Waxing lyrical about The Moonlight cuisine
Before he headed for the hills, we shared a snifter in The Potting Shed and I was astounded to learn that he had actually qualified as a dentist in his home country, prior to departing it for a new life in our lovely County City.
Although Marek and his wife appear to have settled in locally and are more than content to enjoy our somewhat different pace of life and, as he reminds me frequently, our blue skies, we do tend to harbour preconceptions.
It is funny that I have a habit of thinking of Poland as suffering almost permanently from Soviet-inspired grey buildings, grey motorcars, varying shades of grey people wearing grey clothing and leaden skies.
But when Marek suggests that grey is the predominating colour of his country and he was born there, lived there and was educated there, perhaps there is an element of truth in the proposition?
The Boy joined us for a drink, having returned from another fraught day at his place of employment and actually started to quiz Marek about the joys of dental surgery, which was not the way that I expected our evening conversation to go.
Hurriedly changing the subject, I was quite disappointed to discover that Mrs FM would be spending the evening at a meeting of her local Ancient Buildings Conservation Society, which meant that I would be forced into fending for myself at supper time and probably The Boy too.
When he asked what I was considering for our dinner arrangements and suggested that he was 'free for the evening', I guess that I knew seeking out a half-decent eatery would be on the menu.
I suggested Gainsborough, as we have actually spent very little time in that neck of the woods and, yet, it is so easily reached from Lincoln.
We arrived outside the premises of The Moonlight, located at the Tesco traffic-lights on Trinity Street and, after finding a moderately safe place to park, we strolled to the restaurant.
Although it possesses only a small frontage, it does reach back some distance and can accommodate around 50 diners.
It was not busy. As we entered the premises and were directed to a table, clad in an immaculate white tablecloth and lovely shiny cutlery.
I noted that the interior was very clean and well presented as we ordered a bottle of Tiger beer apiece and considered the menu. While understanding that The Boy now enjoys a fairly hot curry, I have been suggesting that he ought to experience spicier and more flavoursome alternatives, rather than just burning his palate to the point at which taste disappears.
For starters, we ordered a mixed kebab dish and chicken pakora, to be followed by mains of a lamb hawally (a medium hot meat and fruit dish) and chicken rogan josh (tomato and sweet pepper base), accompanied by a portion of my favourite tarka dall (lentils and chickpeas in a mild curry base), lemon rice, keema rice (which includes shredded lamb pieces), a keema naan bread (rough-thrown, filled with spicy minced lamb) and a couple of chapatis (dry, gram flour pancakes).
The Indian Tiger beer was ice-cold and most refreshing. The starters arrived. The minced lamb kebab was as tasty as any I have eaten both here and in India, while the chicken alternative was succulent, tikka spiced and wondrously flavour-filled, drizzled in the mint and yoghurt sauce provided in a stainless steel boat.
The pakora (five) were packed with the delicious, juicy chicken tikka and coated in a deliciously crisp light batter and there was no battle for the odd 'ball', as The Boy sliced it down the middle cannily and offered me half.
In readiness for the main courses, two chrome wire food warmers were placed in front of us, as the starters were cleared, and they were soon topped by The Boy's hawally and my roghan josh served in clean stainless steel, handled bowls. These were joined momentarily by the shallow bowl of tarka dall, its golden contents topped by fresh coriander shreds, the chickpeas clearly visible in its make-up, and both of the rice dishes, the selection being completed with the arrival of the naan bread and the chapattis.
I must say that I really like the idea of sharing food and being able to partake of a measured serving, returning to the warmed bowls for top-ups at will.
It is both highly sociable and adds to the pleasure of the dining experience.
The Boy's lamb dish was utterly delectable as he had taken on-board my suggestion that he should be able to sample the foods rather than opt for the hottest item on the menu.
The lamb was tender and long-cooked, while the pineapple, peppers, chilli and tomato sauce base was well-rounded and heart-warming.
My chicken was equally tender and packed with flavour, although there was probably a bit too much sauce and vegetables and not quite enough chicken, although it was hugely enjoyable to consume nonetheless.
The lemon rice was an interesting diversion and worked rather well with both main dishes, being lightly citrus flavoured, with a slightly cleansing, astringent element to its after-taste. The keema rice was equally well produced and we were both satisfied and surprised with the generosity of the portions. The naan bread was delicious and the chapattis provided their usual Balti-style accompaniment to the meal.
Naturally, the tarka dall performed its usual task of balancing the meal perfectly on the plate with the tasty nuttiness of the lentils and the chickpeas adding an extra texture to the course.
Both The Boy and I thoroughly enjoyed our Bangladeshi dinner and decided to request a refreshing glass of lassi, the yoghurt, honey and fruit-based dessert drink, instead of taking a more traditional kulfi ice-cream route to end the meal.
As the chef did not have any fresh mango available, we opted for a more unusual pineapple alternative, which was absolutely delicious and set us up pleasantly for the drive homewards.
Settling the bill for a most reasonable £44.10, I have to say that stopping at The Moonlight was a very good choice. I understand that it also does a roaring trade in take-away business too.
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