Around the World in 35 dinners

Fuji Hiro, Leeds

And so to another gem t'other side t'it Pennines- 'Fuji Hiro' in Leeds. FH is a family run and homely Japanese cafe that Manchester so lacks. We seem to be stuck in the post-industial food factories like 'Wagamma' or sets from a Kurosawa historical drama, 'Fuji Hiro' is small, ergonomic and cosy providing bowls of ramen, plates of rice and a sweet plum wine that I need to find. On our way from Bradford and after a quick visit to the Henry Moore Institute for some refreshing glasses of Rose, Di and I stopped into FH for a tasty snack of goyzas, miso soup and tea.

Still full from lunch at the Kashmir, we struggled but stuck to our task with a determination that boarded on the reckless like Tensing and Hillary. There is a mountain metaphor struggling to get out here but like Randuph bloody Fiennes, I can't make it to the top so a simile will have to do.

Di and I finished as best we could, headed down the hill to the station and back across the Pennines to the warm embrace of the Red Rose County.

The Kashmir, Bradford

Kashmir is the disputed boarder region between India and Pakistan, oft in the news and deemed to be 'most likely' spot for the beginning of nuclear armageddon. Perhaps fearing the worst, a few left the region in the 1950s to work in the dark satanic mills of Bradford. In 1958, lovelorn and homesick, they opened 'The Kashmir' to provide comfort and a descent homecooked meal for their fellow Asians. 50 years on, it's still there. On a visit to the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit at the National Media Museum, Di and I lunched there on the best Shami kebabs and Kheema Madras in the land.




As a regular visitor for 30 years or more, I have never tasted better. But then again, it is flavoured with memories.