Vegan India, Gloucester Road: ‘A valuable lesson that not all vegan alternatives are created equal’
The restaurant billed as Bristol’s first 100% vegan Indian
Appropriately, it was a vegan that insisted The Bristol Sauce visit Vegan India, and I can understand why. In a world of one, two, or if you’re lucky, three vegan options on most menus, to have every single item available to you must feel like paradise. And it seems, for the most part, that Vegan India delivers. Over to Ellie to tell you more…
I love a place that does what it says on the tin; you know exactly what you’re getting with no room for ambiguity. Vegan India fits this bill. Although, I suppose if we’re being pedantic, you might assume you were getting a vegan version of the whole of India, which kind of disproves my point.
With the matter of what you can, and can’t, call plant-based alternatives the subject of some meaty debate lately, the extensive menu might raise some eyebrows among animal protein purists. But it has gained Vegan India a loyal following among people on a plant-based diet hankering after a traditional curry house experience.
The name shines out over Gloucester Road on a gloomy Saturday evening. The premises that has been home to Vegan India for around two years was previously occupied by Atomic Burger. Different demographic, same love of a bright green sign.
Beyond the front door lies a magical jungle, adorned with beautiful pink and purple floral displays, the name lit up in dazzling pink lights; at least, as seen through the eyes of our entranced three-year-old daughter. Viewed through more a world-weary lens, it’s another fake foliage wall designed for a picture-perfect-pose-loving Instagram generation.
The smiling welcome is real though and the opulent, dark green seats are designed for a long, lingering meal.
Vegan India is now the only venture by the team behind the former Tikka Express on Stapleton Road in Easton. The extensive menu includes almost every classic curry house dish, but vegan. There’s vegan butter no chicken, vegan rogan josh, vegan jalfrezi, vegan tandoori mixed grill and the British national dish of tikka masala, which, presumably, is also vegan.
Just as the menu boasts the influences of ‘Old India’ and ‘British’ curry shop classics, so does the décor. Some of the tabletops depict typical London landmarks, while others feature vibrant spice baskets from India.
Much like the London skyline rapidly being covered in dishes before us, this is a meal of highs and lows.
Starting off strong, the poppadoms (99p each) are an instant hit, with something for everyone among the array of accompanying sweet and spicy chutneys (£3.50). The tarka daal (£5.50) is rich and hearty, while the vegan sag no paneer (£5.50) is pleasantly creamy once you get used to the ‘paneer’ — squidgy lumps a disconcerting hue of orange, reminding me more of a president hell bent on war than a mild, squeaky cheese.
I’m someone who will travel the length and breadth of Bristol and beyond for the love of a good samosa, but I really wouldn’t bother leaving the house for the two pint-sized pastry parcels (£3.95) perched on our plate. Sure, they are crisp and plump with an adequately flavoured filling, but they pale in comparison to, say, the mighty Jeevans on Stapleton Road. It’s like putting a garage-bought Ginsters next to a bronzed steaming Cornish pasty eating with the wind whipping sea salt in your face on the shores of Kynance Cove. Technically the same creation, but you really can’t compare the two. The highlight of the dish was an elegant cucumber crudité that was swiftly devoured by the three-year-old, surely counting as one of her five-a-day. Parenting: achieved.
All is almost forgiven with a bite of a peshwari naan (£3.50), which is as hot, fresh and blistered as you could hope for. For those who don’t eat dairy, this is a particularly special treat. And no-ghee-whizz — it’s as good as any I’ve tasted.
With our mains, we are taught a valuable lesson that not all vegan alternatives are created equal. The ‘chicken’ in the ‘no chicken ceylon’ (£10.95) holds its own among the rich, lightly spiced, satisfying curry. But the ‘chef’s special’ kodu curry (£10.95 with tofu) would have been better without the pieces of flaccid tofu floating in an otherwise pleasant butternut squash sauce.
The menu’s description of coconut rice (£4.45) ‘cooked with coconut and sultana’ is, it turns out, to be taken literally. We found one much-coveted sultana among the grains of rice. Still, it was a fragrant and tasty accompaniment, as were two ice cold beers.
We could have ended on a high but for the ill-advised ordering of the vegan kheer (£4.95). Lured by the promise of a homemade dessert cooked with tapioca, vegan milk, raisins and a mysterious ‘other’, we were disappointed by the overly sweet, runny dish of molten liquid that was served.
Despite being a meal of hits and misses, Vegan India offers something many are longing for: a proper, filling spread reminiscent of many curry nights gone by.
We devour our food — the good, the average and the questionable — and we pack our leftovers into boxes, wipe our faces on the warm wet wipes from a plastic packets and merrily pocket the dark chocolate square (vegan, of course).
Vegan India is a place that does what it says on the tin, offers service with a smile and a healthy dose of nostalgia for curry lovers of old. Pick your way carefully through the menu of non-meat options and you’ll walk out with a smile and a guiltless conscience.
All words and photos by Ellie Pipe
Vegan India, 189 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BG
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