Having been deprived of good restaurant food for months, I am now lapping up as much good grub as I can get. This week I went to Mowgli Street Food with a friend and was not disappointed.
The subtly spiced, fresh food combined with the beautiful décor of this restaurant, a newcomer to Leeds, made for a brilliant evening.
The restaurant is located on Boar Lane, conveniently near the train station and Trinity shopping centre. We decided to go for an early tea, after a long day of working at home. Neither of us had been to Mowgli before, and when we walked in, we were astounded by the interior, which was stunning, with fairy lights, wooden flooring and large windows. We were shown to our table, which was safely distanced from other diners, in line with COVID guidance.
We opted for the laminated paper menus (as opposed to the app) and took our time pondering over what to order. The menu at Mowgli is pretty extensive, with street food, meat dishes, vegetarian options and house specials. The restaurant also offers separate menus for those with special dietary requirements – a really nice touch.
We decided to try the ‘Treacle Tamarind Fries’, which sounded very interesting, and shared the ‘Office Worker’s Tiffin’, which promised a roulette of meat, vegetable and side dishes.
The food came out quickly, with the fries arriving first. We both loved the sweet, sticky treacle and tamarind sauce covering the potatoes. The flavour was not something I have tried before, but I loved it. The potatoes were really soft, and almost melted in my mouth. I could have eaten the whole dish, but before we knew it, our tiffin box arrived.
The four layered box included two meat dishes, one lentil dish and a generous portion of basmati rice. The first meat dish was the house lamb curry, which was incredible. The meat was so soft and the sauce was rich and subtly spiced with anise and chili. I loved the addition of chickpeas, which gave the dish another texture.
The second meat dish was butter chicken. The sauce was tomato based and lightly spiced. The tandoori chicken was moist and perfectly cooked. The lentil dish was the Mowgli ‘Green ginger and rhubarb dahl’, which was fresh, light and tangy. It was unlike other dahls that I have tried, and I really enjoyed the addition of ginger.
We were really keen to order a desert, but we were defeated by our mains and had to decline. However, it just means that we are going to have to go back to Mowgli’s to try out their delicious-sounding sweet treats!
Overall, we both had a lovely meal. I really enjoyed the opportunity to try some new Indian dishes and loved the relaxed atmosphere in Mowgli’s. I also loved the freedom to eat out with a friend after so long eating alone. I highly recommend Mowgli to others wanting to try somewhere new – with delicious food and superb decor.
Call 0113 243 6747 or visit here.
Photographs by Gemma Bridge.
