Eating Eurovision: Romania

Last night's meal was in aid of Eating Eurovision, an event organised by Andrew Webb which challenged a group of London bloggers to explore the food of those countries participating in the song contest. We all met up at BBC Television Centre on Thursday to watch the semi-final and pluck a pingpong ball from an 'I ♥ Peckham' bag to decide which country we'd be saddled with.

Maybe it was fate but landing Romania forced me to confront the demons of my past. As a kid I was terrified of Romanians, where did this phobia come from?... My primary school was menaced by a pair of lawless Romanian orphans. The girls had been adopted by a local family and hadn't quite shaken off the effects of the orphanage. No lunch box was safe from their voracious appetites, no jumper thick enough to shield against their lupine teeth. The incident that scarred me most happened one summer's lunch break, sat enjoying my carton of Um Bongo and Penguin Bar I was cornered by the duo. One pounced on my back clawing at my face, the Um Bongo went flying, her accomplice snatched the Penguin from my hands piling it into her mouth, wrapper included. With a parting kick, they left me in a heap, mixed tropical fruit juice seaping into the dry dirt around me. Needless to say I was reluctant to attend the Blue Peter bring and buy sale that year.

So, going to 32 Old Bailey was a bit of a cathartic experience, it took courage to bury the past and descend deep into the Transylvanian vault below the City of London. On arrival the owner Cris warned us that there was no Italian food (they advertise the 'Best Italian Lunch') but was delighted to discover we were on a mission for Romanian. As we sat down to an aperitif of Palinca, a paint stripping plum brandy, I spotted Su-Lin of Tamarind and Thyme fame finishing her meal. She was covering Moldova which shares a lot in common with Romania culturally, in fact Cris himself was actually Moldovan.

Romanian food is apparently a bit of a mongrel and has borrowed elements from the traditions of the various peoples who have occupied the country, including the Turks, Hungarians and Austrians. As well as the informative Cris, the menu itself has some brilliant descriptions of the food. I kicked off with a tripe soup Ciorba de Burta 'If you have a hangover, it's better than an alka-seltzer'. It was delicious, rich and garlicky with an unusual sour flavour which reminded a bit of tom yum, the tripe had retained a nice bit of bite too.

For the mains we chose a selection of dishes. It had to be Mititei, kofta like kebabs of minced beef and pork spiced with garlic, paprika and caraway. According to the menu they're the reason Romanians don't do coke (see Adrian Mutu), they prefer the meaty high of a Mititei. They were nice, but I can't see a roll out of charcoal grills spearheading the MET's latest crack down.

A dish of Sarmale, cabbage 'stuffed against it's will' with mince and rice in a tomato sauce was tasty, though the image of a wide eyed, squeeling cabbage leaf was a hard one to shake away. The Sarmale came with a cornmeal mush called Marmarliga, traditionally a peasant staple. Stirring the mixture is apparently a hazardous task, the molten corn paste is prone to spitting and many a Romanian housewife bears Mamarliga scars.

The final treat was half a duck which was more like half a goose, it was huge, served on a bed of sauerkraut. The meat was flavoursome but a little dry. The accompanying green chilis were the sort that let you show off for a minute or so before unleashing their fury. As well as the chilis there was an excellent plate of pickles which included dill pickled green tomatoes, a new one for me.

When we arrived the restaurant was pretty empty but it got a bit busier as the evening progressed. The live band were taking requests and belted out a string of Romanian crowd pleasers, though they were reluctant to do a rendition of 'The Balkan Girls (they like to party),' Romania's Eurovision entry. Incidentally Cris was telling us that Elena Gheorghe, the singer, is rumoured to have been chirping down the mic of a prominent politician back home.

32 Old Bailey was a fantastic experience and after the first course I found I could relax without the fear of being swooped on, the Romanians we met were all very welcoming (and great dancers too). Cris was a wonderful host and gave me a free copy of a Transylvanian cook book to further my discovery of Romanian food, Udder Schnitzel is next up.

Many thanks to Andrew for organising the event and Noroc Romania in tonight's contest!

32 Old Bailey EC4M 7HS, Tel: 0207 489 1842

Azerbaijan: Azeri

It's not hard to tell that I'm a rookie bloggeur. I still find it difficult to shrug off the suspicious waiter's gaze as I accidentally take a video of a stationary onion salad. The sorcery within a recently purchased, lower to middling camera from Jessops has me dumbfounded! Perhaps the hardest thing to master though is the gundog like discipline which stops you from wolfing a dish before it's captured in its full glory. When eating out with friends I've taken to bringing a rolled up newspaper to keep muzzles at bay. Friday was one such occasion where hunger got the better of me, so with regards to the photos above, imagine if you will several more dumplings and several more dolmas on the plates.

Azerbaijan wasn't one I'd expected to come so easily. I chanced upon Azeri on an evening promenade to take in the restorative, charcoal scented night air of the Edgware Road and grab a shawarma before catching the train from Marylebone. This oil rich former Soviet republic by the Caspian sea is only familiar to most of us through its participation in World Cup qualifiers. Bizarrely I've actually been to the capital Baku (for all of two hours!) catching a connecting flight to Kyrgyzstan. My experience was limited to the view from the window seat of an oil refinery and a couple of cranes. From what I saw in 'The World is Not Enough' the landscape is breathtaking.

By day Azeri (the name is another word for Azerbaijani) is a quirky looking cafe and sandwich bar, by night the small restaurant downstairs opens up serving an extensive menu catering for London's small Azeri community. When we arrived it was fairly empty apart from a few other diners finishing their meals and the owner Mamed and his friend enjoying some Russian slapstick. With a limbo low ceiling and walls decorated in ornate rugs and photos of Baku's landmarks it's a cosy little place, and we received a warm welcome from Mamed who took us through the specialities.

Proceedings began with a bottle of vodka served with a jug of sour cherry juice drunk separately as a chaser. It was a refreshing combination, the sharpness cutting through dishes rich with lamb fat.

The first course was a soup called Dushbara, tiny dumplings filled with minced lamb in a spicy broth. Apparently the skill of an Azeri cook is measured by how many dumplings they can fit in a bowl, Mamed claimed there could be up to a hundred in each serving. Contrary to the photo which looks more like a petri dish (the green is dried mint), it was delicious, though at £7 a portion I presume you're paying for the dumpling craftsmanship. The Dushbara was served with a bottle of garlic infused vinegar to add according to taste.

Next up were two different types of boiled dumpling. Khingali, large moneybag shaped Georgian style dumplings bursting with minced lamb and onion, flavoured with a hint of caraway seed and sprinkled with chili flakes. Eating them's quite an art, with the first bite it's a case of sucking the juice out to avoid spillage. The second type Gurza (literally meaning snake) were an Azerbaijani speciality similar in shape and name to Gyoza. The minced lamb filling was unmistakeably Middle Eastern though with coriander and cumin and the dough thicker.

Some exceptional Yarpaq Dolmasi (stuffed vineleaves) continued the 'minced lamb' theme, this time the meat was flavoured with fresh mint and dill. Bite sized and boiled in water with a liberal amount of butter they were seemingly our host's favourite. Mamed watched excitedly for our seal of approval before bringing fresh yoghurt to accompany them.

The main event was a mixed grill starring lamb chops, lamb shashlyk (shish), lamb steak, lula kebab (lamb kofte, mince again!), chicken wings, chicken breast and an unusual mashed potato kebab called kartof kebabi. The lamb steak and shaslyk were tough but very tasty, the chops juicy and tender, a sprinkle of sumac adding a pleasant tang to their smokey charred exterior.

Mamed was particularly proud of the chicken breast, 'It tastes like fish doesn't it?' he asked. It did a bit and was incredibly moist and tender, probably through brining. The texture and salty taste didn't do it for me but I was keen to find out how they'd achieved it. 'I could show you, but you'd have to spend half a day with me in the kitchen' was the reply, sadly 'fish-chicken' will remain a mystery of the orient.

Over all it was a great feed and many thanks to Mamed for taking the time to answer our questions and talk so passionately about his food. At £30 a head I was expecting it to be cheaper, though it appears preparing Azerbaijaini cuisine is a skilled and time consuming process. Every now and then the Chef would pop her head out of the kitchen, exhausted from making 1000s of pea sized dumplings or trying to get mashed potato to stick to a kebab skewer. The price did include a bottle of Russian Standard as well.

Finding Azeri has really buoyed me, if there are Azerbaijani Restaurants out there in London the possibilities are endless!

Azeri: 436 Edgware Road, W2 1EG
Tel: 020 7724 9955