Nutmeg Indian street kitchen — Restaurant in Bristol

A Soul-Satisfying Culinary Journey at Nutmeg Indian Street Kitchen, Bristol – A Review of Chef Shishir Sinha’s 5-Course Tasting Menu (16th July 2025)

On the evening of July 16th, 2025, I went in to the Nutmeg Indian Street Kitchen for a Rare and Remarkable Dining experience — a Five-course tasting menu curated by the Acclaimed Chef, Shishir Sinha who has a strong experience of working with Michelin Star restaurants in London and overseas. The evening was not merely a dinner, it was an evocative exploration of flavor, technique, and storytelling that left me both nourished and inspired. It was my Very first experience to do a Tasting Menu and what a better way to start off with Chef Shishir's Menu.

Nestled along one of Bristol’s Charming Cobbled lanes, Nutmeg Indian Street Kitchen blends Warm, Rustic interiors with Subtle Modern Elegance, Soft lighting, Curated Jazz, and Attentive but Unobtrusive service set the perfect stage for what was to come. The space buzzed with quiet anticipation—everyone along with me knew we were in for something special. It was clearly visible in the eyes, sitting around with families and friends.

Each course in Chef Shishir’s tasting menu felt like a Carefully Written Chapter in a Short novel — Distinct, Emotionally Resonant, and Seamlessly Interconnected. The food took me to the lanes of my Childhood places in India where some time or the other I had savoured these delicacies for sure. It was an emotional moment for me as I dug into each course with Curiosity of a child who sees the things in a New Avatar. The same taste that took me to the memory lane was carved in a different form using the Modern techniques. That's what is Special about Chef Shishir.

Chef Shishir doesn’t just Cook — he Composes. His food speaks of Memories, Heritage, and Bold Imagination. The five-course tasting menu was a Deeply Curated Experience, where every plate was both a Visual Delight and a Meditative Flavor Journey. The Unusual combinations were a Ten on Ten for me. The Service staff was very well prepared and had ample knowledge of the Food and the drinks, they were quite active on the floor. The Kitchen brigade was Executing the tasks with their whole hearts poured on to each dishes. The intimacy of the setting made this dinner a True Soul-Satisfying Experience.

If this dinner was a prelude to Chef Sinha’s future endeavors, we are in for something extraordinary. Nutmeg Indian Street Kitchen has firmly cemented itself as a culinary haven in Bristol, and this evening will long remain in my Soul, Mind & the Heart.

Rating: 5/5 — A must-experience Food for any...

I had been looking forward to this but I was sadly disappointed. The staff were nice, the ambience is lovely but the food didn't hold up.

I am never particularly interested in service, I go to restaurants for food. When a waiter doesn't produce a pen and paper I get a bit nervous. On this occasion I was right to be as our waiter forgot my cocktail and after 25 minutes of watching the bartender clean glasses, I had to get another waiter to bring it over. At best this is a mildy impressive party trick but when they forget it's really annoying. It was a really nice cocktail when it did arrive though.

The pork sorpatel was overspiced with quite an overpowering flavour of nutmeg or something similar. The pork was fairly tough, there's some personal preference here, but when it comes in a curry I expect it to be very tender and soft.

The vegan mushroom was ok, the waiter did explain that it wasn't really a curry, but it just felt like the recipe hadn't really been developed. It was quite a sweet but plain sauce of blended mushrooms with fried enoki mushrooms on top.

The lamb curry was good according to my friend. The dal was just ok. And at least the rice was properly cooked.

I have had food from the sister site in Clifton and it was great, really outstanding food. So I don't know if I got the 1 in 100 meals that go wrong, but I really can't reccomend this place. Given that the curries come at a large premium at nearly £20 not including rice, I expect consistency.

I had a much better experience at Talwar Express a few doors down, which while it doesn't have the fancy interior (which is good), does have...

If you are looking for the best Indian food in Bristol, I can heartily recommend "Nutmeg Indian street kitchen" on St Augustine's parade.

The first thing you notice is the lovely dining room. It's not dark but open and inviting. We were sat near the Window but even at the back of the restaurant, there was a lot of light.

We ordered a couple of starters to share and some poppadum's. I have had poppadum's but not like these. They were tangy and very tasty. But what sold it were the dips. One creamy one, a jam/marmalade type dip and a hot pickle. Overall, fantastic.

The starters were wonderful as well. The onion bhaajis were crisp and really flavourful. We also had some steamed samoas, which were light and delicately seasoned.

The mains were fantastic as well. The "Nadan Duck" was one of the best curries I have ever had but the star of the show was the "Kerala Jhinga". Wonderfully balanced with a brilliant array of spices, it is a dish anyone could enjoy, even if you are not a fan of traditional Indian cuisine. The difference between good Indian food and Gourmet Indian food is enormous. And this is the finest Indian Gourmet food, we've ever had.

Compliments to the chef and the entire team at Nutmeg. We'll be going back, as...