CocoCami: Rumi by Bukhara...

It is no secret how much I love food, and one type of food I especially love is Indian food. I really enjoy spicy food and I find that a good curry is always so satisfying and delicious. I was therefore pleased to be asked to sample the delights of Rumi by Bukhara*in Liverpool, a restaurant revered for its authentic Indian cuisine. The original Bukhara restaurant has long been a favourite in Preston and due to popular demand the team have expanded with a Liverpool restaurant too.

We were warmly welcomed to the bright and spacious restaurant which has lots of clean lines, gleaming white surfaces and purple tones. There is a counter of delights which greet you upon walking in, such as a vast selection of homemade gelato in tempting flavours such as Snickers, Nutella and Bounty! I was already anticipating dessert, but first it was time to enjoy the savoury delights on the menu as we took our seats at a spacious booth where none other than Steven Gerrard had dined in the past.

After enjoying mini Poppadoms with a selection of chutneys, we decided to begin with a couple of starters from a vast range of both meat and vegetarian options. The Samosa Chaat were amazingly moreish, chunks of deep fried vegetable samosa with chickpeas, diced red onions, tomatoes, yogurt and tamarind sauce. There was such a range of flavours to this dish and I was pleased it was recommended to us. We also enjoyed one of my favourite Indian appetisers, Onion Bhajis which had a tasty spicy batter and plenty of onion filling.

The only difficulty with the main courses was deciding exactly what to order from the many choices. I went for Chicken Tikka Biryani, for which I chose a medium level of spice from the mild, medium or hot choices. This was a delicious dish with plenty of tender chicken breast served in a rice dish with herbs, fine spices and saffron. The separate sauce brought in a further kick of spice and complemented the chicken and rice beautifully.

After hearing a detailed recommendation, my dining companion was convinced to go for the Handi Murgh Laziz, chicken cooked with fresh onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, spices, fresh cream and coconut milk. This was so creamy, rich and divine that I almost took the whole dish from him after tasting a little! It reminded me of a korma but with much more complexity of flavour.

We could not resist an order of Peshwari Naan bread which is something I always find a perfect accompaniment to Indian food as the sweetness of the bread balances out the spices of the curry well. Service throughout was so friendly, welcoming and pleasant and we were made to feel like old friends by the Rumi by Bukhara team. The restaurant was very busy, with a constant flow of diners arriving and people gathering around tables heaped with mouth-watering food.

There is a very enjoyable ambience too, which is a casual and relaxed atmosphere which many restaurants struggle to achieve. I love dining out at places like this which make you feel so at ease and where you can truly unwind. After all of the amazing dishes we had eaten, we just about managed to find room for some of that amazing handmade gelato.

I adore coconut, so I had the Bounty one as well as a scoop of caramel and Kinder Bueno. My dining companion chose the coffee flavour, which was like a sweetened latte in ice cream form, so good! You could really tell the excellent quality of this ice cream from how thick and creamy it was, and each flavour was decorated with chunks of chocolate, caramel or fruit too. There are so many amazing desserts on offer at Rumi in addition to the freshly made gelato. There are traditional Indian desserts such as Gajar Halwa (Carrots cooked in cream, whole milk and flavoured with cardamom, almonds and pistachios) as well as indulgent Belgian waffles, ice cream sundaes, milkshakes and mocktails.

There is everything you could need and more on offer at this restaurant and just in case somebody you are dining with does not like Indian food there is also a full menu of steaks, grill dishes and salads. I am already looking forward to going back again to try more of the Indian dishes on the menu, such as Tandoori Paneer Tikka, Samundari King Prawns and Daal Makhani.

We had a super time dining at Rumi by Bukhara and I loved every bite of the Indian food which was cooked to perfection with perfect flavours. I have found a new great place for Indian food in Liverpool and I would definitely suggest anyone who enjoys curry pays this restaurant a visit. The desserts alone are also worth a trip here!

What do you all think, what is your usual Indian food order and which of these dishes would you like to sample first? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post!

Until next time,

Camille