The Portuguese Indian restaurant spicing up the best places to eat in Birmingham

Indian food has been bringing comfort and joy to the people of Birmingham for decades.

From the first ever groundbreaking Bagladeshi curry house on Steelhouse Lane in the 1940s to the pioneering Birmingham Balti in the 1970s and the Indian fine dining venues of more recent times - our city has been at the cutting edge of the food favourite throughout time.

And true to its tradition of spearheading so many trends there’s a new buzz about curry in Brum.

Indian food has moved on again - and now it’s cooking up a storm in exciting new fusions with other exotic cultures from across the globe.

Have you checked out the Iranian Indian collaboration at Dishoom in Paradise? There’s also the Persian Indian fusion at Qavali at Brindleyplace.

And if you don’t want to travel into town, you can try out Portuguese Indian food at Estado da India.

This third option is the one I decided to check out recently.

Here’s what I found.

The concept - a new style of Indian for Birmingham

Estado da India celebrates the union of two cultures - Portugal and India.

The Portuguese first arrived in India back in the 1500s and as their influence spread The State of India was formed (Estado da India).

This influence is particularly prominent around Goa today.

Back in Brum, the Lasan Group which runs Estado da India on Harborne High Street - among other restaurants across Birmingham, including Fiesta Del Asado and Raja Monkey) - have cleverly adapted this influence at this unique restaurant (that was formerly a Cafe Rouge).

It is aimed at capturing the best of the Luso-Indian heritage - the fiery thirst for life of the Portuguese and the spirituality of India.

With kick-ass spicy dishes packing a punch amid some serene surroundings they’ve certainly got all the ingredients.

The venue - vibrancy and colour light the way

Situated on Harborne High Street, Estado da India is easy to find - although you might want to check out the best parking options, if you’re driving.

The venue is all on the ground floor with huge windows at the front filling it with light - if you’re visiting during the day.

It’s filled with colour and vibrancy and a welcoming, buzzing atmosphere - there was a lot of chatter and laughter when I visited for a girls catch up on a Saturday afternoon.

The tables are a comfortable distance from each so you can enjoy the company of your group, while being among others.

There’s some great wall paintings and an array of charming decorations to check out too.

The food - small plates packing a punch

So the first thing to mention here is that this memorable menu offers a fantastic range of small plates which are recommended to share with your table mates.

It’s like a tapas bar - except the food is Portuguese Indian inspired, of course!

Our waiter is great at explaining how the menu works and talking us through any dishes we’re not sure about.

He also recommends that we order three dishes each, with the option to add more - if we want to (prices range from £3.75 to £9.95)

There’s a great selection across the seven sections - petiscos, grilled, bomba pulao, vegetal, kari, sides and something sweet.

The likes of Iberico vindaloo pork ribs, monkfish rechedeado, chicken arroz, Goan cauliflower, beef vindaloo and passion fruit Kulfi are among the selections.

We opted for Iberian lamb ribs, Goan Pao bun, chicken cafreal, tomate naan, chicken arroz, Kerala squid, wild mushroom croquette, spicy chourico chicken mappas - we also added some masala fries for good measure!

It was an exciting journey around the table tucking into so many different distinctive flavours and textures. There are plenty of vegetarian options.

A trip I’m looking forward to doing again, although I might include a side order of rice to accompany the dishes as well.

The drinks

There’s a huge selection of drinks - both alcoholic and non-alcoholic to accompany the food at Estado da India.

We decided to stick to alcohol!

There’s a delicious range of cocktails - with some great deals throughout the week - including the likes of Tropical Fog (dark rum, lychee liqueur, watermelon and lime juice) and Magic Lamp (vodka lychee, citrus and pink bubble gum). There’s also sangria - red or white.

For our lunch we opted for a bottle of prosecco brut Itynera (£24.95) - which was fizzing with flavour.

The verdict

If you love spicy Indian food and fancy trying something a bit different the Estado da India is definitely worth a visit.

The service is great, the venue is welcoming and the food is fantastic. It’s like taking a mini trip to a far away land full of mystery and adventure.

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.