City’s ‘new normal’
STEPHANIE BALLOO books a table at a restaurant which fell foul of coronavirus rules
LARGE tables cordoned off with yellow and black tape, customers waiting in cars for their seats, one way systems... and police officers in attendance. Those were the measures in place when we visited Moseley’s Tipu Sultan – the first venue in Birmingham to face new restrictions for flouting coronavirus rules.
The Indian restaurant, in Alcester Road, fell foul of new beefed-up powers handed to the authority in a bid to control the virus after it was linked to five Covid-19 cases in a single month. After “approximately 25 reports” of events being held on the premises officers found the restaurant’s own safety measures in its risk assessment were not always followed, while queuing was not being controlled “in an acceptable manner”.
Tipu Sultan was handed a Direction Order on August 27 meaning it must not allow bookings of more than 30 people, while ensuring large parties are given a separate dining area.
It was also ordered to stop people queueing outside and allow time for tables to be properly cleaned between bookings.
So does it feel safe now?
We paid a surprise visit to the restaurant last Friday – the day after the venue was handed the order.
My dining companion informed me that at the start of August, on an Eat Out to Help Out weekday, she queued for an hour at the popular venue, which promises ‘‘majestic dining’’. So we were stunned to see an empty reception area on arrival, with no customers waiting to be seated – or so it seemed.
We were greeted by two members of staff offering us the warmest welcome I’d had in any restaurant since lockdown – despite the visors shielding their faces.
They asked us to fill in a small slip of paper with our name, phone number, number of guests and address. There was a blank space left for the name of the waiter who was to serve us.
Staff then informed us we would need to go back into the car park and wait inside our vehicle as there was a half hour wait for tables. They’d call us when the table was ready.
The plush purple seating in the waiting area was cordoned off with hazard tape. Signage also reminded us to keep 2m apart and adhere to the one way system in place.
As we were seated we were handed disposable paper menus – a standard measure implemented in all restaurants to minimise the risk of spreading the virus.
Shortly after, two uniformed police officers entered the building and were escorted around by staff. Though the exact nature of the visit was unclear, it followed just 24 hours on from the Direction Order.
The table within the empty booth next to us was marked with yellow and black tape to warn staff not to seat guests there. This left plenty of space between us and the closest guests.
There were tables of around four or six family members seated in this area of the restaurant. The attentive waiters, who regularly came to check on us, all wore face masks.
The food (we ordered Sultani chops and butter chicken) was up to the usual high standards customers have come to expect from the popular venue since it opened in 2013.
Hand sanitisers were dotted around the restaurant, including at the exit, which has been moved to the rear of the restaurant.
As we walked through the restaurant to head home, we could see larger tables of guests dining in the separate area – a measure stipulated in the venue’s new restrictions.
Overall the experience felt pleasant and safe, given the measures in place to stop customers queueing up inside, maintain social distancing between tables and separate larger tables into another area.
Speaking after the Direction Order was imposed, manager Zain Parvez said: “We’re abiding by the rules. The council wanted us to make a few changes and we’ve done what we can. We’re here to keep ourselves and our customers safe.”
Tables are taped off to ensure social distancing at the Tipu Sultan Indian restaurant in Moseley (below)
IT was a miserable wet finale to August, so I took comfort in some red wine corkers as the cooler autumn days have started to set in (earlier than we would have liked). My first offering is
(£8.95, online at The Wine Society) which is a gem from Swan Hill near the Murray River in southern Australia. The durif grape is the same as petite sirah, from the south of France.
Imagine squishing some freshly-picked bramble fruits, with a tug of leaf which clings to a snapped twig. Then you’ll be inside my head as I sipped this. The wine is a delicious pour with blackberry notes and a touch of pepper.
Durif 2019 Full Moon Tesco Vina Del Cura Rioja Crianza
(£6.75) is a hug of red fruits, vanilla and a shake
“I love making bread because you can bash it around with your hands,” says David.
“It can be tricky to roll out, but don’t rush, and eventually you’ll get a lovely long (and a little scarylooking) snake.
“Remember that they will rise in the oven, so you need to make them very thin, but you can twist them into any shape you want. “I like to make breadsticks swim in some soup – Soupy tea (in the book) goes well with this recipe – before I bite the head off.”
INGREDIENTS (Makes 8 breadsticks) 300g plain flour 2tsp table salt 2tsp sweet paprika 2tsp fast-action yeast 1 medium carrot 70ml milk 100ml warm water Coarse polenta or cornmeal and poppy seeds to decorate 1 red pepper 16 currants
Preheat oven to 160˚C (fan assisted).
Put the flour, salt, paprika and yeast in a mixing bowl.
Peel and finely grate the carrot. Mix the carrot, milk and water in a jug.
Pour the carrot mixture into the bowl and stir until you have a sticky dough.
Cover with a damp cloth for 10 minutes.
Knead the dough on a floured surface for five minutes (it may be sticky, but don’t add any more flour).