Muse prepares Chicken Tikka Masala
The days of poor English cooking are gone. New British cuisine is international, as Caroline Grinsted, owner of Berlin's Muse restaurant, proves. Her recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala might just be England's national dish.
Kissed by a muse
Three years ago, Caroline Grinsted and her husband Tobias Zeller kicked off a successful supper club, cooking for strangers in their home. When a restaurant in their neighborhood opened up, they didn't hesitate. For four weeks, they renovated the restaurant, building a majority of the furniture themselves. In 2013, Muse opened and already on the first evening, served 90 guests.
More interested in food than cooking as a child
"I have never trained as a chef professionally. My mother's a very good cook, but I didn't learn from her. As a child, I was more interested in eating than cooking. But then I went to college and it was a bit of a shock to realize that good food does not appear automatically on the table. I started cooking to feed myself, but I found that I really enjoyed it." - Caroline Grinsted
A British feel
Muse is decorated according to Caroline Grinsted and Tobias Zeller's liking. There, they offer international British cuisine. Their supper club still happens once a month, but it no longer takes place in their home. Instead, it's held at the restaurant, which is reminiscent of a British pub interior.
Cooking to win you over
"I sometimes feel a little bit of an ambassador for British food here. I cannot tell you how many people have pulled a face when they were told when they walk in that the cook is British. And then you can see that they are expecting something awful as a result. So I hope very much that I have brought a new perception of British food and modern British food culture to Berlin." - Caroline Grinsted
British chicken, done Indian style
Chicken Tikka Masala is a popular dish on the British islands, despite its supposed Indian roots. But order it in India and most people would be left scratching their heads as it truly was invented in Great Britain. For many British people, it's become the new national dish - preferred even more than the famous "Fish ’n' Chips."