Readers of this fortnightly column might have noticed that I have not offered any recipes for vegetable dishes here. This is for the simple reason that while I do eat veggies, I am basically a typical Pakistani gosht-khor, or carnivore. I enjoy fish and chicken, but green, growing things are on the very edge of my culinary radar.

This attitude probably runs in the family: some years ago, my son Shakir came for a holiday to our home in Sri Lanka where the staple diet is fish, fish and more fish. At the end of a fortnight, he said he’d kill for a cheeseburger. And I recall a time in the 1970s when for some forgotten reason, the butchers in Karachi went on strike. After a couple of days, my father sent our driver off to Thatta, 60 miles away, to buy meat.

When my old friend Syra Vahidy invited us to lunch at a new London restaurant run by the famous chef Bruno Loubet, I was very pleased to check the place out. But when informed that the accent here was on vegetables, my heart sank. Granary Store is located in a newly restored space behind King’s Cross railway station called Granary Square. Here, barges unloaded grain from across Britain, and when the canal system fell into disuse with the advent of road and rail transport, the area became derelict.

Over the last few decades, the elaborate canal system has been largely restored by the Canal and River Trust, helped by enthusiastic volunteers. However, these old waterways are now used for recreational purposes with people undertaking slow, leisurely journeys on narrow boats that also provide homes for many. Near us, the Kennet and Avon Canal rises several hundred feet using an elaborate system of locks along a length of waterway known as the Caen Locks. Truly a marvel of engineering.

For a change switch on to a vegetable dish instead of a meat-based one

The square outside Granary Store has a number of mobile dhabas offering a selection of food from across the world. When we were there, a giant TV screen was showing tennis from Wimbledon. As we had got there before Syra, we had a look at the menu, and sure enough, vegetables dominated.

We entered a large, airy space full of light that had once been a massive grain store: exposed bricks and a plain wooden floor proclaimed the origins of this cleverly restored building. On closer examination, the menu revealed that meat, poultry and fish had not been ignored but downgraded.

Just to give a feel of the menu, let me reproduce two of the items on offer. This was a starter: “Sprouty seeds and grains, miso aubergine, crispy citrus chicken skin, potato wafer.” And here’s the main course I ordered: “Braised heritage carrots and artichokes, roast rabbit saddle.” My rabbit was cooked just right, and I shared my carrots with the others.

I must confess that I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and am grateful to Syra for introducing me to Grain Store. The whole experience of strolling from King’s Cross across the canal, and then on to the cheerful Grain Square before entering the restaurant was uplifting and gave me a good appetite.

Now here’s a vegetable dish I have cooked many times. Some of you may recall the animated film Ratatouille in which a mouse becomes a behind-the-scene chef at a gourmet restaurant in Paris. Both the film and the mouse are named after a famous French dish which involves slow-cooked aubergines, squash and tomatoes. Actually, you can throw in pretty much any veggie that’s in season, but not hard ones like potatoes. This is about the only rule for this versatile dish, so feel free to innovate.

After softening a few cloves of garlic in the best olive oil you can find, throw in sliced aubergines, onions and squash, and cook on a low heat until everything is nice and soft. Flavour with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. The tomatoes come right at the end as they cook fairly quickly. This is a gentle dish in which the flavours of the ingredients are allowed to meld. When the ratatouille is ready, remove from the heat and allow it to cool. Place it in the fridge and serve cold. A wonderful dish to serve on a warm summer’s day.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, July 13th, 2014