Nutmeg — Restaurant in Bristol

Short review...

Don't waste any time booking to go to Nutmeg. Probably one of the most interesting, tasty and friendliest Indian restaurants in Bristol, indeed for 50 miles. Be ready to be surprised and have your taste buds come alive. My mouth is watering just remembering last night's supper.

Longer review with details of the food...

I rarely write reviews yet feel compelled to do after eating at Nutmeg last night. (Saturday 29th July 2023) I've been to Nutmeg before a few years ago for their tasting menu experience which was very good. Though last night three of us had separate dishes. All were sensational. The menu was refreshingly limited. Not only making it simpler to choose but assuring that everything is fresh. We - perhaps rather unimaginatively on our part - started with a basket of crisp, light Papadums served with the finest and most interesting and tasty homemade chutneys. So good we ordered another :) Next my wife had the Lucknowi (Chicken) Biryani. Slow cooked with basmati rice, onions, coriander and saffron. This was beautifully served in a warm authentic pot with a thin dough lid which seales in the aroma. This was then dedicated and partly removed at the table. Nice touch. My friend, who had visited from London for the weekend, had Duck Chettinadu. A perfected roasted duck breast in an aromatic coconut sauce with smoked star anise, black pepper, cloves, cumin, fennel and curry leaf. It looked and smelled amazing. I ordered the Lamb shank. I've never been to an indian restaurant which offered lamb shank before. As I love lamb I was eager to try it. It didn't disappoint. The dish is called Yakhani Ghost. A braised lamb shank simmered in a rich marrowbone and onion broth with yogurt and a Kashmiri spice blend. It was a feast for the eyes the moment it arrived. A generous lamb shank in a deep rust red sauce. It was spicy yet complex and delicate all at the same time. We also ordered one of each of the sides to share. Bhindi Amchur, stir-fried okra, dusted with mango and caramelised onions. Bombay Jeera Aloo, cumin-tempered potatoes with garlic, garam masala, turmeric and mustard seeds. completely heavenly. A bowl of those alone would be an incredible treat. Plus finally, Tarka Daal, yellow lentils cooked with tomatoes, onions, tempered with cumin, garlic and dry chilli.

It was a wonderful and special evening. Thank you so much Nutmeg chef(s) plus the friendly and helpful wait staff.

A a guide for price, we spent £136.84 which included 2 pints of indian lager and a bottle of house white wine and the service charge. The drinks were better than the typical Indian restaurant offering. Everything was clearly thought about with great care.

I look forward to...

Good not great though.

We went in on Sunday in a large group which gave us the chance to try a lot of stuff from the menu. It was pretty much a mixed bag and the experience varied depending on the choice of dish.

Nothing to complain about the service & ambience . We expected the food to be more consistently good though as Nutmeg has the reputation of being among the very best Indian restaurants in Bristol.

What we liked: Ambur Aubergine (best dish we tasted, highly recommended) Chicken Biryani Murg (Chicken) Mirchi Masala Gulab Jamun Kulfi (brilliant!)

What we disliked: 1.The taster menu - didn't say that it was a taster and not a set/fixed menu. The starter portions were really small and didn't make sense. Golgappas were ONE PURI!! 😮🙄 Same with Chicken starer and hara bhara kebab : one piece. The other portions were better but not great in taste. 2.Lemonade - Came from a bottle not freshly prepared and wasn't good at all. 3.Murg Makhani (Butter Chicken) : NOT butter chicken...it was just a tomato gravy 😒 4.Methi Chicken- Another let-down. 4.Creme Brulee : Didn't like the spiced version. It was too strong. 5.Sorbet: Beetroot & Ginger didn't work well as the flavours didn't gel well. 6.Another main chicken mains we ordered that wasn't good, left it pretty much untouched.

Few other dishes like Samosas, Lamb chops, Paneer Tikkas and Naans were alright.

For an Indian restaurant, veg options in mains are terribly few. Also, the dessert spread needs to be improved. Why not have basic beverages like Lassi, Chaas, Nimbu Pani, Jal jeera etc on the menu?

We might give it another go, but maybe with lesser...

In short the food was fantastic but it was let down by the style of service, stuffy & hot atmosphere and the loud music (music ranged from Taylor Swift to Status Quo which really didn’t fit in with the overall atmosphere). The chirpy style of service would be perfect for a Nando’s or a Pizza Express, but felt ill fitting in a relatively expensive restaurant. It felt particularly odd being asked if “we would like the menu explained to us”- the menu was not difficult to understand (a relatively standard Indian menu which went into detailed explanations on each dish on the menu itself) and Indian food is a staple of British culture. Although well meant it came across as slightly patronising to a table of people that really understand food. Highlights were the monkfish curry, tarka dahl and the beetroot mango chutney. Nutmeg has the menu spot on but you may well feel let down by the rest of the experience. One thing missing was lassi which is a great drink pairing with hot spicy food and one would expect to be included in an authentic Indian menu. There is an air of sophistication about the menu but it stops there with the loud music, lack of fresh air upstairs and casual (although efficient) style of service. Nutmeg are on the cusp of getting it right with a few tweaks to the...