Indian Tiffin Room - decent street food

ITR on First Street, Manchester

Outside of Manchester's Curry Mile there have been a couple of attempts to lift Indian/Desi street food up a notch by transplanting it to a swanky city centre location, use of rustic cutlery and that bold promise to deliver "authenticity".

Sadly I've been disappointed and let down twice.

First there was Scene Dining - the less said the better, you can read my previous review.

Secondly there was Mowgli, which offered some glimmer of hope but still left me wanting more.

It's a case of third time lucky as I've finally found what I've been looking for, Indian Tiffin Room or ITR on First Street near Deansgate Locks.

I am however late to the party as ITR has been trading for several years now in Cheadle just a stone's throw from my house, yet I've never visited. That's because their small premises has always been jam packed and a reservation, made weeks in advance, is essential if you want to eat at a sensible time. Having finally got round to trying their food, I can now see what the fuss is about and why it's always packed.

From the moment we sat down and were served a 'grazing platter' amuse bouche of Dahi Puri and Paani Puri (aka Gol Gappay) - hollowed out pastry puffs with a sweet and sour filling of chickpeas, yoghurt, tamarind and spices - I knew we were in for a treat.

Some of our party, whilst familiar with Indian food, had never come across these little morsels. After a quick tutorial that the entire Puri should be placed in the mouth as opposed to taking a small bite the apprehensive facial expressions soon gave way to looks of surprise and amazement followed by an expression of "oh wow!"

The flavour combo was bang on, cool yoghurt followed by fiery heat which was then extinguished by the sweet and sour tamarind. My only negative comment is that I had to share these with my group,  I could have easily mopped up the lot on my own. I didn't even have time to take snap!

Goat Keema Pav

For starters I had the Goat Keema Pav, based on that popular Mumbai Street Snack Pav Bhaji which is usually a vegetarian currry. The Keema was moist with peas running through it and topped with raw onion for a sharp crunch. It packed a nice punch of heat and was served with buttered and fried bread roll (the Pav) that I used to scoop up the beautiful Keema. I could have maybe done with an extra Pav, I didn't ask for one, and instead finished off the remaining Keema with a spoon. An excellent starter to whet my appetite.

Masala Dosa

The Mrs had the Masala Dosa, which despite it's gargantuan size was beautifully delicate and flaky and filled with a spicy potato masala filling served with an accompaniment of chutneys some sweet, some hot and some tangy. Sadly there aren't enough places in Manchester serving this South Indian staple and it's a real shame, thankfully ITR not only serves Masala Dosa but also other varieties such as Rava Dosa, which I plan on trying as I make my way through their menu on future visits.

Keralan Fish Curry and Rice

Lamb Kashmiri with Garlic Naan

For mains we had the Keralan Fish Curry and Lamb Kashmiri both of which were very pleasant and mild, but not bland, so should be suitable for the less adventurous. I'm not sure what type of fish was used but it wasn't very strong and flaked away beautifully and not mushy which is how some places tend to serve a fish curry. Others in our group who had the Biryani however, raved about it and said it registered much higher on the Scoville scale i.e. hot! On reflection I too should have gone for something hotter however was quite content with my fish curry.

Some of the mains that I've noted for my future visits are Dhaba Style Chicken and Lamb Nalli Nihari. Dishoom in London also serve the latter so it will be good to see how the ITR offering compares.

Real Desi Lassi

We washed down our food with a glass of lassi each and thankfully there is only one entry on the menu for lassi, the original one, and there is no sight of that abomination which calls itself mango lassi, which all Desi joints serve religiously yet is not authentic to the region. ITR's lassi is served in a small metal cup dusted with pistachio and is beautifully sweet, perfect for soothing any heat from the food, albeit a bit pricey at £2.50 a cup! I'd have liked a bigger cup.

There is one other type of lassi that I would have liked to have seen on the menu however, the salty variety, as that too is authentic and would be my one plea to the management to consider adding to the menu.

Creamy Kulfi and warm soft Gulab Jamun

Dessert was a hot and cold affair, cool and intensely creamy Kulfi and warm Gulab Jamun draped with warm sticky and sickly sweet sugar syrup. Both were very good although the Gulab Jamun was probably a tad too sweet and rich for me but suited others down to a tee.

For 3 courses we paid just shy of £25 a head which also included two "softails" (mocktails) so it's not the cheapest but the food is very good and I don't mind the premium when I'm getting quality.

Next time I might even just consider ordering a few starters as a main meal, allowing me to sample a bit of everything and this might be a more economical option for others who want to test the waters first.

All in all I've very little negative to say about ITR, and if you're in the city centre and craving some Desi/Indian street food then walk straight past Mowgli and Scene Dining and make your way to Indian Tiffin Room, for the time being this is the undisputed Badshah/Shahenshah/Raja/King of authentic Indian street food in Manchester City Centre.

A taste of Istanbul in Manchester

On a crisp winter's day in Istanbul in November 2010, whilst walking to the magnificent Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet we stopped off for lunch at a local restaurant to sample some traditional Turkish meatballs or Kofte.

Fast forward 6 years and little did I know that I'd be walking into the first European outlet of the same Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi (Historical Sultanahmet Meatballs Restaurant), and on the curry mile no less.

Occupying one half of the now defunct Al-Bilal restaurant, the interior is tastefully decorated with ornate Turkish lamps, exposed brickwork and beams and cafe style furniture. Photographs celebrating their 96 year history adorn the walls including a visit from Barack Obama.

The interior marks a shift from the usual decor found on the curry mile

Going strong since 1920

I know that some people avoid the curry mile like the plague however once you walk through the doors, the ambience inside is a polar opposite of the 'chaos' outside.

The menu is limited to just 3 starters and 5 mains. For me, this is always a positive as it's a promising sign to the diner that the focus will be on quality and not quantity. The staff were very eager to stress that nothing on site is frozen and all items are made fresh, music to my ears.

We didn't opt for any starters but were presented with a complimentary Piyaz or white bean salad dressed in a sharp vinaigrette and earthy olive oil accompanied by lettuce, tomatoes and slivers of red onions. It tasted fresh and had it featured actual Turkish tomatoes as opposed to the anaemic variety we get in the UK then it would have tasted even better. If you've ever eaten fresh tomatoes in Turkey or the Mediterranean then you'll understand where I'm coming from.

Tangy and fresh Piyaz - white bean salad

For mains I went for the headline Kofte, the Mrs had the Grilled Lamb, both with rice and we got grilled chicken for the kids

The main act - the dish that started it all, traditional meatballs with delicious homemade chilli sauce

Grilled chicken

The Kofte tasted exactly like the ones I had back in Istanbul 6 years ago, very finely minced, well seasoned and delicately spiced. It may not make a huge dent on the scoville scale however if you feel the need for some heat then don't despair because freshly made authentic Turkish chilli sauce is generously offered as soon as your mains arrive and it packs a punch. I didn't get to try the chicken as the kids wolfed it down so that should be taken as a good sign.

Whilst all dishes were excellent, the lamb was the star of the show. Each cutlet was cooked pink and was melt in the mouth tender, if I head back that's what I'm ordering and so should you! If only I had a photo to show you but they were saw delicious that they were cleaned off the plate before we got a chance! Unfortunately almost every other Indo-Pakistani place serves grilled lamb which is incinerated, tough and chewy so having lamb served like this is a rare delight.

At any other restaurant we would have wrapped up and headed home however the staff presented us with yet another complimentary item to try out, Halva made with semolina. It was actually very similar to the Halva that's made in our house and people from the subcontinental heritage will recognise the flavour. The only difference was the absence of raisins and inclusion of pine nuts in their place.

I finished the meal with the Turkish Coffee, I expected a cup to be placed in front of me but instead I was served a beautiful silver platter, a mini cloche hid two pieces of delicious Lokum or Turkish Delight, a glass of water as a palate cleanser and finally an espresso sized cup of Sekerli Kahve or sweet coffee.

Sekerli Turk Kahve - Sweet Turkish Coffee, immaculately presented

When paying the bill we were presented with a Turkish fortune coin (an old Turkish Lira), if you're thinking whether this is the Turkish equivalent of a Chinese fortune cookie then not quite. The staff explained that this is part of Turkish Culture and the coin is given to parting guests to wish them good fortune. Besides being a great gesture and a glimpse into Turkish culture it summed up how we had been treated that entire evening, not as customers but as guests.

This is a fantastic restaurant which serves excellent food, where the staff really look after you and where you experience traditional Turkish hospitality. And to top it off the price is extremely reasonable with the most expensive mains costing just under £9, that's a bargain.

Will I visit again? Without a doubt!

Should you visit? Absolutely!

Mowgli Manchester - more of a miss than a hit

There is something of a street food craze at the moment and every major eating hotspot boasts about its street cred.

The recently refurbished Corn Exchange in Manchester has been reborn as a foodie's delight and for the Halal diner they can choose from Cabana offering Brazilian cuisine or Mowgli with its 'Indian street food' strap line.

And it was to Mowgli that I paid a trip to with the Mrs and the two young ones in tow. Only the Chicken is Halal but the menu offers quite an extensive array of vegetarian options and couple of seafood mains as well so there's plenty of choice. Steer clear of the sticky wings though as it contains Rum.

We ordered a couple of items from the Street section of the menu and a couple of mains with Roti and Rice on the side.

Starters were the interestingly named 'Yoghurt Chat Bombs' and 'Gunpowder Chicken'.

Yoghurt Chat Bombs - What lies within? A burst of flavour!

Gunpowder Chicken

I have to say that I really enjoyed the Chat (pronounced Chart but without the r sound) bombs, they appeared inconspicuous but lurking behind that thin crispy shell was a burst of tangy yoghurt, sweet tamarind and spices making for a very flavourful and enjoyable starter.

The gunpowder chicken pieces were deep fried in batter and sat on a bed of hot spicy green chutney with a layer of sweet tamarind sauce on top and garnished with hot red chillies and sharp onion. The first mouthful was chicken and the tamarind and I have to say it was a bit underwhelming, however after I stumbled upon the green chutney it became much more enjoyable. I would suggest that the drape the chicken in both chutney and tamarind to give the diner the best combination of hot and sour flavours.

The mains I'm afraid were a bit of a let down, for a start both my wife and I felt that it lacked seasoning and we don't eat much salt in our household. We went for the butter chicken for the kids mainly as we wanted something mild and not too hot and in this respect it was as expected, albeit lacking a pinch of salt. 

Butter Chicken - mild and as expected

Goan Fish Curry - sadly a bit of a let down

I picked the Goan fish curry and was expecting what the menu described as a tangy and fiery curry. There was plenty of tanginess from the tomatoes however I failed to pick up any fiery notes unfortunately. For me the dominant flavour was tomatoes and I wasn't impressed.

We didn't order a massive amount and thanks to a lunchtime offer they had on, the total cost for food was just over £20, which isn't bad I guess however I would rather have paid a bit more for some oomph.

Mowgli was busy enough and clearly does well and if I was judging it purely on the street section of the menu then I'd say this is a good place to eat however the mains just didn't cut it for any of us unfortunately.

If you are in this part of town then I would recommend walking for another five minutes to the Northern Quarter to the old established haunts 'This 'n' That', 'Al Faisal' or 'Kabana' (not to be confused with one in the Corn Exchange) for some truly authentic cuisine from the sub-continent, at a fraction of the cost and with gargantuan portions. The only thing missing will be polished floors of the Corn Exchange, instead you'll have the rustic charms of this historic part of town.