Food: Searching for Hull's best curry - Tapasya Review part 2

You may remember I raved about a seven course Indian tasting meal we had and each course came with a special gin cocktail... if not, you need to read it. We had just returned from India and were craving some of the sunny, spicy cooking we had enjoyed there.

Since then they opened another restaurant on the Hull Marina, which is absolutely interior goals inside, with views of the yachts bobbing on the water. We have visited a fair few times and the food is slightly different to Tapasya Beverley Road but just as yummy. It is even more of a fine dining experience but they entirely complement each other, as you'd expect, given it has the same chef consultant.

We heard that Tapasya Hull was launching a new menu and had a new chef in town, of Michelin star quality, no less. We thought what better excuse than to head back over there to try it out at Tapasya's VIP private dining experience.

A warm welcome awaited us on arrival, with the champagne already on ice, and a variety of amazing cocktails ready to be sampled. They have a beautiful, fully stocked bar and a resident mixologist, who will whip you up anything your heart desires. I heartily recommend their gin cocktails; they are so full of Indian flavour, I could almost close my eyes and imagine being back on that Goan beach.

After a 'mady pey', the Indian word for aperitif, or so Google reliably informs me, we were shown to our private dining room. A decadent space, with one full wall of fine wines and another of glass, so that you can still feel part of the ambience inside the restaurant. Or, if you like to 'be seen' then this is the place to show that you're making it in the world, with your private space for all of your favourite peeps.

The menu is still expertly presented but certainly felt more selective since our last visit. There were 2-3 vegetarian starters and main courses each, with perhaps 6-7 fish and meat. This seemed perfectly balanced and catered for both my Herbivore requirements and the Carnivore.

I could have eaten any of the tantalising options given but honed in on the Sounfia Malai Paneer Broccli, which was a tandoori paneer and broccoli with tamarind chutney. Anything with paneer, which is a firm Indian cheese, gets my vote.

The Carnivore opted for the Galawati Kabab, which was Awadi lamb patties with mini naan, pickled onion and a mint sauce. This proved to be quite popular with the other guests, too.

Our drinks were topped up and we chatted between us finding out all sorts of interesting tidbits about Tapasya. They grind all of their own spices fresh on site, which explains how they get such incredible flavour. We make a lot of curries at home but it is so hard to get the layers that the professionals seem to.

The servers were impeccably dressed and had an impressive knowledge of the menu and wines. They even have their own Somelier, so even if you know nothing about wine, they can help get you the perfect wine to match your food.

An amuse bouche arrived to tide us over until our food arrived; a pretty little parcel of Vegetable Samosa with a tamarind sauce, which gave it a nice, warm kick in the back of the throat. Unsure whether to delicately nibble or just gobble the whole thing at once, it was soon devoured.

Thankfully soon after the starters arrived and my paneer dish was divine. It reminded me a little of a cauliflower cheese but made with broccoli. It had a creamy sauce layered over the crunchy broccoli and the paneer was golden and light. The tamarind chutney once again added some heat and was delicious.

The Carnivore's lamb kabab was also mouthwatering and seemed to go down a treat with all who ordered it, even those that don't normally eat lamb. The patties were moist and flavoursome, served on a naan. The size was very generous, which the Carnivore was mighty glad about, as in fine fining restaurants you sometimes don't get a lot.

Silence descended for a moment, as it often does while people enjoy their food, before normal service was resumed and we all cooed over each other's dishes. Apparently Tapasya pride themselves on using local, seasonal ingredients, so most of what we ate was from Yorkshire, which was a nice twist.

We could definitely tell there was plenty of Indian heritage in these recipes, though, and had clearly been passed down through generations of Indian cooks. We loved the variance of types of Indian foods when we visited - southern Indian cuisine is very different from northern dishes, for example, and Tapasya offered a good variety.

We talked a bit about Hull's fantastic year as City of Culture in 2017 and how transformed the marina is, where their new restaurant is situated. The city is fast becoming home to some amazing independent restaurants that are worth a visit for the food alone.

The side dishes were brought into the room, teasing us for what was to come. There was spinach with baby corn, which was my favourite, a steaming daahl, various naan breads and fluffy rice.

For my main I ordered Sahi Malai Kofta, which was cottage cheese dumplings, served in a rich cashew and onion cream sauce. I am a cheese fiend, so I wasn't at all perturbed by having two cheese courses but the two dishes couldn't have been more different.

This was like a korma; mild, sweet, with a subtle spice and hint of nutmeg, which wafted tantalisingly around the room when the lid was removed. The dumplings were an amazing mix of crispy on the outside and stodgy on the inside. It was a really comforting dish, perfect for a cold evening.

The Carnivore's Rogni Machhi arrived, which was a delicious sounding monkfish curry with tamarind, tomatoes, onion, and coriander. It was simmered with chillies and ginger, to give it lots of heat, and finished with cumin and coriander powder. It was everything a curry should be; spicy, aromatic, full of flavour and hearty. The monkfish was tender and melted in the mouth.

I really like that this restaurant offers not just high end dining but also a very high quality curry experience. So if you fancy popping for a mid week curry, then you can absolutely get that here but in much nicer surroundings.

I was delighted to hear that Tapasya are cementing their links in Hull even further with another new opening coming soon. It will offer Indian street food, just like we ate in the night markets of Goa, and will be priced from £1-£5, so it will be perfect for trying lots of tasty morsels or for nipping out for lunch. It's even going to be situated in the characterful old Trinity Market.

I remember visiting as a little girl and getting mesmerised by the hustle and bustle of the market. Butchers, bakers and candlestick makers all touting their wares. I'm so happy to see it being brought back into use and being completed regenerated. With new stalls such as Tapasya's offer it's sure to be a foodie's dream.

We don't tend to order dessert in an Indian restaurant, as we're normally too full, and I'll be honest, it's not what I immediately think of when going for Indian cuisine, but we eyed up the dessert menu and went for it.

We both ordered the Pistachio Kulfi, or ice cream to me and you, but chef had ran out of pistachio, sadly. We were offered the Mango Kulfi instead and it arrived stacked high on the plate in architectural little towers. It was a very buttery, rich sorbet but cleansed the palate nicely after our meal.

One of the other guests ordered the Gajar Halwa, which was a lovely looking carrot pudding, and I would be tempted to try this next time. The Kala Jamun also looked amazing with sugary syrupy dumplings, for those with a bigger appetite.

I'm happy to say that we enjoyed our meal as much as the last time we visited and we could definitely see the new chef's Michelin star input. I'm excited to see Tapasya open it's street food stall and develop it's city centre offer but the experience and food at Beverley Road is really very special and not to be missed.

If you fancy having your own private dining party you'll be glad to know that there is no hire charge, so you can create a fancy pants evening all of your own for any occasion. It would be lovely for a birthday or baby shower. Just give the Tapasya team a call and they'll take care of it all for you.


Our meal was complimentary but views and opinions are honest and completely our own.