Indian street food is hardly a new offering to the Birmingham food scene, with venues such as Mowgli and The Indian Streatery already flying the flag high. Indico Street Kitchen is located within The Mailbox, a popular dining, retail and entertainment area just a five-minute walk away from New Street station.

My boyfriend and I visited quite late on a Monday evening, since it was the perfect location for a post-cinema meal. The restaurant itself was moderately sized but was not very busy at all. The décor was beautifully vibrant, and I was particularly impressed by the large artistic murals on the wall which added a special touch to the interior design. The music seemed quite low, but since not many tables were there, the atmosphere felt a little lacking. I would imagine on a busier day, there would be much more of a lively feel about the place.

We were excited by the extensive choice of options on the menu. As a vegetarian, I can always rely on authentic Indian cuisine to cater to my dietary requirements. One of the sections on the menu was the ‘Street Food Chaat’, which offered a range of delectable small plates – perfect for those who find it hard to settle on just one dish!

For my starter, I chose the ‘Gol Gappa Bombs’ which are pastry shells filled with potatoes, chickpeas, sweetened yogurt, mint and a tamarind chutney. The authentic way to eat a dish like this is to eat one with your fingers all in one go. They quite literally explode in your mouth with flavour; the sweetness of the yogurt and tamarind, paired with the spicy kick of the green sauce creates a wonderful marrying of texture and taste. My boyfriend chose the ‘Punjabi Fish Pakoras’, which he raved about accordingly.

For my main meal, I chose the ‘Paneer Makhanwala’ which was tender paneer cheese cooked in a rich, creamy and butter tomato sauce. I paired this curry with the ‘Garlic Naan’, and I found that this was more than enough to keep me full. The curry was so delicious, and the paneer was wonderfully soft – it felt like a very luxurious meal to say the least. The Naan was light and paired perfectly with my chosen curry. My boyfriend picked the ‘Tandoori Dhaba Chicken’ which comprised of tandoori chicken tikka cooked in a curry sauce topped with a chilli and a side of the steamed rice. Needless to say, we devoured our food and loved every second of it.

I absolutely cannot fault the food which was served in a timely manner, and I was tempted to try one of their many cocktails on the menu. I wish I could have tried one of the desserts too as they sounded delicious! The one downside I found was that even though our servers were lovely, the service itself could have been better. Even though it was quiet, our drinks took a while to arrive and I had to ask our server to give us cutlery and napkins after we were served our starters. In spite of this, I would definitely like to try Indico Street Kitchen for a second time round.

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