We try the 'memorable' £49 tasting menu at Bristol restaurant Nutmeg Street Kitchen 

Ditch the New Year diet. What you really need to beat the January blues is the belt-busting chef’s tasting menu at Nutmeg Street Kitchen.

From the team behind Nutmeg in Clifton, Nadu in Stokes Croft and Kal Dosa in Gloucester Road, this new Indian restaurant opened in September and, by all accounts, it has been pretty much packed ever since.

Indeed, I have been turned away without a reservation several times so booking is now essential if you want to guarantee a table.

Nutmeg Street Kitchen occupies what was briefly the trendy kebab joint Hoba but most Bristolians will remember the site as a branch of Pizza Hut. Its close proximity to the Bristol Hippodrome also makes it ideal for a pre-theatre meal.

Owner Raja Munuswamy has struck gastronomic gold by recruiting Indian chef Shishir Sinha, who boasts more than a decade of experience in Indian restaurants across the UK and Dubai, including London’s Michelin-starred Benares.

He brings to Bristol his skills and experience in fine dining Indian restaurants but, as the name suggests, Nutmeg Street Kitchen is more about Indian street food, albeit served with Michelin-worthy presentation.

And what better way to sample the greatest hits of the menu by trying the chef’s tasting menu, which at £49 per person is good value for the amount of food served.

The multi-dish menu is geared towards sharing so it’s ideal for families and large groups, as well as couples.

There were four substantial starters including Tangra chilli chicken - stir-fried chicken with plenty of fiery chilli heat - and the more restrained and fragrant Ladakh momos (steamed and filled chicken and lamb dumplings with a tangy smoked garlic and tomato chutney).

Light and airy raaj kachori (a fluffy wheat and lentil chaat dish from Delhi) also impressed, as did the golgappa - delicate spiced potato and black gram wheat 'bubbles' with a selection of refreshing mocktail shots.

We were already feeling pretty full by the time the starters were cleared away but after a short break, the main dishes arrived thick and fast.

Tender and juicy lamb chops smoked with Kashmiri chillies and yoghurt were followed by a classic murgh makhani (butter chicken), the tender chicken pieces in a rich and silky sauce.

For me, the stand-out dishes were the laal maas (Rajasthani smoked lamb curry) and the Kerala jhinga - king prawns simmered in a light and fruity coconut and tamarind curry. We mopped up sauces with pillow-like garlic naan bread and fragrant saffron rice. 

But there was still a surprise in store when the waitress brought our dessert of daulat chaat - a creamy, cold condensed milk dish with toasted nuts and rose petal. 

Served in a pretty Indian dish, it was placed in a larger bowl full of billowing dry ice which covered our table with clouds of magical ‘fog’.

It certainly attracted plenty of attention from other diners and also provided plenty of theatre as the dessert started to move around due to the force of the dry ice.

For £49 per person, the chef's tasting menu is excellent value based on the generosity of the portions and quality of the cooking. It was a memorable meal packed with surprises.

After the success of their other three restaurants, the Nutmeg team have done it again. When it comes to vibrant venues with authentic cooking, they seem unstoppable.

Nutmeg Street Kitchen, 23-25 St Augustine's Parade, Bristol BS1 4UL.