Bhancha Nepalese & Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Birmingham

Anyone who reads my reviews will guess that I am a fan of Nepalese restaurants. So when I discovered the Bhancha it was inevitable we would give it a try. It's in the former Jojolapa premises and I am pleased that they have more or less retained the very nicely presented and warm dining room. Unfortunately we chose a dreadful night to visit yet a parking space wasn't easy to find. It was unsurprisingly quiet but all the more relaxed for it. The warm room was also all the more appreciated. A lovely welcome on entering, and the staff remained very friendly and attentive throughout without being intrusive. The menu is obviously Nepalese and you won't find your more typical Bangladeshi dishes. The spice mix will be different so it's all down to personal preference at the end of the day. You will also notice that it's not a cheap place however there may be a decent discount if you book through Fork, alternatively there is a set menu which offers a good choice at a reasonable price. A nice touch was a very pleasant complimentary bel puri to start us off. Perhaps we didn't need to have the basket of poppadoms but they are hard to resist. The dips were nice but would have liked more of them without having to ask. I started with a very flavoursome sheekh kebab, although I am not sure it had been near a tandoor. The wife said that her salmon tikka was excellent. Very unusually we both opted for the same Nepalese chicken main course except I asked for mine to be made slightly hotter. Very nice, but you will notice the colour and taste of the different spicing they use. We enjoyed our meals but that is obviously down to personal preference. The sides were excellent, including the very chunky chips. We finished of with the shared dessert platter, not bad but a bit pricey for what it was. The drinks choice is excellent, a very nice Nepalese lager on draft and the wife more than happy with her rose prosecco. No service charge added so a well deserved tip to our delightful waitress. We have been again since the above visit and all pretty much the same except they seemed to be having trouble setting the heating units attached to the walls. The result was that we had a cool draught all night, despite moving to another table, and the wife was reluctant to take her jacket off. They need to...

An Outstanding Dining Experience – Top-Notch Food & Service

From start to finish, our experience was nothing short of exceptional. The food was absolutely delicious, and the customer service was truly first class – warm, attentive, and genuine.

We began with a generous serving of crispy poppadoms, accompanied by a delightful variety of chutneys and relishes – each sauce brought its own unique flavor, from tangy to sweet to spicy. A perfect way to whet the appetite.

For starters, we opted for the Chicken Tikka and Papri Chaat. The chicken was incredibly tender, marinated to perfection, and bursting with flavor. The papri chaat was a lovely mix of textures and tastes – crisp, creamy, tangy, and just the right amount of spice. Portion sizes were generous without being overwhelming.

Our mains included Saag Chicken and Paneer Makhani, served with freshly baked Tandoori Roti. Both dishes were outstanding – rich, flavorful, and well-balanced in spices. The saag chicken had a beautiful depth of flavor, while the paneer makhani was creamy and comforting, with a slight sweetness that paired beautifully with the spiced gravy. The medium spice level was spot on for us – just enough heat to excite the palate without overpowering the dish.

For dessert, we shared Gulab Jamun with Ice Cream alongside a cup of aromatic Masala Chai. The gulab jamun was warm, soft, and syrupy – complemented perfectly by the cool ice cream. The masala tea had just the right blend of spices and sweetness, making for a lovely, comforting end to our meal.

We’re regular diners at places like Dishoom, Asha’s, and Varanasi – and we can confidently say this restaurant holds its own among them. In fact, the level of customer service here may even surpass the others – the staff truly made us feel welcomed and valued.

Looking forward to our next visit – a new favorite on our...

This place is very very good. Nepalese/Indian cuisine. We had the vegetarian platter, vegetarian momo and chicken momos for starters all very well presented and super tasty and perfectly spiced. For mains we had one of the chicken curries and Palak Paneer again perfectly spiced and flavourful. The cocktails I’ve got to say are high quality and better than cocktail bars around the city. They are unique and masterfully made. I’d go back just for the drinks. I also had Cobra beer on tap too. To finish we had the dessert platter. Very well presented but the Jalabi and Ras malai could have been a lot better. I’m Indian and know my Indian food well so I feel that most people who haven’t eaten these types of desserts in the past will love them from here.

The star of the show was our waitress. Truly an amazing member of the team. Lovely and polite manner and very funny too and an absolute delight. She made the evening so much better and have to say one of the best waitresses/waiters we’ve ever encountered. She haloed us choose the right things based on what we told her about our tastes. Her name was Hazel … well done!!! …and we will be back next time...