Mowgli Street Food Leeds — Restaurant in Leeds

A Disappointment for Authentic Indian Cuisine

As an Indian myself, I was deeply disappointed with my experience at Mowgli in Leeds. While I understand the need for restaurants to sometimes adapt their recipes to cater to local palates, Mowgli's interpretation of Indian food felt like a complete departure from authentic flavours, bordering on misrepresentation. It feels like they are capitalizing on the popularity of Indian cuisine without delivering the true experience, ultimately doing a disservice to the British public by presenting a distorted view of Indian food. Don't get me wrong the vibe, ambience and service is top notch but the food is sub par the reputation Mowgali carries.

To give an example "Goa Fish Curry." Having tasted countless versions of this dish throughout India, I can confidently say that Mowgli's rendition bears no resemblance to the real thing. It seemed as though neither the chef nor the owner has ever actually tasted a genuine Goa Fish Curry. The complex blend of spices, the subtle tang of coconut milk, and the fresh taste of the fish were all absent. What I received was a bland, uninspired dish that lacked any of the characteristic flavours of Goa.

It's one thing to tone down the spice level for British tastes, but it's quite another to fundamentally alter the dish to the point where it becomes unrecognizable. Mowgli seems to have crossed that line. They are not simply mellowing down the spices; they are changing the entire flavour profile while still using authentic Indian names, which I consider misleading.

While I appreciate the ambiance and the concept Mowgli is trying to create, the core of any restaurant is its food. In this regard, Mowgli falls far short of expectations. For anyone seeking a genuine taste of Indian cuisine, I would strongly advise looking elsewhere. Mowgli is, in my opinion, robbing British people of the opportunity to experience the true richness and diversity of Indian flavours. This was, without a doubt, one of the worst experiences of Indian flavours I've...

I have always wanted to go to a Mowgli restaurant and finally whilst in Leeds I thought lets give it ago.

The food was good and thrown in amongst some basic dishes were some flavour explosions I did not expect. The atmosphere was lovely and the staff mostly good.

However would I return? I would say no and some might feel the same once you been to the restaurant. Please see the reasons why below: 1)Pricing - I was charged a service fee that usually you only ever get when they seat large parties, I was also told I would be paying a fee towards Mowgli's charity of choice. I have my own charities and this should be an option. Also there were only three of us dining and I would not class that as a large group for the service fee. We did not get anything extra for that fee so less than impressed.

For 3 small people we had to order about 6 dishes plus a rice and two lots of roti to feel like you had just eaten a meal and I had a brownie this cost us over £76. Good value for money? I would not say so and even beyond the price you aren't getting any extra bells and whistles for the price or service fee, just averagely good service.

2)Some reviews grumbled about the portion size but they were small but I managed even for someone who can consume their own body weight in food. I did however found some of the dishes we had ordered inflated in price for what they were. Chicken curry with three pieces of chicken in a small dish half filled for approximately £10? Some dishes were acceptable on price but at least half our dishes I found inflated in cost for what they were. So the smaller portions mean you have to order more dishes and this will cost you.

On average it cost £25 per head for three but that was with only me having a desert and two soft drinks. So with a few drinks thrown in and deserts you will welcome a bill of over £100 easily. I mean its...

When shopping we always like to try something new, we are aware that Mowgli has been around for sometime but we have just never got round to eating there.

That has now changed, we booked in advance which was very easy for 2.30. Mowgli is near to the Q Park Albion Street so park there if you don’t fancy a trek. When we arrived we were greeted with a friendly face and the atmosphere was buzzing but quite relaxed. Holly J came over and we ordered some drink while we looked at the menu, when she came back we ordered the platter for two(see menu) which I felt was competitively priced per person and waited for our food to arrive.

A man arrived quite quickly with our food where the dishes came in 3 pots and a 4th for our rice. Two other trays appeared which had contained our Chat Bombs and tamarind fries.

The man explained that you put the entire chat bomb in your mouth instead of taking a bite out of it as they can be quite messy (filled with yogurt).

The meal itself was superb, the meat dishes we had were perfect (vegan options available) but note; the amount of food was just enough without feel full and uncomfortable.

We also had dessert which was salted caramel sorbet sprinkled with pomegranates which finished off the meal perfectly. As a side note; each dish complements the others and the whole experience was superb.

Once we asked for the bill we were surprised that it only cost £58.75 which is well worth it but take note they do add a 10% service charge and add another £1 pound which goes to charity. These extras are not an issue but if it is an issue to anyone I would not go as it is compulsory.

We will be going again quite soon to try other things on the menu.

Good job Mowgli, we...