Bites of India Botanic — Restaurant in Belfast

My partner and I decided to try Bites of India in Botanic on Sunday evening (6pm) after I had heard multiple co-workers rave about the place. When we walked in, were greeted by staff and shown to a table in the window behind a screen. There were two other parties in the restaurant. We ordered our meals after about 5-10 minutes with a mango lassi and a masala chai to arrive at the end of the meal and I asked for some water for the table. We were surprised to receive a small bowl of salted masala poporn instead of the usual poppadoms and chutneys you would expect at other Indian restaurants - it was salted popcorn tossed in a turmeric spice mix but unfortunately it wasn't very flavourful. Our starters were lovely, chicken momos and Tikka afghani chicken. While the plates were being cleared I asked the same waiter for water and a pineapple juice. Our mains arrived and again I ask the manager this time for water and a pineapple juice. We got a lamb dosa served with sambhar and chutneys (the sambhar lacked aromatics and was mostly flavoured by the tomato and onion. I lived in Hyderabad many years ago and it was not reminiscent of any sambhar i had there or in south Indian restaurants since) and a chicken madras with pilau rice and garlic naan. Except the garlic naan had been forgotten. The manager returns with my pineapple juice (but no water still) and as I take a sip I notice the colour is very grey and there are white bits floating in it.. Immediately i knew it was off and the taste of mould was predominant. I took it up to the bar where the waiter checked its colour and opacity in comparison to a freshly opened carton and apologised while filling up a new glass. My partner was still missing a naan and after 10 minutes asked a waiter if it was still coming. It turned up towards the end of our main course. It was very pale (obviously cooked in a rush) but it tasted lovely. We sit for over 10 minutes looking at our empty plates. The manager is on his phone in the corner of the restaurant and has been for almost the entirety of our meal. The plates eventually get cleared and we are offered hot cloths to refresh ourselves. Again, we are left for a further 15 minutes and contemplate paying and leaving. The mango lassi turns up and is set in front of my partner (really good lassi. Very refreshing and creamy) with the promise that the masala chai is a minute or two behind. 10 minutes pass and the masala chai arrives. It is set down in front of my partner (even though i ordered it and it is the same waiter who took that order who is now serving it) and a bowl of sugar is set beside it. The spoon in the sugar bowl is crusted with sugar from previous uses. The tea lacked spice and was quite watery. A disappointing end to lackluster meal. Also, £15.95 for a curry with no sundries included is quite expensive....

Bites Of India, Botanic.

On Belfast’s Botanic Avenue, Bites of India has a varied menu featuring dishes using the finest, freshest ingredients. From smooth, creamy Butter Masala and rich, fiery Vindaloo, to traditional Tandoori specialities and a section devoted to South Indian cuisine, there’s always something different to try.

Read more, see photos and video on our website.

We were served some crispy poppadoms and dips to accompany our beers while we chose what to order.

To start, the Gobi Manchurian, fried cauliflower in a sticky, sweet & spicy sauce, had a great chilli heat, and our favourite Indian DIY streetfood, Pani Poori, were crunchy and packed with flavour. These hollow spheres of fried puri, packed with potatoes, chickpeas, onions, chutney and a refreshing spiced water, are not to be missed.

We enjoyed the Aachari Paneer so much on our last visit, that we had to re-order it; a deliciously tangy, aromatic vegetarian dish with cubes of paneer in a yogurt sauce, with pickle, onions, fennel, nigella seeds and fenugreek.

We also loved the creamy Methi Malai Prawn, a Mughlai Dish prepared with fresh fenugreek greens simmered in a rich curry, and served with saffron rice.

And one of the staples of South Indian cuisine is the Dosa, which is a thin, crispy crepe, with a variety of fillings. We had the Mysore Masala Dosa which was wonderfully warm and spicy. A vegan dish, stuffed with chilli potatoes and served with Sambhar, and Coconut, Peanut, & Tomato Chutneys, this was utterly moreish, and the use of rice and lentils in the pancake would make it an excellent gluten-free option.

It was a pleasure to make a long overdue return visit to Bites of India on Botanic Avenue. Many thanks to the team for the invitation to enjoy the delicious dishes on offer.

#indian #bitesofindian #botanicavenue #review #streetfood...

Well to start with, I specifically went to the restaurant to eat Momo but it was a big let down for me. It tasted very bad, heard that it's similar to Nepali momos but sorry to say it is not. Who serves a chutney with Cumin powder n no chilies? n serving it with Momo. We ordered Hot n Sour Chicken soup for my son n asked them to make it sweet without spice well they served it right n it was really good my son liked it. Then we ordered Chicken dosa whose chicken filling was good but dosa was too soggy I was expecting it to be crispy, they served peanut n coconut green chutney with that which was just terrible in taste. A dosa lover should not try those chutneys and the sambar was good but that was not sambar more a masoor dal soup. Veg Biryani we ordered which was really good loved the spiciness in that. Masala tea I ordered which they didn't serve but added on my bill which I asked them to remove after seeing my bill. I asked for water which I didn't get on time. I didn't really understand why they were so busy as there were not that many customers to cater to, I guess lack of staffs. Then again I had to ask for water. All n all the food was good not that great.

But the most annoying thing was the wait for the food to get served. They were taking a whole decade to serve one food after another. At one point we felt like leaving the restaurant as they were taking so much time we started losing our interest/ patience to eat. So this restaurant is for those people who wants to spend their whole day there without checking the time. If you're in love n want to spend quality time with your Gf/Bf then it would be the best place for you. Order one food n...