Kiran Thamma back in 2018 is Easy Tiger. I thought I would have to wait until the lockdown was over before being able to try the innovative and explorative menu showcasing Kanthi’s passion for Indian street food that has already earned Easy Tiger a place in Brighton’s top 20 restaurants. This is not the case however, and it turns out Kanthi has been very busy providing a takeaway service to Brighton and Hove’s hungry quarantined residents. As well as this, I learnt through the wonder of social media that every Sunday, he and his team have been providing hundreds of meals to our NHS heroes in the Brighton General Hospital COVID 19 ward. This incredible act of generosity, and the fact that I was hungry and bored of my wife’s cooking, spurred me to give them a call to give their takeaway food a try, and I have to say it really was nothing short of remarkable!
Although Deliveroo is an option, I opted to give them a call and collect myself, as everything on the menu looked so damn delicious, yet unfamiliar, I needed some guidance. I got straight through to Kanthi as they are currently operating a skeleton team due to social distancing measures. I can only imagine how hard these guys must be working, to not only keep the takeaway service going, but also provide all these meals to the NHS. Kanthi was more than happy to chat and recommend dishes to suit our tastes and dietary needs, insisting I try their KFC (Keralan Fried Chicken) as it is the most popular thing on the menu and is always highly praised. I take his advice on this and everything he recommends. After some clear instructions as to how to collect (go to the black door not the red) we jumped in my car and headed down.
After ringing the bell, I was warmly greeted (from a two-metre distance) by Kanthi who seemed genuinely grateful for our custom. We chatted for a bit before the absurdly intense aromas emanating from the paper bags got the better of me and forced me to canter back to my car. My wife, who was waiting in the car and is traditionally not the biggest fan of Indian food, could not believe how enticing it all smelt and neither of us could wait to get home to tuck in.
We begin as I would any Indian takeaway, by tucking into the Poppadums and dips which come in the form of a mixed bag of already broken up plain and spiced crisps. The various chutneys varied massively in flavour, from the ludicrously sour lime-pickle to the sublimely sweet mango mint, and were all delightful.
I recall the exact moment we both realised we were in for something special. We were tucking into our starters; Punjabi Samosas and Keralan Fried Chicken. My wife was biting into a chunky crispy Samosa, stuffed to the brim with soft delicately spiced potato, dripping with incredibly rich and flavoursome Tamarind Sauce at the exact same time that I chomped on a chunk of seriously intensely flavoured tender Boneless chicken thigh pieces rubbed with ginger, garlic, rice flour and chilli mix and we looked at each other, eyes widened in disbelief. No words were needed to express our emotions as we greedily devoured the lot.
The main event was even more impressive! My wife plumped for Hybderabadi Bhagaar-E-Baingan, a sublime vegan aubergine and celeriac-based dish from Kanti’s hometown. It was cooked in a nutty sesame and peanut sauce with coconut and tamarind, cumin, coriander and garam masala. The aubergine was cooked to absolute perfection, soaking up all the wonderful flavours of the peanut sauce and melting in the mouth to release them all. My choice of Malabar Pork Curry from the coast of Malabar region, flavoured with ginger, garlic and aromatic spices, was nothing short of spectacular. Slow cooking was certainly evident as the pork melted away, releasing the meat’s full flavour which went perfectly with the rich, intensely fragrant and colourful sauce that hit all the right notes. The light and flaky Malabar Parottas we mopped the sauces up with deserve a special mention too, perfect for soaking up the juices and quite delicious on their own!
I cannot recommend Easy Tiger enough! Literally everything we had made us wish we had bottomless bellies, so we will be returning for more. Each dish we tried from the incredibly well thought out menu had very distinct flavours and the love and passion Kanti has for Indian street cuisine was evident throughout. Specially designed environmentally friendly compostable packaging is used for every dish too. With the end of lockdown not yet in sight, I for one am glad we do not have to wait for the pubs to reopen to be able to experience his cooking!
Tony Shattell
Easy Tiger: The Hampton, 57 Upper North Street, Brighton BN1 3FH. Open for takeaway and delivery Wednesday to Saturday. 01273 731347. www.easytigerbrighton.com