New season at the Holiday Inn

News of the restaurant Rasa Maricham came from a letter, a surprising one in that it was written by a peppercorn. "I am Black Pepper," it began, "and my friends know me as Maricham." I didn't take up Maricham's invitation to a special evening in May, but I did go along one Sunday evening recently.

Maybe the Holiday Inn chain originated somewhere beside the seaside. Unless misled by the phrase Mount Pleasant, I can't imagine many people choosing to take their summer break on King's Cross Road opposite London's largest postal sorting office.

But if anyone does end up vacationing at Holiday Inn, King's Cross, they will surely be relieved to find a restaurant taking its inspiration from the sunny state of Kerala, home of black pepper.

Rasa Maricham is the latest link in Das Sreedharan's chain, which he started with the vegetarian Rasa in Stoke Newington. The night we visited Maricham only one other couple was in the restaurant and seemingly, upon seeing us, took fright and left.

In one corner was equipment for a buffet but it stood empty. From the window we could see massed ranks of Post Office delivery vans. A young waiter, who said he had come from Dubai but whose home state was Kerala, looked after us with tremendous grace and charm.

The menu has snacks and dishes familiar to Rasa fans - and/or travellers
to South India - at comparativelyreasonable prices. Rather too many of the first courses rely on frying as the cooking method, but Mysore Bonda, a snack made from mashed potato flavoured with ginger, curry leaves and black mustard seeds deep-fried in chickpea batter, and lamb puffs filled with meat that had been marinated in a black-pepper masala were two that rendered the calories involved well worthwhile.

Lamb Maricham fry, a Syrian Christian speciality and a toddy shop favourite, had pleasingly dry texture, and thoran, green beans and carrots cooked with chillies, curry leaves, mustard seeds and grated fresh coconut neatly summed up the pleasure of eating in Kerala, but a lamb biryani was nothing like as good as the real Hyderabadi thing.

I liked my spicy new correspondent, Maricham. I just hope lots of Post Office sorters rush in at lunchtimes.

Rasa Maricham
King's Cross Road, London, WC1X 9HX