Haveli The Yard — Restaurant in Bristol

HAVELI THE YARD: ‘IT’S RARE TO FIND AN INDIAN RESTAURANT THAT ALLMOST HAS IT ALL’. The incessant traffic of Park Row combined with the occasional wail of a siren on an ambulance pulling into the British Royal Infirmary might not immediately strike you as a destination for a celebration dinner. Fortunately, upon stepping inside Haveli the Yard, the noise and drama of outside life fade instantly.

The plush interior, clean surface and setting, can immediately put you in a comfortable state. Haveli is a family-run venture from restaurateur Shahid Farooq – who previously ran Rajpoot in Clifton and Oh Calcutta on Cheltenham Road – and the passion for what he is creating is apparent in every detail.

Whilst ordering the food the chef was highly praised by the owner and the chef’s special dishes were also recommended. Coming from a family of restaurateurs and a foodie I do consider myself to be a food connoisseur. And when I hear about how good a chef is I often become excited to enjoy and experience the dishes.

The Haveli was previously visited by my brother and sister-in-law and they loved the food so therefore we decided to hold the celebration of our younger sister’s graduation dinner on Friday 10th of June.

Starters:

We ordered Fish Pakora, Prawn Puri and Chili Paneer

Fish Pakora: The coating on the fish pakora was raw and it was overwhelmed by the coriander seeds. And visually looked completely different than the last time. Gone was the batter that protected the fish ensuring tender and soft texture. Overall it was 3 out of 5.

Prawn Puri: The puri was soft and flaky and cooked to perfection. The masala was nicely done also, although it could have a little more salt and heat. The prawn was defrosted in a hurry perhaps in a microwave leaving it chewy and rubbery. My advice would be to let it defrost a room temp naturally. 3 out of 5

Chilli Panner: This was a shocker. Chili Paneer is a popular Indo-Chinese dish. Created by Nelson Wang. It is one of my favourite dishes where cubes of fried crispy paneer are tossed in a spicy sauce made with soy sauce, vinegar, chilli sauce. The panner was soft and the masala had no flavour. The dish had no kick what’s so ever. Maybe because the panner wasn’t fired properly or mixed with batter and therefore when introduced to the other ingredient it may have released its stored water making everything else blend. 0 out 5

Main Course:

Nihari ( Chefs Special ), Bindi Bhaji, Tarka Dall, Lamb Roganjosh, Lamb Dhansak, Lamb Jalfrezi, Butter Chicken.

Nihari: Perfectly cooked as stated chefs special and it was...

We went to Haveli The Yard restaurant as we were in Bristol for a few days and thought it is an Indian - how bad could it be? How little I knew.

We were greeted by I presume the owner who was not comfortable in being front of house and was too loud and too over familiar. Fair enough - not everyone loves the job they have to do. What wasn't so fair was the wait for the starters which given the restaurant only had two other tables (of 2 each) was surprising. The starters were fairly average - the sheek kebab was over spiced in the mixed grill with something bitter (unusual) and the prawn puri was relatively taste less.

The mains arrived. My sister had order a phall in which all you could taste was the chilli powder - this is not what a phall should be. My dish a lamb saag was cold but what was more shocking was the black curly hair that was in it!!

My husband given that there were other guests in the restaurant chose to handle this discreetly. Given that this was the case the owner came over, asked a couple of times to see the hair, said yes I can see it and then said stated that he would ask the chef to re-prepare. He didn't apologise but said the hair could have appeared from anywhere - the implication being it could have been mine! I had at this point lost my appetite and didn't want to wait for the chef to remake my food whilst everyone else ate theirs and we also had our 18 month son with us (who was getting increasingly agitated) and and so suggested he didn't re-prepare.

He then disappeared - skulked off and sulked in the corner. The bluster of the big owner from earlier gone. There was no apology and no concession on the bill by way of what was a poor experience and a disappointing end to our stay in Bristol. A situation which could have been rectified fairly easy with better customer service has unfortunately not been. Avoid Haveli The Yard as it is just gloss and a worry from a health and safety perspective - I have dropped the...

From a customer who was present at the time, in response to the recent 1 star review from Nasmin Begum:

Myself and my partner decided to try out the newly opened Indian restaurant on a Wednesday evening. Needless to say, our dining experience was phenomenal.

The owner was extremely welcoming and my oh my, what a character! A fine example of our reason to return.

Our food arrived quickly and promptly, as I could say the same for Nasmin’s table from what I witnessed. (We we’re sat at a table nearby)

With regards to the food criticism; we were astounded with the quality and taste. How perfect the dish was must have come from its delicate preparation. The presentation was next to nothing.

In respect of the unfortunate incident with a hair found in Ms Begum’s food; This happens in the catering industry and I must say it was handled with the utmost professionalism and courtesy. Myself and my partner couldn’t help but feel sorry for the owner, he was distraught and embarrassed with what had occurred, even though the fault was not his. We could see how apologetic he was and my partner overheard him offering more than enough compensation to rectify their experience.

Another factor which reassures me that the owner has the best intentions is this: I mistakenly ordered the wrong dish and made the waiter aware when the mains arrived. I accepted my fault and proceeded to indulge in what was in front of me. Moments later the owner hurried over and stated that he had instructed his kitchen to prepare another meal and that “you shall enjoy the meal you intended to eat”. I was left with almost a tear in my eye. Never have I ever come across a restaurant owner who is so committed to making his business the best possible. The enthusiasm and passion that man has is admirable.

In conclusion to my counter appraisal; the review by Ms Begum is inaccurate and cruel to say the least.

Haveli The Yard is now our...