Fine dining Indian food in Bristol : The Mintroom Review
When you think of Indian food what’s the first thing that comes to mind, for me it has to be a chicken tikka masala which normally has chicken that’s too dry and a sauce that is too greasy.
But after travelling in India I realise that there is so much more to Indian food and one of the best example is the Indian fine dining restaurant in Clifton The Mint Room
Even though I have lived in Bristol for 18 years I rarely venture into Clifton as this is considered the upmarket area of Bristol and it normally has a upmarket price tag but I was pleasantly surprised by the prices of The Mint Room. In this restaurant you are paying for a wonderful service, great quality and great flavours so it is worth paying a little bit more to have such a luxurious meal.
I was welcomed with such great hospitality I thought it was because they knew I was blogging about the restaurant but I noticed that they were very welcoming to all their guests. When we entered the restaurant we were greeted in what look like a bar and waiting area which is great if you are waiting for friends before heading to your table. At busier times you might need to wait for a table and I would advise to book as I visited on a wednesday early evening and the restaurant was fairly busy.
Up a few steps and there was some cosy booths which were decorated in authentic colours that gave it such a warm feeling.
I decided to sit around the corner of the restaurant that had more natural light coming from a huge window.
A nice touch is the cold water brought to the table this is becoming so much more popular in the UK it used to be if you had water at the table it has a charge but this didnt which was really cool.
The menu is not extensive but there is something there for everybody’s taste you can check out the latest menu here. It was a hard decision to decide what to have as it was all new flavours that I’ve not experienced before so I wanted to try everything. I went for something really out of my comfort zone of Rabbit to start and Duck for the main course.
To start I had Rabbit Varuval. A Farm fresh rabbit traditionally cooked with a ginger base served with missi roti priced at £10. It was minced rabbit which I have never had before and the flavours were amazing really enjoyed this. It came with some crispy flat bread which was delicious and a perfect accomptiment to spread the rabbit on.
For main I had Battakh, Braised duck breast marinated with crushed peppercorn and sea salt served with mixed bell pepper sauce priced at £19. I love duck but have never had it in a Indian restaurant and it was so tender. There was lots of meat well worth the money.
I didn’t manage to finish all my main course mainly because I was full but a little to do with the sauce was just a tad bit too spicy for me I said to the server it was delicious but just a little bit too spicy.
The next thing I knew the chef was by my table. He was so apologetic and offered to get me a brand new dish he then explain how he blended the spices to be flavoursome and did not realise it had much of a kick to it I replied it probably didn’t it’s me I cannot tolerate heat I really didnt mean to offend him and reiterated that it was so delicious. He went on to explain how they devise the new menus for different seasons by something to do with the moons. However he was so softly spoken I couldn’t really hear what he was saying and I didn’t want to offend him further by asking him to repeat himself.
My mum can tolerate spice a lot more than me and loved her starter she ate all of her main course and I know it from her facial expressions she was really enjoying it. She started with Chickembur Khumb, Shallow fried trio of mushrooms and soya chunks melange with selected spices served with Sandalwood sauce priced at £8 these were like little patties they were nice but not as nice as my delicious starter.
For main she also went for something she would not normally order in a Indian restaurant and had fish. Keralan Moilee, Pan fried fillet of seabass rested on mashed cassava cooked with caramelised onion, tomato and raw mango priced at £17 this came with a refreshing sauce.
If I was to go again which hopefully I will I would love to try Hiran Chettinad, 6oz of venison pav served with eighteen ground spices of Chettinad sauce with heritage baby carrots and spinach poori. priced at £22. I love venison and if the food I had already tried is anything to go by then this is going to be absolutely delicious.
This is an excellent restaurant to go to if you are celebrating a special occasion, want a romantic meal or somewhere a little different with some friends. Unfortunately we could only manage two courses and didn’t get to sample the deserts but they did sound amazing.
Desserts
Chai Panna Cotta
Masala chai flavoured panna cotta with raspberry sorbet
Butternut cheese cake
Cheese cake flavoured with butternut squash with blood orange papaya
Tandoori Ananas
Grilled honey glazed pineapple, chat masala with fennel and ginger ice cream
Betroot Ka Halwa
Warm beetroot fudge cardamom and raisin with homemade pistachio kulfi
Kulfi
Pistachio and Mango
Sorbets
Blood orange, coconut and basil, raspberry
Ice Cream
Fennel and ginger, rose, mango
I really enjoyed this restaurant and I’ve already recommended it to my friends and it is definitely going to make it onto my list of favourite restaurants in Bristol.
Thank you to The Mint for giving us a complementary meal so I could write about your amazing resturant
