Now thanks to Indico we have North India right on our culinary doorstep offering food that is bursting full of flavour and a fantastic eastern experience for all. Soon to be a Birmingham favourite, Indico has already made an impression in the City Centre of Birmingham.

Indico is an Indian street food restaurant offering the flavours of Punjab to all of us looking to expand our culinary palettes! Indico opened there first restaurant in Shirley and the restaurant has received an award-winning status and now, Indico has opened there second restaurant in the Mailbox in Birmingham. Located in a great location sitting right opposite Bar Estillo, becoming the Mailboxes only Indian restaurant. We made sure we booked and it was lucky we did because come 6 pm it started to quickly fill up. Vibrant, bursting with colour and beautifully decorated, each table displays a teapot cannister that gives it that personal eastern touch to each table. We were greeted with smiles straight away and shown to our table and handed menus.

• 

• 

A wide variety of options from Currys, Tikka dishes, to Paaji burgers. A huge selection which will put a few people in a pickle choosing, I changed my mind literally 4 times. I found my myself scooping up my saliva looking at the menu, this food is defiantly going to test the tastebuds. First things first,  Papadums. Papadams are served with mango chutney, pickle, onion relish and mint sauce they came with Far Fars which are like little crisps that have been deep-fried, very addictive! Looking at the drinks menu there is a variety of drink options, the cocktails I will say are quite adventurous! Bollywood star dirty martini to Gingerbread martinis packed with a punch, very exotic and appetising cocktails. I went for a classic Strawberry daiquiri and boy, did it pack a punch, very sweet and quite the naughty little cocktail packed with a strong KAPOW of Rum! After a 10 minute debate with myself on what the heck I should order, I decided to order the lamb gilafi Kebab with cheesy masala fries and Bhatura bread, We also ordered The chefs special chicken taka tak curry with fried rice.

• 

• 

Looking around the place it is beautifully decorated with authentic decoration with a quirky tweak but stays true to Indicos North Indias roots, the seating areas are nice and spacious, and the interior just oozes class. The atmosphere is relaxing, the staff are very friendly and kept checking up on us to see if we were enjoying the experience. Now, this may irritate many eaters but for me, I’d rather have someone ask me how my food/experience is instead of being totally ignored. Food is flying in and out of the kitchen and the smell is absolutely divine, The service time is spot on, our food came within 15 minutes.

The lamb kebab was cooked to perfection and fell apart in my mouth. I am not a big fan of spice but this was quite mild, so I was able to eat the food without throwing down gallons of water. The curry was full of flavour and cooked very well, with nice juicy well-cooked pieces of chicken. The masala cheese fries were good but could have done with an extra bit of sauce, but I just dipped them into the curry and I can’t complain, it was an outstanding combination! The Bhatura bread was nicely baked, soft, fluffy and oh so satisfying! The food overall was full of flavour, delicious and possibly some of nicest Indian street food I have ever tasted.

I am very grateful for Indico gracing us City Centre folk, with its authentic charm and fantastic food and service. One thing that stood out at indico was the service, the customer service was brilliant however they may need to be a bit careful as some restaurant-goers want to be left to eat and not quizzed regarding the food. Of course, please take into account that I attended on the first week of the opening so of course, they want to know the feedback. I very much enjoyed my experience I came in with a smile and left with an even bigger smile but the only downside about my experience was as soon as I stood outside the door, I wanted more. I will be back before the new year as one trip simply wasn’t enough. Another fantastic restaurant in Birmingham with no doubt in my mind will be a favourite to many.

Congratulations Indico.

AMY ELIZA