My my, hey hey

Mr X : So how do you think Mooli's will do in Soho?

Cafe Manager Friend of Mr X : "I'm not sure if the Soho set who are used to eating slim Pret sandwiches and classy Fernandez & Wells fayre would eat smelly burritos."

Smelly burritos ???????????? OK to the credit of Mr X, he hadn't disclosed to his Cafe Manager Friend the true nature of a mooli as he is constrained by the banker's duty of confidentiality.

Mathew : "........ the burrito analogy we sometimes use is useful, but it breaks down after a point. Unlike a burrito, we don't stuff our mooli's with boiled rice and beans"

Burritos are yummy, and London is now home to some great Mexican restaurants like Taqueria, Benitos Hat, Chilango, Wahaca (and their tacos are fantastic). May their tribe increase, especially before the onslaught of the mighty Chipotle. But we have refused all suggestions to add rice to our mooli's, even if the rice is cooked in coriander.

This call with Mr X has gone on for 25 minutes now. It has been a long hard day. Got to Renato's bread lab in Clerkenwell at 8 am. Surveyed 50 Frith Street with our architects at 10 am. Set off for Birmingham to meet Mushtaq Food Equipment and demo their chapati wedge press . Ritwik is violently sick in the car. Twice. Poor kid. We finally reach a bit late, to only get a viewing (no demo) for all of six minutes. So we go to this really dodgy shack - Lahore Roti Juntion on Stoney Lane to peek at the wedge press in action through their open kitchen door. Their rotis are bad, and their glow in the dark tikkas even worse. This part of Birmingham is a real shit hole.

Mr X : "So have you conducted any of your tasting sessions in gay areas then?"

Mathew : "No Sir. Our tastings are normally conducted from the familiarly of Sam's or my flat (except for that mammoth 50+ tasting at the UBS cafeteria). But we have had our food blessed by all of our gay friends."

Nick was especially complimentary - he said that our food (and the mango lassi especially) really tingled his taste buds, like Wagamama did in the early days. And Thariel and Fab loved our chicken. And Homi & Graham, bless them - our first paying customers @ 11:30 am on 5 July 2009. In fact about 30% of our 45 customers @ the Sunday Upmarket were gay.

Anyway, I am being silly. These are actually all fair questions. We are aware that Soho is home to a number of super models and the gay community. And hence the mini moolis; carb-lite salads; lentil soups; guava, lime and vodka cocktail.

But every now and then even super models and gay men must indulge in a Goan Goat mooli. Tangy and fiery. Rolled with a freshly cut salsa of vine tomatoes, yellow peppers, spring onions, pine nuts and pomegranate seeds.

Yes, Soho has proved hard to break for many. Especially for Indian food concepts. Tiffin Bites failed initially on Wardour Street, but went on to do well in Canary Wharf, Liverpool Street and Moorgate. But Imli looks to have broken the jinx, Masala Zone is doing ok as well and Kati Roll Co looks to be doing better these days with their light and yummy wholemeal option.

Yes there may be safer battle grounds like Wembley, Tooting, Southhall and East Ham. But my my hey hey. Rock & Roll is here to stay.