Restaurants / Restaurant review
Salkaara – ‘bold and beautifully-presented dishes’ – restaurant review
It’s a brave restaurateur that opens a new venue during these turbulent times – but Chef Santhosh is not afraid of a bold move if his food is anything to go by.
Having established a reputation in Cardiff, the owner of Salkaara, set his eyes on Bristol as the location for his second restaurant, in the premises most recently inhabited by Grounded next to Waitrose in Henleaze to be exact.
Initial plans to open late last year were delayed and then of course Covid hit, sending the hospitality industry into turmoil.
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Despite the setbacks, Salkaara started serving takeaways and deliveries in June and the restaurant is now open to sit in – a fact that hasn’t escaped the notice of eager Bristol diners, who flocked in to make the most of the current Eat Out to Help Out scheme making it nigh-on impossible for any latecomers to get a booking earlier in the week.
All is calm after the frenzy of the Eat Out to Help Out days
By Thursday it’s a decidedly calmer scene and there is only one table of four in the restaurant at around 7pm. The atmosphere is one of understated elegance, with soft low lighting and the odd splash of spice-inspired colour.
There’s a notebook in which all diners are asked to provide their details for track and trace, but otherwise a sense that a level of normality is returning. Titbits of conversation can be overheard; views on the closing of Baldwin Street (“ridiculous” according to one diner at the next table), family get togethers – normal chatter about everyday things.
Attention soon turns to an impressive menu featuring the likes of Mangala Chicken Curry, a recipe inspired by the mother of the head chef in Salkaara’s Cardiff restaurant, Vegetable Mango Curry and Tandoori Lamb Chops.
The Indian wine listed on the menu is unavailable due to supply issues, but the New Zealand equivalent proves a delicious alternative, served ice cold and poured with polished professionalism.
Not for this restaurant the vast round poppadums with a slightly greasy tint. In Salkaara, the poppadums come in perfect crisp triangles just begging to be dunked into the accompanying trio of dips, featuring beetroot, mint & coriander and a zesty lemon (£3.50).
Scallops Thengapal, hand-dived Scottish scallops simmered in lemon zest flavoured coconut milk
The starter of Scallops Thengapal, hand-dived Scottish scallops simmered in lemon zest flavoured coconut milk, is exquisite both in presentation and taste. At £7.95 for a modest portion of two scallops, you certainly want to savour every last bite.
Mains more than rise to the occasion of feeding two hungry diners. The Kerala Swordfish Curry (£14.95) is a full-flavoured fiery dish that’s hard to fault but should perhaps come with a warning for those with more sedate appetites.
The Paneer Makhani (£10.50) is an irresistibly rich, creamy tomato concoction that we keep going back to long after we are full, and the recommended side of Subz Kadai (£5.50) is an inspired blend of delicate spices and a revelation that just proves the magic a good chef can work on some stir fried veg. The Fig and Coriander Naan (£2.50) is yet another inventive twist that sets the food here apart.
The main dishes hit the spot in every way
The Subz Kadai is a revelation that just proves the magic a good chef can work on some stir fried veg
The pint-sized dessert platter leaves you wanting more
Throwing caution to the wind, we opt to take leftover curries home to save room for dessert – all rules are out of the window in the heady world of post-lockdown dining after all. It’s a decision well made.
While it’s a return to the starter-size portion, the chef’s platter of desserts (£6) features a beautifully-presented array of delicious bite-size morsels, with highlights including grilled pineapple in honey and saffron marinade and chocolate ganache & almond-filled samosas so rich that to serve a bigger portion would in all fairness be potentially dangerous.
For those of us tentatively returning to the post-lockdown world of eating out, an evening at Salkaara feels like a comforting return to an old favourite that’s been reinvented with a bold new twist.
Salkaara has opened in the premises previously home to Grounded
Salkaara, 45-47 Northumbria Drive, Henleaze, Bristol, BS9 4HN
www.bristol.salkaara.co.uk/
0117 9620 620
All photos by Ellie Pipe
Read more: Breaking Bread – ‘the best dining experience in Bristol this year’ – restaurant review
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