Harley Young enjoys a wonderful combination of aroma and taste
Having opened their fourth (and first Liverpool) location earlier this year, cousins and established restaurateur duo Suresh Rje Urs and Srini Sundaram are no strangers to the hard work of running an independent Indian street food business.
Over the past 11 years, the brand has been ingrained in the community at each of its four locations.
You’ll often see one or both of the cousins on site at one of the restaurants overseeing everything and making sure the food they serve in Leeds, Cheadle, Manchester city center and now Liverpool Duke Street is the same. high quality.
The first of its kind in Liverpool city centre, Indian Tiffin Room’s menu pays tribute to dishes created by the peninsula’s roadside vendors, designed to serve street food-style authenticity, but with quality and no rush.
Photo: p
Having already eaten at the Manchester city center restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed it, I decided it was time to try the latest feather in their cap.
The restaurant itself has elegant wooden tables and furniture, beautiful decorative murals and brightly colored sets of pom poms suspended from the ceiling that add a playful splash of color. Spacious and inviting, there is plenty of room inside for large groups and solo diners to enjoy their meal.
As soon as I walked in the door I was greeted with a smile by a member of the team who took me to one of the window seats.
Calm music playing at a low volume from the speakers and the gentle aromas of incense and spices really set the mood for a pleasant meal.
The team member working at my table, Ruhan, offered to help with the menu and recommended a few different options when I asked for something that wasn’t too spicy. Among the options was butter chicken, which Ruhan mentioned can be made as mild or spicy as you like because all dishes are made to order.
I went on Ruhan’s recommendation and ordered butter chicken with plain naan and a side of Gobi manchurian to start. Ruhan checked for allergies and quickly placed my order with the chef.
While waiting for my appetizer, I looked at the menu again and noticed how reasonably priced each dish is. Designed for social sharing or solo enjoyment if you prefer smaller plates and a variety of flavours, many items on the menu are under a tenner and very few tip over £20. Incredible value for money if you ask me.
A lovely looking Gobi Manchurian arrived; a sweet, sticky and slightly fiery serving of cauliflower cooked using Indochinese methods and spices.
Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that I often avoid. It’s never my first choice on a menu than when it’s made into Gobi Manchurian, and that’s something Indian Tiffin Room has absolutely nailed. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and well coated with the house sauce, this dish is sexy. It made me a cauliflower convert and I’ve been craving the stuff ever since.
While waiting for my entree, Ruhan kept coming back to make sure I had what I needed and even took the time to tell me more about his favorite dishes. The friendly and considerate nature of the ITR team meant that even though I was dining alone, I didn’t feel lonely. You can’t find such hospitality anywhere these days.
I smelled the butter chicken before I saw it; a rich, tomato-like, slightly spicy and sweet aroma wafted through the air. A dish that appeals to all the senses, ITR’s butter chicken was a sight to behold. I couldn’t wait to get inside.
Made with real pieces of chicken breast (none of that dried-rehydrated junk) and a thick and indulgent butter sauce with cream swirled through it, it was enough to bring a tear to your eye – which you can quite easily wipe away with a generous helping. amount of homemade naan served on the side. Top tip: take advantage of the air bubbles in the bread by filling them with butter, chicken sauce and popping it in your mouth. You won’t regret it.
I would argue that this is the best butter chicken in the Northwest – definitely the best I’ve ever had.
![2024 07 04 Itr Butter Chicken](https://s.com/uploads/imager/299deb39facbb0c50fa0371390d9cd0c/1284345/13f462fea5f0a46ae6f240df35c2bcbe.jpg)
I was already on cloud nine browsing the dessert section of the menu to see if the meal could be even better than it was. Ruhan recommended her personal favorite, kulfi – a traditional Indian ice cream that came in a pretty little terracotta pot, garnished with pistachios and pomegranate seeds.
This dish straddles the line between savory and sweet very well – sort of like a cup of masala chai that you just can’t get enough of – and surprised me with every bite with the varied textures and flavors created by crushing pistachios, cardamom and saffron into different pastes.
![2024 07 04 Itr Kulfi](https://s.com/uploads/imager/299deb39facbb0c50fa0371390d9cd0c/1284354/c48b227241c083f5d1fca9ec5aa47af4.jpg)
As I finished my meal, I spotted the honchos Srini and Suresh by the bar finishing their lunch. The couple thanked each member of the team individually for their service before departing.
The Indian Tiffin Room is firmly rooted in Duke Street and it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s such a success that it plans to expand to a second Liverpool site in the near future. The service here is second to none and the pride, love and care the chefs put into each dish is evident. If you are looking for authentic Indian food in an atmospheric restaurant, book your table now.
Indian Tiffin Room, 130 Duke St, Liverpool L1 5AG
Follow Harley Young at X @Harley__Young
Indian Tiffin Room Liverpool is in the guides
![Recommended by guides Recommended by guides](https://s.com/uploads/images/Microsites/-Guides/Branding/Recommended-by_-Guides-Horizontal_180x72.png)
Score
All rated reviews are unannounced, unbiased and ALWAYS paid for by s.com and completely independent of commercial relationships. They are a first-person account of one visit by one expert restaurant reviewer and do not represent the company as a whole.
If you would like to see the receipt as proof that this magazine paid for the meal, a copy is available upon request. Or ask about the restaurant.
Venues are classified according to the best examples of their type. By this we mean that a restaurant that strives to be fine dining is compared to other fine dining restaurants, an average restaurant to other average restaurants, a pizzeria to other pizzerias, a tea shop to other tea shops, KFC to the contents of your trash can. You will receive a message.
Based on the above, here’s what we do: 1-5: saw your leg off and eat it, 6-9: sigh and shake your head, 10-11: if you pass, 12-13: good, 14-15: very good, 16-17: excellent, 18-19: pure class, 20: nothing so good?