Time For Tiffin

TIFFIN. It’s such a lovely name, evoking images of civilized tea parties enjoyed by gentlemen of the Raj in starched collars and their prim memsaabs in full skirts and shawls.

Of course the British Empire – with all its cruelty, snobbishness and spectacular trousers – is a thing of the past, but there’s no reason why the more dapper among us shouldn’t perpetuate its more elegant traditions.

Being afficionados of a spicy bite, of course, Curry Brother Ed and I favour samosas over scones and keema nan over cucumber sandwiches, which, after all, is what our colonial officers ought to have been munching anyway on in their Darjeeling dining rooms.

Donning our finest tweeds and, in the spirit of both the Raj and last month’s ‘movember’ men’s health fundraiser, some handsome (albeit fake) moustaches, we set out to recreate the simple pleasure of taking tea. And where better to do so than at that perennial Kidlington favourite, Tiffins!

In terms of recreating the Raj experience, Kidlington High Street falls someway short of the ambience of Delhi’s Connaught Place or Park Street, Calcutta. But it does have its attractions – it is close to a decent pub, is handy for car parks (not something you could say about Old Delhi – or even Oxford), and, if you live in Kidlington at least, is easy to get to.

Still, the restaurant does exude a little more atmosphere than the empty street outside. Smiling waiters, ably led by Mosrur Ahmed (known to his friends as ‘T’) offer a friendly welcome, and no sooner will your jodphurs hit the seat than you’ll be presented with a cold pint of Kingfisher and a round of crunchy popadoms with the obligatory quartet of pickles and chopped onion.

Modest in proportions, Tiffins feels intimate rather than cramped, with some privacy to be had at the table between the bar and the window – which is just as well, when you’re dressed like extras from Carry On Up The Khyber. As for the food, well that was lovely, though more tasty and comforting than fancy or impressive.

Rather than lazily ordering our regular favourites, we asked ‘T’ to bring us what he thought we might like, which began with a light starter plate consisting of two slices of kebab, a mulghi of minced lamb, and a rashmi which was deliciously coated in egg. They had the appearance of large ravioli but the taste and texture of slices of meat omelette, and were mouth-watering.

When the main courses arrived we were glad the starter to our Tiffins tiffin had been small.

Taking the rough, or at least spicy, with the smooth, we tucked into a tangy chicken laknavi (pieces of tender chicken coated in chilli and spices and served fairly dry, bhuna-style), chicken Kashmir (basically korma with banana), an equally creamy but much tastier lamb passanda, and a tandoori chicken sag and sag aloo – respectively chicken and potato with spinach. The star of the show, though, was a tasty mushroom bhaji, a succulent dish of juicy mushrooms, onion and garlic, rather than the crunchy fritter one normally associates with the name.

This was served with rice and plain nans. And filling it was too.

The diminutive size of the restaurant perhaps rules it out as a place to linger too long after dinner. So with good filter coffee and kulfi ice cream (pistachio gets my vote) to cleanse the pallet, we packed our pipes and monocles and headed off in search of adventure on Kidlington High Street. Five minutes of aimless ambling later, and thwarted in our mission, we went home.

A longstanding favourite of those ordering takeaways, Tiffins, with its familiar menu and friendly service, will always be successful. It may not leave you bowled over with its culinary inventiveness, but if you are looking for a decent dhansak or a presentable passanda, you could do a lot worse. After all, any time’s good for Tiffin!

Tiffins Tandoori is at 63 High Street, Kidlington. Call 01865 372245 or visit tiffinstandoori.com