The Chilli Pickle, Guildford
After many adventures all over India Dawn and Alun brought the Indian specialities they had come across, right to our doorstep and my goodness, are we glad they did. Ten years ago Dawn and Alun opened The Chilli Pickle in The Lanes in Brighton. Fast forward ten years and not only have they moved the Brighton restaurant to accommodate more people, they have also opened their doors to their second location, right here in Guildford!
On Friday 26th Jesse and myself went along to sample some of what The Chilli Pickle has to offer. We were shown to our table by Toby, the general manager who explained that each of the tables in the restaurant were made by Dawn’s father, and that the builders hired to build the Guildford branch, are the same ones that helped build the Brighton site eight years previous. We could already get a sense that this place was family orientated and that it supports local businesses, exactly what we like to see!
Toby went above and beyond when it was time to order and recommended a couple of things that were his favourite as well as being articulate and very descriptive about what each dish entails. He was also kind enough to check how much spice Jesse and I could handle so he could let the kitchen know not to go overboard with the chillies, again a huge selling point for us!
To start we had poppadoms & chutneys. We had mixed onion chutney, pineapple chutney, spiced tomato jam and lime chutney. All of the chutneys complimented the poppadoms brilliantly. The chutneys had varied flavours and ranged from sweet to tangy. We also sampled Pani Puri, this consists of a crispy shell with potato and chickpea salad inside. It was served with tamarind water and chilli, we had to dip our Pani Puri into the tamarind water and fill the shell with it, resulting in the crispy outside shell contrasting with the wet of the tamarind water beautifully as the textures combines, as well as leaving a tangy taste with a slight kick.
Toby brought over a couple of drinks that would complement the main courses we had opted for. We had a pomegranate and ginger fizz, with the sharpness of the pomegranate contrasting wonderfully to the warming smoothness of the ginger. We also sampled a Persian lemonade, which was one of the most refreshing drinks I have ever had. With fusions of lemon, mint, cucumber and a subtle hint of rose essence. It was served with paper straws, another positive!
After that was time for the main event. Toby suggested two options and Jesse and I decided we would share both. The first was a Punjabi Keemar Naan, which consisted of mutton shoulder mince with fenugreek, roasted cumin, coriander, hung yogurt and fried chillies, served on a naan bread with a side of Punjabi fries. It was delicious! Again all of the flavours worked well and flattered even the subtlest of flavours.
The second main we decided on was a Chettinad Black Pepper Chicken King Thali. Try and say that after a couple of gins! This was a wonderful recommendation as it allows you to sample lots small dishes as well as dal of the day, we upgraded to the King Thali which came with an additional 2 snacks, Dhokla and a dessert.
The meal was brilliant and Jesse and I left talking about who else we wanted to bring along to experience the taste sensation. The team are friendly and accommodating, the restaurant is colourful and authentic, and the food is stunning!
Highly recommended and will definitely be back! Thank you Chilli Pickle!
Look out for their alternative “Pork knuckle” Sunday lunch. ￡16 for 2 people. Whole crispy pork knuckle serves with vindaloo gravy, green apple kachumber, aloo jeera, raita & coriander butter naan.
For more information please contact me: [email protected]