
Beyond the Plate
Because there’s more to the dining experience than the well-made meal, we offer up a few examples of restaurants whose charm extends far beyond the food on the plate
interviews by Will HALBERT

Colla-beer-ation
Carters of Moseley, Birmingham
Birmingham-based, Michelin-starred purveyors of all things weird and wonderful, Carters of Moseley need little introduction. Under the watchful eye of Chef Brad Carter, the restaurant has made quite a name for itself for both its off-the-wall, avant-garde approach to the dining experience and its rich evocation of British terroir in all of its forms. Their collaboration beer with Somerset’s Yonder Brewing – aptly named Psychedelic Jam – is a firm expression of that taste for terroir. Foraged, fermented and sour as f*ck, the brew features a mix of herbs and blossoms, all aged alongside British raspberries in Yonder’s ex-Loop barrels.
Add collaborations such as these to Brad’s recently-published book on staff dinners (Staff, out now), and you have a string of extracurricular activities that lends Carters of Moseley a unique appeal that extends far beyond the culinary feats offered up on the menu.
‘Foraged, fermented and sour as f*ck, the brew features a mix of herbs and blossoms, all aged alongside British raspberries in Yonder’s ex-Loop barrels.’
What’s the inspiration behind the beer? How did the idea come about, and how long has it been in the works?
I met Stuart (Head Brewer at Yonder) through our love of foraging. We share a similar ethos and interest in British produce and he worked with my forager Chris at Bello for one year. We brewed together for a few consecutive weeks back in March and put the beer into their red wine barrels to really put out the best brew possible…it is!
What sort of foraged ingredients can we expect to find in there?
We used 3 different native botanicals in the brew. Meadowsweet; a wild English flower with flavours reminiscent of honey, vanilla and almond. It was used to flavour mead in medieval times up to 4,000 years ago. Woodruff; a flowering perennial that tastes like vanilla and almond. Hawthorn Blossom; a hedgerow flower with flavours of bitter almonds that Stu and I foraged for ourselves near the brewery in Somerset.
Who’s behind the trippy label art?
Ha ha…this label is a nod to my raving days! It was designed by my good friend Hannah al Shemmeri (@hannahalshemmeri). She is a local artist who does a lot for us at Carters of Moseley. I’ll have a mad idea and she uses art to bring it to life-so sick!
What do you recommend we drink it with?
Personally, I think it’s a great beer to enjoy on it’s own. It’s well rounded and has just the right amount of complex flavours. At the restaurant we are serving it with caramelised milk ice cream, fresh raspberries and salted caramel.

Equality & Authenticity
Darjeeling Express, London
That the comfort foods and regional delights of Darjeeling Express are something special is news to absolutely no one. With loving callbacks to founder Asma Khan’s Mughlai heritage, the restaurant has long served up Indian food as it’s meant to be experienced: by the platter; with texture flavour, and fragrance aplenty; and in the best of company. For all the conviviality that the food inspires, however, it’s the people behind the food that truly amaze. The kitchen is run not by career chefs, but an all-women team of housewives. This isn’t themed cuisine, nor is it some cynical, appropriative marketing ploy. Instead, it’s a loud-and-clear call for authenticity, diversity and equality both within and without the food and drinks industry.
Do you think we’re finally seeing a change in working conditions for women in the food and drink industry?
They’re changing, but not anywhere close to the rate at which they should be changing. This stands out in stark contrast to other industries, where you can see a concerted effort to narrow the gender pay gap, to ensure that women feel safe at work, and to remove the barriers holding them back from taking on higher positions in companies and boards.
Do you think people’s perceptions of Indian food have changed much over the last few years?
Yes, we are certainly moving towards more regionality, which is helping to make a menu more reflective of the diverse food that is made in India.
For those new to a more authentic Indian cuisine, what would you recommend they try on your menu?
The Bihari Phulki, which are lentil fritters served with spicy chilli and tamarind chutney. A version of this is made in Eastern India, in Bihar, in Bengal, and even in Bangladesh. It is a very traditional, street snack which you also find in the home kitchens.

Meters Not Miles
The Dairy, London
Farm-to-table cooking in South London might sound like some cynical, greenwashed market speak, but it’s very much a reality for the guys and girls over at Clapham’s The Dairy. Robin Gill’s rooftop micro-farming programme has been in place since before the opening of the restaurant itself, and while there’s no cheese to be found up on The Dairy’s roof, the space is home to everything from mint leaves to honey, nasturtiums to onion cress.
By all accounts, The Dairy’s menu is a masterclass in restaurant resourcefulness. It reveals at an all-too-rare level of consideration that goes beyond the usual buzzword box-ticking to add a truly homegrown, seasonal, and sustainable charm to an already spectacular menu.

Mindful Meat Eating
Flank, London
There’s no denying that the recent, environmentally-charged sea-change in food-based philosophies have (quite rightly) made for a fair few guilty carnivores in recent years. In a society unable to account for – let alone comprehend – the waste it generates, Tom Griffith’s nose-to-tail cooking ethos offers a welcomed return to a more mindful means of consumption. Flank specialises the seasonal, open-flame cooking of some seriously delicious British produce, which goes a long way to explaining its meteoric rise from pop-up underdog to London market institution.
From 70-day aged strips of Belted Galloway to lashings of beef and onion bone marrow potato gratin, Tom and his team at Flank offer low-and-slow debauchery done well, to be sure. Be sure to check out their additional residency in East London’s Print House Bar & Kitchen, should you find yourself in the neighbourhood.

The Living Menu
Aizle, Edinburgh
While people normally go to a restaurant after having been enticed by the calibre of its menu, Aizle in Edinburgh’s Southside is doing things a little differently. There is no menu, per se – only a list of ingredients written on a chalkboard on the wall. The beauty of this unique concept restaurant is that it is built around letting seasonal ingredients sing. An ingredient could be available for a month, a week, or even a couple of days depending on the time of year, so everything that Aizle serve is at the peak of its freshness and quality. Plus, everything is made in-house, from their sourdough and hand-churned butter, to their signature kombucha!