'We tried Britain's first ever Indian drive-thru and left with just one regret'
While drive-thrus are more commonly associated with the fast food giants of McDonald's and KFC, their popularity has quickly expanded and more restaurants are jumping on the bandwagon.
The latest to join them is the UK's first-ever Indian drive-thru restaurant, which has recently opened its doors in Bolton, Greater Manchester.
It's been launched by the Indian street food chain Chaiiwala — a midlands-based business that originally started in Delhi in 1927.
But six years ago the business began serving Indian-inspired teas, street food and soft drinks in the UK and since then they've opened more than 70 stores across the country.
Manchester Evening News' Tom Molloy decided to check out their new drive-thru for himself and was left with just one regret.
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The butter chicken roll from Chaiiwala (Manchester Evening News)He arrived at 6.30pm and being unfamiliar with the menu, opted to order inside instead of making use of the drive-thru for his first visit, but was left surprised to find it pretty quiet for a prime dining time.
Despite this, he said the menu looked "incredibly appetising" and decided to order "a bit of everything", with the feast coming to a total of £34.
His order included:
- Butter chicken roll (£2.95)
- Mumbai mac 'n' cheese (£5.45)
- Kebab roll (£3.50)
- Aloo tikki burger (£3.25)
- Pana puri (£4.95)
- Gunpowder masala chips (£3.25)
- Gulab jamun (£3.95)
- Regular blue limbu pani (£2.75)
- Regular pink chaii with almonds and pistachios (£2.50)
The food took just 15 minutes to arrive and for those using the drive-thru, parking bays are available at the front of the restaurant in case of any waits.
After getting back home and unpacking his order, Tom first dug into the butter chicken roll, served on a crispy roti.
The butter chicken roll had a slight kick (Manchester Evening News)
Aloo tikki burger (Manchester Evening News)The tender butter chicken had a slight kick but nothing "too crazy" and the flavours were well-balanced.
Next, he tucked into the gunpowder masala chips — which were smothered in a tomatoey sauce that turned them orange and garnished with spring onions for good measure.
While the sauce made them slightly soggier than usual, the chips were moreish and received extra points from Tom for being served in a cone.
Gunpowder masala chips (Manchester Evening News)He then moved on to the aloo tikki — a vegetarian snack made from boiled potatoes, peas, and various curry spices, pressed into round hash brown-esque patty.
It was put on a burger bun with onion, tomatoes and house slaw and while not usually a fan of salad on burgers, Tom said he was "really pleasantly surprised" by the snack, which was sweet and bursting with flavour.
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The Mumbai man 'n' cheese also received a glowing review, with the pasta being soft, the cheese sauce light and spices sprinkled on top bringing a big kick of heat.
Mumbai mac 'n' cheese (Manchester Evening News)
The limbu pani (Manchester Evening News)Not every dish was well-received though, Tom said the kebab roll was less to his taste as while the partha was "beautifully crisp" and the chicken seekh was well cooked the mint yoghurt was "quite overpowering".
He then tried his final savoury dish, Pana Puri, which is eaten in something of a ritual that sees you preparing it by pushing a hole in the puri (deep-fired crisp flatbread) before filling it with chana mix and tamarind puri.
You then pop it into your mouth, leading to an "explosion of flavours and textures", but Tom warned they can get "a bit sickly" after a couple.
It's the first drive-thru Indian in the UK (Gary Oakley/Manchester Evening News)Moving onto dessert, Tom opted for gulab jamun, described on the menu as fried dough balls.
The utterly indulgent sweet treat came with a choice of ice cream and while "not much to look at" it was "absolutely delightful".
Finally, Tom tasted the drinks. The limbu pani might initially throw you off with its bright blue colour but it tasted like a sweet lemonade and was "incredibly refreshing".
The pink chaii was sweet and warming with some interesting texture from the almonds and pistachios.
All the food Tom ordered from Chaiiwala in Bolton (Manchester Evening News)Overall, Tom enjoyed the variation of dishes but said there was one downside to the whole experience.
He explained: "I had seen quite a few people complaining about the pricing online but for the amount of money we paid in total (£34.05) I definitely feel as if we got good value for money in terms of how many different dishes we got.
"However, I was still left feeling as if I could have managed quite a bit more food at the end, so I can see where people are coming from.
"What I did appreciate is that pretty much everything came in recyclable packaging, which made disposing of everything in the right way very straightforward."
He aded: "I definitely think that I would go to Chaiiwala again if I'm looking for some quick, convenient and tasty Indian food. It certainly makes a good addition to the more established drive-thrus out there and I'm looking forward to seeing more pop up in the future."
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