A food review today and not a new restaurant opening, rather a menu relaunch from an old favourite of mine, Bundobust!
The independent Indian street food and craft beer concept, first established in Leeds before opening in Manchester in 2016, has a really laidback vibe and great food - a winning combination that still sees this Piccadilly basement restaurant packed out on a regular basis.
I've resolved to try to eat a little less meat this year, something that isn't going fantastically well. When I heard that Bundobust were relaunching their entirely meat-free menu with new additions and improved recipes, I knew it was something I wanted to check out*!
Having already got firm favourites in mind, I headed into town after work one evening to see if any of the new dishes could top the old classics.
One of the great things about Bundobust is that the drinks line-up is as equally in the limelight as the food. Their ever-changing blackboard of regional and wider-known independent beers is certainly impressive and the staff are more than happy to offer up their knowledge and a little taster if (like me) you find it hard to choose!
My date's Bombay Dazzler, created in collaboration with Bundobust by Yorkshire Brewery Northern Monk, was so good that I had to order one on the next round. With flavours of ginger, cardamom and coriander, it paired perfectly with the Indian spices.
Bundobust have also added an array of new cocktails to their drinks list. I opted for a Desi 75 - a refreshing mix of Sipsmith sloe gin, lemon, cinnamon syrup and prosecco.
On to the food!
As well as reworked dishes, there are five brand new additions to the Bundobust menu that we were presented with. They are (clockwise as pictured below):
GOBI MUSHROOM MANCHURIAN - Mushroom & cauliflower pakoras in an Indo-Chinese sauce
PANEER KADAI - Paneer cheese cooked in a deep cinnamon, fenugreek, red pepper & tomato sauce. Served with bhatura
PAV BHAJI - Mashed up cauliflower, potato & peas. Flavoured with garam massala. Served with a spiced toasted brioche bun
RAGHDA PETHIS - a spicy mushy peas & potato cake, topped with turmeric noodles, tomato, onion & tamarind chutney
CHOLE SAAG - Chickpea & spinach massala. Served with puri
There's some great additions here! I love that most of the more substantial items come with a bread on the side. I wasn't so sure about the toasted brioche bun but the bhatura and puri were excellent - light and tasty and perfect for dipping!
For me, the Paneer Kadai was definitely a highlight. Even though it was full of delicious, big chunks of paneer cheese, it wasn't too rich at all. The sauce was deep, smokey and aromatic - just perfect!
My favourite dish however was the the Chole Saag. This chickpea curry was so unbelievably tasty, with a rich massala sauce and folded fried puri on the side for scooping up every last bit (which I did).
Of course we couldn't resist ordering our favourites from the last visit: the Tarka Dhal, a classic medium cumin-infused lentil curry sat atop basmati rice, and the Vada Pav, a spiced fried potato burger. I don't know what it is about the Vada Pav but I found myself thinking about it regularly - thankfully, it was just as good as I remembered!
With an all-vegetarian, mostly vegan and often gluten-free menu, Bundobust surely is a crowd-pleaser - even for an enthusiastic carnivore like myself!
You can check out the full Bundo menu here.
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