Under the calm gaze of historic Bolsover Castle is a rather fine Keralan restaurant, Alleppey Kitchen, and its owner, Sree, kindly invited The Man and I over to try their cuisine. Alleppey Kitchen is situated in the old Castle Arms Pub, and its official title is ‘Alleppey Kitchen at The Castle Arms’ given its location, it’ll come as no surprise when I say that there’s plenty of parking on-site.
Sree was there to greet us as we stepped inside, instantly struck by the beauty of the deep Sapphire Blue and rich Mustard Yellow that form the décor scheme. I immediately spotted the twinkling chandelier and then my attention was grabbed by the stunning metal-work and crystal, wall mounted tree silhouette sculpture. First impressions? Wow!
Our table was a half-moon banquette number in the window; I couldn’t quite see the Castle, but there was a hammered-metal Cheetah ornament standing proudly there! Sree got us sorted with drinks: Shiraz for me, pint of Madri for The Man, and he also brought chilled water and glasses over. All the cutlery and napkins are housed in holders that are ready set-up on the tables. To keep us occupied whilst we looked through the menu, a basket of Masala Pappadam with Mixed Vegetable Chutney and Mango Chutney were brought over.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen such cute, perfectly formed spheres of puffed-up dough perfection; honestly, they were precious. Having got over my totes emosh moment of sentimentality, I broke one in half and began to top it with the sharp, crunchy Vegetables and sweet, sticky Mango Chutney. Absolutely marvellous!
It’s always great, from our perspective, when a team says to us “I thought we could showcase you several dishes, rather than you just choose a single main” not only does it mean we get to sample a larger range, but it indicates a pretty solid level of confidence in the kitchen team. Fine by us, guv’nor – let the feasting commence!!
Our starter trio consisted of: Gobi Manchurian (£7.99), Vegetable Mini Mysore Masala Dosa (£6.99) and Dragon Chicken (which is coming soon to the menu). Sree was in constant contact with the kitchen via a [very nifty!] headset, allowing him to convey to diners how their meals were progressing, as well as other more practical, logistic matters to his team. All the starters were exquisitely presented on rich blue-toned platters, and garnished prettily for visual effect.
Having not encountered it before, we tucked into the Dragon Chicken first; let’s say it is certainly aptly described - and Sree did give us fair warning, saying to give ourselves a few seconds to appreciate it. Strips of juicy Chicken breast meat were coated heavily in spices that were rich and deep…and as fiery as a dragon’s breath! Onions, Red Peppers and Green Peppers were all in the mix, and there was a superbly crunchy Carrot and Cabbage Salad to savour as well. This was a brilliant dish, and one that we’d happily have again.
Before Sree had suggested the smorgasbord approach to our meal at Alleppey Kitchen, I had spotted Gobi Manchurian on the menu and said that we definitely needed to order this. Don’t ask me what it is, but there is something mesmerising about the combination of batter-coated Cauliflower florets and their accompanying tangy sauce that just gets me in the feels, y’know? This particular, unctuous sauce was an Indo-Chinese fusion type, packing sweet and sour notes within it to produce a mouth-wateringly good morsel.
If you haven’t had a Dosa before (and I appreciate it perhaps isn’t the most eye-catching item on a menu), you’re missing a trick. I often say that it’s the simple things that are the best, and this spiced Potato and Onion version is spot-on, coming with Coriander Chutney and Sambhar (a medium hot Lentil and Vegetable ‘stew’). Sree had brought out a little pot of the Sambhar for us to assess the spice level and whether we wanted it ramped up or dampened down – didn’t give us that option with the Dragon Chicken did ya, huh?!!! The Dosa itself has a curious tang to it on the palate, produced by the overnight soaking/fermentation of the Rice and Black Lentil mix that forms the dough that, when cooked, produces the gossamer light crepe/pancake. We both really liked this gentle sourness; it partnered with the spiced vegetable filling marvellously. I have to say that I could happily have the full-sized Dosa as a main course (£9.99) and not feel short-changed in the slightest. The Sambhar was delicious and satiating, thanks to lentils being packed with fibre and protein, and had a delightful twang of Tamarind to it. Equally super was the Coriander Chutney, imparting a wonderfully aromatic note in the mouth. Three for three so far; could the Chefs keep the standard as high for the entire meal?
As with our starters, Sree wanted to serve us some dishes that weren’t yet officially on the menu – who were we to argue?! One of the dishes [on the menu] we’d spied (and were planning to order) was the Duck Mappas (£12.99), simply because I couldn’t count on one hand the number of times we’ve ever seen Duck on the menu at an Indian Restaurant… and you all know what nebby buggers we are! I was beyond curious to see what this would taste like. The skinless, boneless Duck was beautifully moist and tender, served in a sauce that, at first glance, could easily be mistaken for a Thai Green Curry. Being honest, there were some similarities here: the Coconut Milk base, for a start, and the clean, bright flavour of the sauce. The distinct difference was the omission of Lemongrass and Galangal; you could certainly taste they weren’t in the mix, so to speak; India and Asia may have similarities, but they also have differences. However, there was no lack of layers to the flavour profile of this mesmerising Mappas; warmth from Green Chilli and fragrant Cardamom wound around my palate like a cat around legs!
Two of our mains were fish-based: the Nadan Fish Fry, and the Nadan Fish Curry (both £13.99). At Alleppey Kitchen, the Chefs use only Kingfish imported from India; its firm texture makes it perfect for using as chunks in curries or serving as a whole piece. Both types had a robust kick to them, shall we say – the Fish Curry especially is not for the faint-hearted; a distinct tingle was spreading over our lips and tongues. As with most Indian restaurants, you do need to exercise caution with Fish as they commonly aren’t boned, so chomp gently and pick the bones out as you go. Accompanied with still-crunchy vegetables, the fry and the curry were gorgeous meals.
We had another couple of ‘fry’s in our feast, Chicken and Buffalo; both were milder than their piscine cousin, though no less tasty. The Buffalo meat is sourced from North Allerton by Sree himself, who likes to ensure that he is getting 100% Buffalo meat, not a mix of it and Beef. Savvy man! This meat is perfect for the richer complexity of the Keralan spices used, and its deep flavour balances the sweetness of the Coconut that is used in this fry. Curry leaves are fried to crisp, aromatic brilliance, and a wedge of fresh Lime got used to bring a sharp citrus zip to the table.
The Chicken Fry saw us picking up the drumsticks to strip all the juicy meat away from the bone – sometimes you have just got to kick decorum to the kerb and get stuck in, y’know! Sublimely soft, the Chicken was coated in a contrastingly crisp batter and spices that were bold and confident. Shoestring Onions added even more texture and, yet again, the beyond-crisp Curry Leaves added colour and their distinctive nutty-with-citrus flavour. The citrus got a bit of help from me squeezing the Lime over the drumsticks – I love adding citrus, it cuts through the richness seamlessly.
Chicken Masala is coming to the menu at Alleppey Kitchen soon, and you are all in for a supremely tasty treat, let me just say! Obviously, the Masala (spice blend) is Keralan, so it will differ somewhat from its Northern Indian relative that we are more familiar with. In my opinion, the Keralan Masala is brighter and spicily sharper than the other, which is earthier and richer, I feel. Personally, I think this blend of spices teams with the Coconut base of the sauce absolutely amazingly and, paired with Chicken breast meat, made for an utterly beguiling dish.
Partnering our meal were a pair of breads, Kerala Porotta (£1.79, and Kallappam (£3.49 for 2 pieces), as well as Ghee Rice (£3.99) and Chicken Fried Rice (£8.99). His Nibs has recently become a convert to Porotta Bread; previously, he was firmly in the Naan ‘camp’, revelling in this Northern Indian bread’s thick pillowiness. Alleppey Kitchen don’t serve Naan, sticking with their traditional breads and thinner Chapatti, and do you know what? It isn’t missed at all. The buttery, multiple layers of the Porotta have that satisfying chew time but without the doughiness and with more taste. The Kallappam reminded me of those Drop Scones/Scotch Pancakes in their size and micro-bubble-topped appearance, though they were more savoury in taste than the scones. Light and fluffy in the mouth, these small-but-mighty breads were perfect for dibbing in the sauces left over and also for scooping up residual bits of fish, poultry or meat that had somehow evaded capture first time around.
Ghee Rice is, as its name suggests, Basmati Rice cooked in clarified butter (Ghee) to enrich it and deepen the flavour factor. Alleppey Kitchen further enhance their rice by including spices to entice the palate, something they do rather well. Its luxuriance reminded me of the glorious rice we’d had on holiday in Turkey; here they include butter, strands of crisp vermicelli and nuts to transform the humble grains into a quite remarkable dish in its own right. Alleppey Kitchen further zhuzh their Ghee Rice with fragrant spices to tantalise and, no word of a lie, I could’ve eaten a bucket-load of this!
Forget all you know about Chicken Fried Rice; it bears absolutely no resemblance to the Chinese version whatsoever! Actually, that’s a lie, because it has tiny pieces of chopped up Chicken in it, as well as Egg and Onion - but that’s where the similarity ends. There is significantly less greasiness to this Keralan interpretation and heftily more spice within it, including (to my delight) whole Cardamom pods that were beautifully aromatic.
Without exception, all the food had been marvellous, and I can honestly say that no two dishes were the same. Sometimes, and I don’t say this disparagingly, you can order several curries and them be, well, all alike, but here at Alleppey Kitchen at The Castle Arms in Bolsover this isn’t the case at all. Each dish was beautifully presented and garnished, and Sree and his team ensured we had wanted for nothing. At this point, you’d assume that the meal was over, wouldn’t you? We did. Rookie error, it seemed! Sree then casually sauntered over, bearing desserts - I nearly fainted with shock, His Nibs merely gawped in the fashion of one who thinks he’s hallucinating. Boyo, you’d better gird yo’ loins and dab in!!
Sree (I reckon) had done his research and discovered the His Nibs’ fave pud is Sticky Toffee, whaddya know, they just so happen to serve a date-pimped one at Alleppey Kitchen (£5.99); guess where that was headed, then?! I must say, it was ridiculously good; DeLorean-worthy, if truth be told…and the Toffee sauce? Slapping with more weight than a Blue Whale’s fluke (tail fin). Bloody fab sums it up succinctly.
I was presented with the Alleppey Fried Ice Cream (£5.99), and, ushering myself to the food confessional, I do like a dirty fried Mars Bar. Don’t come at me, ‘K, it’s a genetic flaw…at least that’s I tell myself! Anyway, back to the Ice Cream delight; at the core was a ball of delicious, good quality Vanilla Ice Cream that was surrounded by something familiar that I couldn’t put my finger quite on. Sree could see my puzzled mush and very kindly put me out of my misery: the crispy, non-batter ‘batter’ was actually crushed Corn Flakes. Jigger me, I wouldn’t have guessed that if my life had depended on it; yes, no doubt some of you are saying “shame it didn’t”, but here I am, still breathing. Again, there was no residual oiliness or grease to sully the delicate flavours of the dessert, making it proper chop-smacking in its deliciousness.
NOW the meal was really concluded, and every scrap had been totally savoured and enjoyed. If I could make myself invisible and snaffle morsels from the kitchen every day, I jolly well would! There are so many other dishes that His Nibs and I want to try, so you can bet your bottom quid that we’ll be back...maybe for the buffet that Alleppey Kitchen offers every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, who knows?
Hot Wings more than happily given to this stonkingly fab Bolsover restaurant! If you live locally, love authentic Keralan food (or both) and you haven’t visited here yet, well, you’re a gormless/gaumless muppet ain’t ya?! Get yersens booked in, you’ll not regret it.
Alleppey Kitchen at The Castle Arms is closed Monday and Tuesday, open Weds-Sat 5pm-10.30pm, and Sunday 5pm-8pm. Tables are limited, so I would advise calling the team on 03330 113886 to reserve one, or visit www.alleppeykitchen.co.uk and hit the ‘table reservation’ tab.
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