It’s a fact: Brits love curry. In fact, we love a visit to a curry house about as much as we like complaining about the weather – it’s simply become an integral part of our cultural make-up.
Indian restaurants in the UK come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. From the traditional gaffs serving up your rogan joshes, tikka masalas and fluffy naans, to small plate chains like Dishoom attempting lengths and breadths across the country, plus let’s not forget the fine dining bistros which flirt with the experimental, the brave and sometimes the bizarre.
We’ve seen it all. But more often than not, it’s the comforting classics which we revisit time and time again. So whether Friday night finds you tucking into a vindaloo, cosying up to a korma, or sharing a steaming plate of biryani with your significant other, chances are you have a favourite local who can predict your order before you even hit the call button.
India Bistro, which has recently opened its doors in Chapel Allerton – is hoping to shake things up a bit and surprise diners with something a little less prescriptive. As they deftly argue on their website:
“India is not a single story – it is millions of them, simmering in bustling kitchens, whispered in ancient recipes, carried across coasts, mountains and cities.
At India Bistro UK, we gather these stories – from smoky tandoors in the North to coastal spice trails in the South – and reimagine them for today’s table. Every dish is a piece of our homeland’s living, breathing culinary map: soulful, unexpected and meant to be shared.”
And certainly, the menus seem to belt out this ethos loud and clear. Stand-out starters include the Kashmiri Lamb Chops and the Jama Masjid fried chicken (a true Old Delhi street food classic) while the mains feature a soulful tribute to Bengal’s boatmen: wild tiger prawns in a smoky mustard and raw mango broth, enriched with coconut milk and coastal spices. The railway lamb curry also makes a dutiful appearance – a rustic Anglo-Indian classic inspired by colonial-era train expeditions.
Looking back at my own experience, the only niggle of a complaint I have is regarding the service, which was – at least initially – on the slow side. This being said, I arrived on a Saturday night at 8pm – prime restaurant real estate – and the staff were clearly rushed off their feet.
My foodie comrade and I began with a cocktail from the elaborate and extensive drinks menu. I chose the ‘Dr’s Advice’, which was a mingling of raw turmeric infused gin, sea buckthorn, ginger honey and quinine. The drink draws inspiration from Tamil Nadu, a land farmed for its ancient medicinal traditions and celebrated for its healing powers. For my part, I would have preferred slightly less sweetness and a boozier finish (against Dr’s orders, no doubt) but the flavours were unique and true to their word – certainly this is one to consider if you’re battling the remnants of a winter cold yet would still enjoy a cheeky tipple. Another warming choice is the Baba Budan – with vodka, kaapi, coffee liqueur, coconut and spices. As with many things on the menu here, behind the bravado of the drink lies a very real and fervent story – in this case, the fascinating legend of Baba Budan, who, during his travels to an Arabic land, discovered coffee and bravely smuggled seven raw beans hidden in his beard back to India. At a time when the Arab world held a strict monopoly – trading only roasted beans through the port of Mocha – his daring act risked death but birthed India’s coffee story.
Pretty and poignant though the cocktail menu is, it’s the food which really sets India Bistro apart for me. The Kashmiri lamb chops were expertly charred yet beautifully, succulently tender – a stunning flavour bomb not just for the palate but for the heart and soul, too. An explosively tasty marinade of yoghurt, fennel, saffron and Kashmiri chilli delivered something that was both aromatic yet fundamentally abundant in flavour. I could have eaten the whole portion to myself – and then some.
Just as delightful and surprising was the Palak Patta Chaat: crispy spinach leaves topped with a tangy tamarind-coriander sauce and a light yoghurt mousse. We both agreed that this dish was an absolute knock-out and were grateful to our waitress for recommending it with such gusto – we may have otherwise overlooked it and that, quite frankly, would have been a tragedy. If you do visit, do me a favour and order this before you consider anything else – you will not be disappointed.
Alongside the succulent Mango Chutney Prawns, we enjoyed a more conventional option for a main course, which was the Chicken Tikka Massala. I have a love-hate relationship with this British-Indian staple because I have had such varying experiences in the past, ranging from the delicious to the downright diabolical. The version on offer at India Bistro falls into neither camp and deserves its own category entirely: utterly sensational. The meat was meltingly tender, and you can smell and taste the fire of the tandoor as you’re drooling your way through. The tandoor ovens have a rich, vibrant history in Indian cooking culture and you get a real sense of this with every mouthful. The chicken is simmered in a hearty tomato-butter gravy with cream and has a moreishness which is technically difficult to achieve in a dish so rich. Executed in this way – with such obvious love, care and attention – the humble chicken tikka masala has its place on the menu not to appease fussy eaters looking for something familiar, but because it stands up on its own against the best of the rest. Be sure to mop it all up with the restaurant’s signature flaky mint paratha and I guarantee you will waddle home a happy customer.
The restaurant itself is elegantly distinguished, and a far cry from the casual, hole-in-the-wall eateries which dominate London’s Brick Lane; but beyond the pleasant aesthetics, there’s something very special bubbling under the surface here. India Bistro stands out for its contemporary take on the traditional Indian cuisine which we all know and love. The restaurant offers those dining there not only a meal, but also a journey – an immersion into a culture which is both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. We recognise many of the dishes – but do we know the stories behind them and how they came to be on our table? India Bistro thinks not, but what is clear is that they are sparing no effort to educate us. With their tales of intrigue, impressively chic décor and unique, fresh ingredients striving to redefine existing conceptions of what a curry can be, India Bistro is already making a symbolically global mark on our quaint little suburb of Chapel Allerton.
You can find India Bistro on Harrogate Road, Chapel Allerton or book a table via their website at: India Bistro – Authentic Indian Restaurant in Leeds, UK
Photography by Amy Mortin.
