Any Brummie will tell you that we are well and truly spoilt for choice when it comes to curry in the second city. However, it seems our appetite for the spicy stuff show no sign of slowing down with the opening of Tamatanga and Mowgli within a short space of time.
I was invited to sample the fayre at the newly opened Birmingham branch of Tamatanga a few weeks back; and I'm ready to give my verdict!
Tamatanga is well known in Nottingham, having opened in the city over a decade ago. Now, they've spread their wings to Birmingham with a vibrant eatery located on Navigation Street, halfway between New Street station and The Mailbox.
Coming in from the hustle and bustle of the main thoroughfare, we were warmly welcomed at Tamatanga and offered the choice of drinks at the bar or going straight to our table. We opted to try a tipple first at the bar (plenty of seats and even tables here!) and opted for the Non Alcoholic Bombay Cooler and a fabulous gin and tonic from the extensive gin menu.
As always, my gin was delicious and made all the better for being able to customise it to include a slimline tonic and garnish of my choice (orange peel on this occasion). The Bombay Cooler, made from pomegranate juice, lemonade and unusually, coriander was also a refreshing option. There's also a good range of cocktails, wine, beer, crafts and IPA as well as coolers, softs, spirits and mixers.
The food menu is pretty big with plenty of options, from salads and small plates to kathi roll wraps and curry bowls. With so many interesting options to choose from, we started off with small plates before we got stuck into mains. There is also a dedicated gluten free menu with plenty of choice, so be sure to ask if you need to see it.
Playing it safe, we picked the gilafi lamb kebab and garlic chicken tikka. Both dry starters, the lamb kebab was exactly as a lamb seekh kebab should be, with a kick of spice and plenty of onion. Personally, I do prefer mine a little more chargrilled, but that's just preference. The garlic chicken was a good appetiser, hearty and a good portion. Both were soft and tender dishes.
Onto main courses, I opted for the tamatanga thali, a dish containing many little dishes including salad, chutney, two veg dishes, daal, raita, rice naan (unless of course you're gluten free like me) and two curry dishes of your choice. I picked the saag paneer and chicken tikka masala, two of my favourite Indian dishes.
My companion picked the chicken khurana (£11.45), a a mild and creamy chicken curry dish infused with coconut and curry leaves, topped with sweet potato chunks. This lovely mild coconut sauce was finished off with a kick of chilli, whilst the texture from the sweet potatoes added to the dish. This was served with your choice of rice or naan.
As for my thali, you can see from the picture that it was absolutely huge! At £17.45 for nine separate items, this is a steal and a must try for anyone with a bigger appetite. The dishes included in the thali change regularly, but when I visited there was a green bean dish in a dry paste of onion and mild spices, mango chutney, a cooling yoghurt, a yellow daal which was smooth, creamy and mild, as well as a meaty chicken curry.
What stood out for me was not just the friendly, genuine service, but the relaxed casual atmosphere and generous portion sizes. With so much choice when it comes to curry, Tamatanga is great for anyone who wants to try curry for the first time in a convenient location. Not sure what paneer is? The team here will be more than happy to guide you through the menu and help you decipher your daal from your saag.
Would I come back? Definitely! It's worth mentioning that there are some fantastic offers worth checking out, such as the daytime deal including a soft drink and main for £8.95, and the 2-4-1 cocktails served all day every day from 12-7pm.
*With thanks to Tamatanga for the complimentary meal
I was invited to sample the fayre at the newly opened Birmingham branch of Tamatanga a few weeks back; and I'm ready to give my verdict!
Tamatanga is well known in Nottingham, having opened in the city over a decade ago. Now, they've spread their wings to Birmingham with a vibrant eatery located on Navigation Street, halfway between New Street station and The Mailbox.
Coming in from the hustle and bustle of the main thoroughfare, we were warmly welcomed at Tamatanga and offered the choice of drinks at the bar or going straight to our table. We opted to try a tipple first at the bar (plenty of seats and even tables here!) and opted for the Non Alcoholic Bombay Cooler and a fabulous gin and tonic from the extensive gin menu.
As always, my gin was delicious and made all the better for being able to customise it to include a slimline tonic and garnish of my choice (orange peel on this occasion). The Bombay Cooler, made from pomegranate juice, lemonade and unusually, coriander was also a refreshing option. There's also a good range of cocktails, wine, beer, crafts and IPA as well as coolers, softs, spirits and mixers.
The food menu is pretty big with plenty of options, from salads and small plates to kathi roll wraps and curry bowls. With so many interesting options to choose from, we started off with small plates before we got stuck into mains. There is also a dedicated gluten free menu with plenty of choice, so be sure to ask if you need to see it.
Playing it safe, we picked the gilafi lamb kebab and garlic chicken tikka. Both dry starters, the lamb kebab was exactly as a lamb seekh kebab should be, with a kick of spice and plenty of onion. Personally, I do prefer mine a little more chargrilled, but that's just preference. The garlic chicken was a good appetiser, hearty and a good portion. Both were soft and tender dishes.
Onto main courses, I opted for the tamatanga thali, a dish containing many little dishes including salad, chutney, two veg dishes, daal, raita, rice naan (unless of course you're gluten free like me) and two curry dishes of your choice. I picked the saag paneer and chicken tikka masala, two of my favourite Indian dishes.
My companion picked the chicken khurana (£11.45), a a mild and creamy chicken curry dish infused with coconut and curry leaves, topped with sweet potato chunks. This lovely mild coconut sauce was finished off with a kick of chilli, whilst the texture from the sweet potatoes added to the dish. This was served with your choice of rice or naan.
As for my thali, you can see from the picture that it was absolutely huge! At £17.45 for nine separate items, this is a steal and a must try for anyone with a bigger appetite. The dishes included in the thali change regularly, but when I visited there was a green bean dish in a dry paste of onion and mild spices, mango chutney, a cooling yoghurt, a yellow daal which was smooth, creamy and mild, as well as a meaty chicken curry.
What stood out for me was not just the friendly, genuine service, but the relaxed casual atmosphere and generous portion sizes. With so much choice when it comes to curry, Tamatanga is great for anyone who wants to try curry for the first time in a convenient location. Not sure what paneer is? The team here will be more than happy to guide you through the menu and help you decipher your daal from your saag.
*With thanks to Tamatanga for the complimentary meal
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