Salkaara

Salkaara has been on my list of restaurants to try for quite some time, since bursting onto the Cardiff food scene on Station Road (Llandaff North) in June of 2019, and carving out a reputable name for themselves in the time since. In this period they have opened another branch in Cardiff on Wellfield Road, whilst also crossing the Severn Bridge to Bristol and Banbury.

Known for their authentic Southern Indian cuisine, the restaurant is the vision of Chef Santhosh, who hails from Kerala.

A relaxed, light, and open restaurant awaited as we were seated. It was quiet when we first arrived on an early Sunday evening, but tables began to fill up relatively quickly throughout our meal.

I was intrigued by the prospect of their Indian tasting menu, seemingly an interesting possibility at £39.95 per head. The full menu contains a variety of plates, of which I would describe as unorthodox (in a good way). I haven’t seen many of the dishes that they offer in restaurants before, and would not know where to find them either. Note that I am not much of an Indian food connoisseur!

Worth adding that alongside their dine-in, they have a shortened take away menu.

I’ve attached a snippet of their unique & extensive options, plus the tasting menu below.

I refrained from the tasting menu, a decision I would end up regretting.

To start, we first decided on the Kashmir Chicken Tikka (£6.50). The three bite-sized chunks of grilled chicken were marinated in a pleasant, spicy coating, loaded with hot red chilli & cool yoghurt, indicated by a 2 out of 5 rating on on the menus chilli scale. The chicken was a little dry, but certainly tasty.

Our second starter was the Scallops Thengapal (£7.95). I was a little apprehensive about ordering scallops at an Indian restaurant, but was drawn in by the fact they were described as “hand-dived Scottish scallops”. My apprehension was warranted. They were small, milky, and underdone, with no sear. Though, the lemony, coconut sauce they bathed in salvaged something from the dish.

Mains arrived in the form of a Konju Manga Curry, Tandoori Surf N Turf, chilli & coriander naan bread, and pilau rice. Which, may I add, was all prettily presented.

The Tandoori Surf N Turf contained both highs and lows. The spiced makhani sauce was wonderfully sweet & hot, and I enjoyed diving my plump chips into it. The succulent grilled king prawn was a beast, popping out of it’s shell with ease. Chunks of chicken tikka were from the same mould as our starter, and therefore no complaints from me.

An oblong piece of Seekh kebab was average, and that’s all I can say about it. A square of salmon had a limp, soft skin, when I was hoping for something crispy. Whilst the spice crusted lamb was overcooked & tough.

The Konju Manga Curry was seemingly a creation that would be bursting with flavours & spices, as per the menu description:

“Tiger prawns simmered in a spicy coconut & raw mango gravy, tempered with mustard, fenugreek seeds & curry leaves.” Also promising another heat level of 2/5 on the Salkaara chilli Scoville scale.

It wasn’t spicy at all, and tasted a lot like a standard korma.

The chilli & coriander naan certainly looked beautiful, and once again in my mind I was expecting a party in my mouth with a pungent coriander and a feisty red chilli.

The naan had a great consistency, with crisp, blistered bubbles protruding across it’s surface. But it lacked in any flavour, on the brink of me describing it as bland.

Desserts followed in a similar fashion: a mixed bag.

“Chocomosa” - these were exquisitely delicate samosa pastries stuffed with oozy dark chocolate ganace & almond flakes, sat atop slices of raw banana which were caramelised on a single side. Loved the samosas, but felt the bananas were unnecessary & odd in texture. The vanilla ice-cream was gorgeous, but it slipped my mind to ask if it was home-made!

Alongside the Chocomosa, we plucked for another one of Salkaara’s innovative offerings: a rose Crème Brûlée. This was reminiscent of an Angel Delight below a layer of caramelized sugar, and who doesn’t love Angel Delight?

With a glass of white wine each and a 10% service charge, the bill came to £87.01.

I arrived at Salkaara feeling optimistic & intrigued, but left with a sense of being underwhelmed.

There were, however, certainly many positives to take from their food, and I may have ordered wrong.

I will someday return for that elusive tasting menu!