News / Bristol
Sholay Indian Kitchen – restaurant review
Cargo 2 is the gift that keeps on giving, each uniform box revealing a plethora of culinary delights within – and Sholay is no exception.
Having teased and tantalised eager diners for months as it remained steadfastly under wraps, the Indian street food kitchen finally opened with very little fanfare on Friday evening.
The team behind Clifton’s acclaimed, award-winning restaurant, The Mint Room, wisely opted to let the food do the talking – and what a conversation it was.
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The first thing that catches the eye inside the compact corner unit is a bold mural covering the walls, featuring illustrations and words from Bollywood films. Created by an 18-year-old Bristol artist, it makes for a beautiful and unique focal point.
This brilliant fusion of colour is complemented by a rustic red wooden counter separating the open kitchen from the restaurant area, a long dark table and benches and large red tins for cutlery. The effect is cosy, casual and perfect for shared, communal dining.
No overwhelmingly long menus here, the Sholay chefs have kept things simple – largely dictated by the confined kitchen space – and offer a handful of small and large plates, four side options and a choice of two desserts.
Opening night wasn’t without its teething problems, the license is yet to be granted, so alcohol was temporarily off the cards, but the wonderful staff more than made up for it with ever charming service and even produced a complimentary mojito (highly recommended and soon available for £5.50).
There is little in the way of description on the menu and while wait staff are more than happy to go through options in great detail, being Friday night, a wild pot luck approach to choosing seemed apt – and the results did not disappoint.
The Masalay Ki Machli (£7.50) was a generous portion of salmon, lightly spiced and grilled to perfection, but could have benefitted from a little more to accompany it than a few green salad leaves.
Meanwhile, the Sholay Chaat (£3.50) was a revelation. Basically a deconstructed samosa, the dish was a riot of flavours, with a seasoned vegetable filling offering a pleasant kick, topped with a cooling raita, chutney and pomegranate.
The combination not only looked like a work of art, but was also exquisite in both texture and taste.
On to the main course, and the Dhai Baingan (£6.50), baby aubergines in yoghurt and coriander with small triangles of thin naan bread on the side, made for an unusual, fresh and satisfying dish.
But the Kati Roll was the real star of the show. An Indian style wrap, in this case with vegetables, but available with lamb or chicken, was light and crisp in texture and heaven to bite into.
The combination of flavours were an absolute sensation and the only regret is there was not more of it. A side of tea steeped chickpeas with dry fenugreek (£3.50) rounded things off nicely.
Sholay takes pride in keeping things simple and uses only fresh, local ingredients – a quality that certainly shines through in the food.
The relatively small, street style of eating allows diners to enjoy a feast of flavours, without having to succumb to that over full, bloated feeling.
Consequently, there was just room for dessert, a choice of Malai Kulfi or blood orange and papaya sorbet.
Alas, being the first night – we were a fraction too early for the latter which was delivered from the kitchen of Sholay’s sister restaurant in Clifton just as the bill arrived.
Again, the staff more than made up for any disappointment and charged for only one of the two kulfis, which were refreshing, sweet and vaguely reminiscent of mini milk ice lollies.
Charming, different and certainly worth the wait, Sholay may just be the cherry on top of the cake that is Cargo 2.
Sholay Indian Kitchen, Cargo 2, Wapping Wharf, Bristol, BS1 6ZA
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