Thursday 18 September 2014

In Robin Hood land, enjoying some fresh Dosas

- Dosas? Would you like to try Indian Dosas? All fresh? I look around me, and my confusion is obvious. They look at each other and then back at me, and ask me again with an even bigger smile - Have you ever tried Dosas? They are very tasty.

Have I ever tried Indian Dosas? Well. Yes. Have I ever tried fresh Dosas at the Castle of Nottingham? Well. No. That is the first.

Yes, dear reader, I am in the UK, and we had decided to explore the historic soil of The Castle of Nottingham. Remember them right? Robin Hood, the Sheriff of Nottingham and the fair Maid Marian?

And then I hear music. Indian music. I see stalls with colorful shawls for sale. I smell familiar scents, and then the dosas. I have to smile. How funny is this? All around us there are people dressed in saris, and on the stage they are preparing for a dance show. Indian dances.

I start to speak with an elderly man who looks at me, and smiles with disbelief: - Really? Where do you live, you say? Bombay? Really? Bombay?



But in the end we leave the lovely Indian party and the dosas behind, and head off to what is supposedly the oldest inn in England: Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem (1189). This is said to be one of the places where the crusaders stopped on their way to the Holy Land, and the legend has it that even the king Richard the Lionheart visited.

The way the pub is made, carved in to the rock under Nottingham castle makes it a very atmospheric place. You can sit almost in the cave, or choose, as we did, a table outside in the sunshine (on a sunny day:-) )

We also liked our visit at Annies Burger Shack - established by American Annie who has combined the best of her two countries: US burgers and UK Real Ales. Book a table, because this place is busy.


Continuing our stroll in Notts, we suddenly start to giggle: What is that? A rickshaw? But not on the street. On the wall. Yes, on the wall. Hanging on the wall outside the Indian restaurant 4550 miles from Delhi. and further down we see the Memsaab, the Calcutta club and then Bombay Delights...


So here we are in Robin Hood land enjoying multicultural moments, global surroundings and seeing the old Sherwood forest tales come alive. And who could have guessed that some fresh dosas would be our first taste of enjoyable Nottingham?  


And, dear reader, as we say here in Notts: Terrah then!

30 comments:

  1. Wow...It's like India is missing you Eli....But thanks for taking us through the Castle of Nottingham ... :)

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    1. Haha, maybe:-)Happy you enjoyed it dear:-)

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  2. A lovely trip through the castle of Nottingham :) Believe me when I say this is the first time I read about it!

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  3. On one side is McDonalds and Coke conquering some parts of the world, on the other side is the Chicken Tikka Masala and Dosa (take your pick) colonizing the taste buds of other parts of the world....who said colonial times were over :) It is a different kind of empire building now, culinary empires are being built with every new restaurant and food bazaar :) Lovely post, Eli! And yes those auto-rickshaws on the walls are a bit bizarre for my taste at least!

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    1. Thank you dear Beloo for sharing ur thoughts and for your kind words. Hugs

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  4. Whoo! Robin Hood! Wish I could meet the guy. Wonderful pictures!

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    1. Thanks:-) Yes, quite a guy..:-) hugs dear

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  5. What a lovely bit of India so far away! You brought that place alive! I am keen to check out the one with the autos on the wall :D

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    1. Thank you Shailaja. So happy you liked it. Hugs your way

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  6. thank u for the insight Ely... i never knew about this lil India there

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    1. Thanks. My pleasure. Happy to see you here:-)

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  7. The more we travel, the smaller the world becomes. How nice to find a taste of your new home on holiday.

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    1. That's true:/) yes, very nice. Happy to see you here Rhonda

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  8. Indian stalls and restaurants have sprung up in almost all the corners .... never lets me miss some homely food. Loved the rickshaw restaurant. What an idea!!

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    1. That's true:-) thanks dear, happy as always to see you here. Hugs

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  9. Dearest Eli,
    Well, my choice would be the Indian food above the unhealthy fast food... What a fun experience indeed. In the city of Robin Hood.
    Well, in England there are so many Indian and also Pakistani people that at any given time it might look like you never left...
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. Thank you dear Mariette! Always so happy to see you here. Big hugs back to you:-)

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  10. :-) I loved this post, Eli! How absolutely charming to find dosas there! :) I am laughing at the sight of the autorickshaws!

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    1. Aawwww dear Vidya, so happy you liked it:-) thanks and big hugs to you

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  11. This is amazing dear Eli, it looks almost like I stepped into India with you in a far away land!! Loved the notice, 'restaurant is 4550 miles from Delhi'!!
    Thanks for giving us a sneak peak of India away from India!

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    1. Thank you so much dear Arti. My pleasure:-) always so happy to see you here. Big hugs to you

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  12. Ha ha ha.. So India followed you to Nottingham! Eli, there's no escape!

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    1. Ha ha ha:-) love it! Hugs to you dear Tulika

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  13. Wow, what a cool trip. I'm adding that inn to my list of sigh worthy places I want to someday visit (If I find the secret to immortality).

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  14. Awesome,Eli! You are know an Indian and u make such a genuine goodwill ambassador of the country. Nott seems to be a cool place:)

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    1. Thanks a lot Vishal:-) It was really a great place-first time I visited, but not the last:)

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  15. How ironic and funny! You travel so far from India, then find it again in Nottingham! ☺ The world has truly become multi-cultural. How fortunate that you found some sun as well.

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    1. Yes, Debbie, weather was good and it was some funny days:-) Happy to see you here. Big hugs

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