Salisbury – Food

Salisbury is medieval city clinging desperately to the icy mountainside of historic beauty. In its grasp, only one cathedral shaped ice-pick holds it above the many cities strewn on the rocks below. The magnificent 800-year-old building and its surrounding cathedral close is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful settings within any city in the country. However, away from the immaculately preserved antiquity held within the medieval walls, the city’s charm drains away through the sluice gates of Debenhams, Greggs and countless coffee shop chains. Nevertheless, there is one thing that can elevate any lacklustre city centre. Lift any drab street from its decrepit slumber. Food my friends. Food.

In this city, where white middle class people from the southeast, mix with the white middle class people from the southwest, the melting pot of cultures couldn’t be further from our reality. Less of a melting pot of exotic influences and ideas from all over the world, heated by the flames of intrigue, and more of a simple saucepan where two types of milk are being steadily stirred together. This may not scream to you as the most interesting place to start a culinary tour and indeed you may be right. Yet, in this rich hot bed of unwavering white Englishness, there are some tasty morsels to be salvaged.

Anokaa

Curry is a British institution. I mean obviously it was somewhat stolen by our colonialist ancestors. Tut tut British Empire. But these spice laden wonders were brought home and now, through years of moulding to British taste buds, we have our own concoctions. They are miles apart from the originals, but beloved by almost everyone on this rainy little island. So, in every town and city across the land you’ll find an Indian restaurant or takeaway, in Salisbury there are many, and the best, without question, is Anokaa. 

Almost all Indian restaurants you go to will have the same dishes on the menu. They are all done differently depending on the restaurant, but most of the time you probably know what you want before you arrive. In Anokaa the menu has a diverse selection of dishes. From tandoori seared rack of lamb to chardonnay soaked crispy duck breast, the variety makes you try new things, dishes that may never have crossed your mind in the past. This focus on interesting flavour pairings and the chef’s twist on the traditional cuisine makes the food here ever more interesting and tasty. I have never had a less than brilliant meal here and I believe this is the best restaurant in Salisbury.

Baroushka

Arabian cuisine next. Now, I know what I said about Salisbury and its diversity issue, but as I also said, the city it does have its merits in the world of food. This restaurant being one of the most notable examples of this. Baroushka draws influences from all over the Arabic speaking world, from Morocco to Jordan and Turkey to Yemen this restaurant brings together some of the finest foods the Middle east and North Africa have to offer. While it can be a little pricey, Baroushka does offer a deal or two. These make it a much more manageable place to eat when your bank is literally screaming at you to stop spending all your money on food. Shut up Santander, you don’t own me.

My Baroushka experiences start and end with the lunchtime deal where you get a generous two courses, plus wine or beer for £10.90. Having had this deal a few times, I am impressed with the standard of food and would even consider bankrupting myself for a taste of the main dinner menu. In my experience, the portions are large and the food is very tasty, also you can start drinking in the middle of the day without anyone signing you up for an AA meeting on sight. Alcohol with the lunch deal is a binding contract, mum. It’s out of my hands. I promise. 

The Market

Salisbury’s 800-year-old history goes beyond its many listed buildings. Since 1227, the city has held a large market for the local area which runs Tuesdays and Saturdays, come rain or shine. Ok, so the market might not be the most impressive place to grab some dinner, it might not be served in the most appetising way and you may get shouted at by someone trying to sell you carrots. Nevertheless, at the market you can get locally reared animals, freshly cooked and indelicately shoved into bread. THE DREAM. Irresistibly tender pulled pork sandwiches with crackling, all cooked on a spit. Tell me you’re walking past that on a drab Tuesday afternoon. Or my personal favourite when I was back in school, a Tupperware of rice and Thai curry for £5. These market delights are not the most eye catching, but by god if they don’t grab you by your nose holes and fling your worthless carcass headlong into buying what you smell. Nay. What you need. Sat in the cathedral close with fresh food and good company, staring up at a big ol’ building dedicated to some people’s deity of choice. It makes for pretty good times.

Special mentions

While the above three have empirically won the duel to be at the top of my rankings, there are other establishments that deserve a place on this post. 

Firstly, to the most reliable Italian restaurant in town, Zizzi. It went through a tough time with the whole being ensnared in a Russian plot to poison and murder a former spy thing, but it has emerged better than ever. With reliably tasty food, friendly staff and a wide selection of dishes, you can’t really complain. My one problem with this establishment (I said you can’t complain, I can and will) is the unnecessary addition of some trees into the dining area. They don’t fit. They contribute nothing. They irk me. 

Having been to these next two restaurants only once, I cannot comment on their reliability, but you better believe will I write about them anyway:

1. Tinga is a new Mexican restaurant which has opened across the road from one of Salisbury’s nicest pubs (prepare yourself for my pubs post). It feels lively and was packed to the rafters when I visited. They have a healthy list of cocktails and other beverages and serve food in small plates, similar to tapas, but also larger meal items. I went for guacamole (topped with fried grasshoppers) and tortilla chips to start and then two small plates. Grasshoppers add nothing to that green dip of kings, save for maybe the papery feel of a wing on your tongue. Everything was nice, nothing to shout about, apart from the chips and guacamole which were lovely. I will definitely be returning for a bigger meal and an emasculating number of fruity cocktails. 
2. Giggling squid, on the other hand has more competition in Salisbury than Tinga. It runs alongside an established cohort of Thai restaurants in the city. While my previous haunt, Thai Sarocha, does consistently good food and local beer, the small portion sizes and the lack of chopsticks have forced my hand to choose Giggling squid as #1. It is a large restaurant in the centre of town which markets itself as Thai tapas, and while we chose to have larger dishes, all the food looked and smelt incredible. We were veritably stuffed upon departure and desperate to try more. Exactly how you should feel after a meal.

The final special mention must go to a pasty shop. These parcels of pastry containing piping hot meaty wonders are a stalwart of British cuisine. They are a lunch or a snack that you can have on the go. Fast food coming at you in a convenient edible pastry pouch. Ingenious. Now there are many fillings to choose from, and while I do like the traditional beef and vegetable filling, the curry pasty has stolen my heart. The Cornish bakery in the centre of town do a Thai green curry pasty that outdoes any opposition, I’ve never had a curry pasty as tasty. I defy you to dislike it.

Final bites

Salisbury may be the antithesis of diverse. It may have a town centre that is pot marked by beauty but filled with stifling mediocrity, no doubt extenuated by the incredible majesty of the cathedral only metres away. But if you’re looking for a bite to eat, you can’t go too wrong with any of these places.