Being blessed with the status of being a friend of Anisah Qazi ultimately promises free food. Located in the great Selly Oak, Anisah’s lovely home is where I was fortunate enough to experience two truly authentic European meals, one inspired by the French and the other by the Italians. 

Anisah’s take on ratatouille, a delicate and distinguished French stew, was enlightening. At first glance, it might appear to be not as evenly cut as one might envision a ratatouille to be. However, the distinct and individualistic cuts provided a sense of a home-cooked meal; it reminded me of what it felt like to be home. She had combined aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, and peppers, with a rogue British add-in – corn. The corn was rather controversial; but somehow it worked well.

The corn flavour blended in well with the classic ratatouille, giving it a little kick of sweetness. The vegetables were cooked through nicely and the individual flavours were well retained. The penne served alongside the ratatouille was also cooked perfectly. The textural difference between the penne and the ratatouille resulted in an interesting yet enjoyable tasting experience. I found it delightful.

We were also given garlic toast and chai, I think a rather unique combination, but they all mesh together nicely. It may appear as an odd-tasting experience to some amateurs; however, I believe that it was a perfect blend of spices and flavours.

Anisah’s second take on European cuisine, this time Italian, was a success as well. I was now promoted to sous chef in the preparation for lasagna, where I was allowed to help prepare some of the sauces required. This was my first time making white sauce for lasagna- the experience was rather stressful, but Anisah was able to handle the situation like the pro she was. Making the white sauce was arguably the hardest part, as so much preparation was required for it to work. Once all components were prepared, Anisah then laid down the layers– the lasagne, followed by the meaty sauce, then the cheese and repeat. This process was rather therapeutic despite the chaos that was happening in the background, where hungry people were starving and sleepy people sleeping in the living room. 

Nonetheless, it eventually went into the oven, and it baked. After a long waiting time of almost 40 minutes, it was finally ready to be served. Some might say that the lasagna was slightly burnt on top, but I think it gave a perfect amount of crunch that was much needed to the usual sloppy lasagna. The crunchy cheese top was the perfect flair the lasagna needed. The layers came out perfectly and the sauce tasted amazing as expected. Everything came together perfectly.

I felt like I was back in Italy in the summer even though I was actually in Birmingham in the wet cold winter. We were once again blessed with the opportunity to enjoy our meal alongside a nice cup of chai. I think that this chai blended even more well with the lasagna in comparison to the last meal, possibly due to the shared component of milkiness between the lasagna and the chai. It was another amazing, successful meal.

My stomach was thoroughly blessed both times. I would argue that these two meals each have their strengths and weaknesses, but I think that the ratatouille took the win here. The balance of light and heavy was well executed here, where everything worked so well with each other. The chai acted as a perfect contrasting subject, it juxtaposed the Frenchness in the ratatouille, whereas the chai with the lasagna did not do as well as a good job standing out.

Overall, I think these two meals were a perfect fusion blend of cultures, they put a great emphasis on the beauty of food and culture. There is not a single day where I do not dream of having Anisah Qazi’s amazing food again. The combination of the environment, the people, the vibes, the food and the conversations created at the dining table is irreplaceable. 10/10 would recommend it to anyone interested. I will always look forward to any future meals and any of Anisah’s future takes on European cuisine.

Hungry for more? Have a taste of these recipes:

Recipe: The Perfect Chai

Recipe: Autumn Treats

Recipe: Leek and Potato Soup