Af ters
( INTRIGUING INDIANS )
THE MINT ROOM, BATH An old faithful on the Bath dining scene, if a little unobvious in terms of location, this place certainly ain’t your average Indian, says Jessica Carter
S
o, in the spirit of not beating around the bush, we went to Bath’s Mint Room and had a really, really good meal. There are two Mint Rooms – Bath, the original, and a Bristol branch that opened more recently – but each is pretty independent from the other.
The building on Lower Bristol Road doesn’t scream elegant, contemporary grub; driving down the main drag you’re unlikely – if you didn’t already know what’s inside – to even spot it, yet alone be compelled to pull over (tricky in itself on that stretch). That’s why it’s vital you realise how on-point the food is.
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If you’re going a la carte, then expect the likes of tempura prawn and panfried scallop in a coconut, cumin and fenugreek sauce (£9.95), or marinated lamb neck fillet, roasted and smoked on charcoal and served with clarified butter and cloves (£7.95), to kick off. Sure, if you wanted to you could have a more familiar main – think jalfrezi, dhansak, makhani (all £11.95) et al – but the lesser-spotted likes of pot-roasted masala lamb shank (£17.95), palak kofta – spinach and onion dumpling in a tomato and cashew nut sauce (£11.95), or smoked Tawa duck (£15.95) will do their best to tempt you away from your usual order. The guys here have been working with a wine expert lately too, so expect some great matches for certain plates. The Mint Room specialises in regional dishes from all over the subcontinent, and brings it all together by way of a vast tasting menu (£55, or £70 with wine flight). This is pretty fluid – some dishes had even changed since the menu was
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