31 Bristol restaurants, cafes and shops join forces for Dal Trail

Thirty-one restaurants, cafes and shops across Bristol are joining forces for a special ‘Dal Trail’ as part of the inaugural British Dal Festival that comes to the city from March 19 to 25.

Dal is any split pulse – lentil, bean or pea – or pulse stew or soup, with the festival aiming to celebrate everything from the traditional dals of the Indian subcontinent through to the refried beans of Mexico, fava dips of Greece, and our own pease pudding and mushy peas.

The goal of festival organisers is “promoting the cultural richness, flavour, and affordability of dal as well as its contribution to health, nutrition and environmental sustainability”.

Mokoko’s yellow pea and tomato dal will be served with natural yoghurt, fresh coriander, poora chickpea pancake, spiced cashews and a fragrant chilli chutney

The businesses taking part in the dal trail will be serving a signature dal or sister pulse dish on their menu from a wide variety of cultures and cuisines:

• B Block – lentil dal, spinach, potato, paneer pizza
• Bellita – red lentil kofta with pickled vegetables, and spiced chickpeas with spinach and salt cod
• Better Food – ‘warm and welcoming dal’
• Birch – pease pudding and smoked mackerel broth
• Bishopston Supper Club – squash & split lentil soup
• Bocabar – Red lentil, smoked bacon and cauliflower dal with pumpkin seed and lemon crusted hake
• Box-E – hake, curried red lentils, yoghurt, lime and black mustard seeds
• The Canteen – cauliflower and chickpea dal with kusundi & sourdough roti
• The Cauldron – woodfired Rahjasthani spiced cod, black badger, kabuki bean & spinach dhal, home cultured cardamom curd & Grow Bristol micro coriander
• Desi – Punjabi red lentil dal
• Folk House Cafe – red lentil and tomato dal, with yoghurt, fresh coriander and rice
• Fresh Range – tarka dal collection with all the ingredients to make it at home
• The Gallimaufry – split pea and spinach dal with onion bhaji & tofu sour cream
• Gopal’s Curry Shack – ‘Roald Dahl’, Buddha Box and other special dishes
• Hart’s Bakery – palak dal
• Kookootoo – Persian red lentil dal
• The Mint Room – nava rathna dal
• Mokoko – yellow pea and tomato dal
• Nutmeg – dal makhani
• The Old Market Assembly – toma dal
• Pasta Loco – pumpkin and goat’s cheese arancini with wild garlic dal and spiced aubergine pickle
• The Pear Cafe – tomato and coconut dal
• Pieminister – minted mushy peas
• The Pipal Tree – yellow peeli dal and black kaali dal served with a side of vegetable rice, followed by a sweet dal dessert
• Poco – English bean falafel, bean hummus and pickles
• River Cottage Kitchen – roasted butternut squash & split pea dal, pickled radish & micro coriander
• Sholay Indian Kitchen – Himalayan kali dal
• Spike Island Cafe – roast squash, red lentil & coconut dal with basmati rice
• Thali – dal and roti
• Watershed – dal makhani and Punjabi black dal with toasted naan
• Windmill Hill City Farm Cafe – tadka dal

For more information about the dal trail, visit www.britishdalfestival.com/bristol-dal-trail

Box-E’s hake, curried red lentils, yoghurt, lime and black mustard seeds. Photo by Joanna Clifford.

Main photo: The Canteen’s cauliflower and chickpea dal with kusundi & sourdough roti