We visited Birmingham’s latest Indian street food restaurant and discovered some dazzling dishes & craft beer

With Birmingham being behind one of the most popular Indian dishes of all time - the balti - it’s no wonder we’re leading the way when it comes to the latest street food trend.

Chefs got a big thumbs up from Prince William and Princess Kate no less when they visited Birmingham ahead of the Coronation - clad in claret and blue of course, with Wills being an Aston Villa supporter. The Royal couple were invited to enjoy some street food at the Indian Streatery in Bennetts Hill and were filmed praising the delicious dishes to crowds who had gathered outside to greet them.

Following the Royal visit, a new Indian Street food restaurant has opened up on Bennetts Hill called Bundobust - and it’s got its own brewery. Curry and beer, what’s not to love, it was a place I had to check out.

I’m not sure what the building now housing Bundobust was originally, but a few years ago a hospitality company transformed it into a Victorian style bar called Pint Shop. Sadly it closed after not too long and was then reopened as Nude Bar & Grill. It’s a great spot, next to the Wellington, so hopefully Bundobust will be able to be a more permanent fixture.

It was buzzing early on Thursday evening when we arrived. We were greeted with a cheery welcome and shown to our seats, not far from the brightly coloured bar on the ground floor. The waitress asked us if we’d visited previously and explained the concept of how it’s advisable to order two or three dishes each from the menu - kind of tapas style - and order at the bar.

There were so many amazing dishes to choose from - smacked Khakri, mung bean chapata, chole saag being among several that caught our eyes. Guess it could be worth mentioning that it’s all meat free. I’m not a veggie and certainly didn’t miss not being able to order any chicken or the like for a change.

Not being experts in Indian street food, myself and my pal decided to opt for a Combo for two which consisted of Mung Bean Chapata, bhajis, bundo chaat, tarka dhal and rice, paneer tikka and palak kofta.

We didn’t have to wait long until our feast arrived - all served in paper plates and containers. And what a heavenly feast it was - oozing with flavour, packing a punch on the spice front and just so hearty and wholesome, while still being delicious. The flavours really complemented each other and there were contrasts of flavours and textures. The creamy paneer Tikka was a real highlight, along with the sweet and cooling, crunchy mung bean chatpata.

And it’s not just the food that is magnificent at Bundobust - the beer is amazing too, especially the Mango Lassi Dazzler. I’m not a particular beer fan, but the IPA is a wonderful treat, fruity and sweet yet refreshing and zesty. I also tried a Tropical IPA, which was great - but a bit strong on the stronger side with alcohol. There were so exotic sounding beers, I’m looking forward to another visit to try out some more.

There are offers on beers throughout the summer too from 3.30pm to 6.30pm, Sunday to Thursday for an extended happy hour. And there’s a lunchtime loyalty offer, which could be handy if you work in town.