Eating Indian street food at Cafe Diwali

When Crane Street Wine Cafe closed in Salisbury, I was really disappointed because it was my favourite restaurant in Salisbury. However, when I saw a sign in the window of the empty premises to say that an Indian Street food restaurant serving craft beers was coming there, my disappointment was quieted! 
Last weekend, we finally managed to get a babysitter and went to the newly opened Diwali Cafe for supper. I'd tweeted them beforehand and was delighted when they responded - it's always a good sign that you're going to get good service. And, we certainly did, with excellent, attentive service throughout the meal. 

The general layout remains similar to Cranes, but the décor has been refreshed with brighter paintwork and an Indian vibe. We were seated out in the conservatory area and I was pleased to see that the outdoor seating area also remains, it's a lovely sun trap in the summer.

The waiter came over to help talk us through the bijoux menu. Explaining that the menu was deliberately small, with the intention for them to update it every 3 months.

We started by ordering the mini poppadums which were a real treat. I love poppadums anyway, but they tend to be the same in most Indians with similar pickles. Well, not at Cafe Diwali. The mini poppadums come in a variety of flavours - some a bit more spicy, some with caraway seeds. And the pickles were delicious.

For our starters, I had the Mini Raj Kachori which were stuffed Panipuri (kind of a fried, crisp batter) and were super pretty and very tasty. My husband had the Fish Amritshari which were slightly spiced, fried fish goujons. Everything was very good indeed. As were our mains of whole tandoori sea bream and tandoori kebab platter.

As advertised, they also served a wide range of craft beers and a small selection of wines and spirits. I also noticed on their website that they have a kid's menu and a Sunday brunch menu.

Overall, I was really impressed and we will definitely be returning. A nice alternative to the other Indians in Salisbury and in a nice, cafe environment. Yum! I wish we had more independent places like this in Salisbury. It wasn't mega busy in there, so I'd really encourage you to give it a try.

Koh Thai Tapas comes to Salisbury

Having been to Koh Thai Bournemouth many times, I was very excited to hear that the boutique restaurant chain was coming to Salisbury.

The upstairs area. No
dance floor in sight

I'm not a big fan of restaurant chains taking over our high street and we definitely have our fair share of them in Salisbury. However, Koh Thai Tapas is a small chain. And, each of the restaurants is very different and has an individual feel. Or as their website says: "Each Koh restaurant oozes its own personality, its own local charm."

In advance of the opening, there was chatter on Twitter for weeks about when it would open. So, I was delighted when it finally did and we popped along for Mother's Day.

The picture my husband admired

The restaurant occupies the buildings on Endless Street that used to be a nightclub, where I spent too much of my youth. But they have entirely renovated the inside and it bears none of the feelings of a dinghy nightclub. In fact, the interior is a great mix of modern design with an oriental feel. It's not overly cluttered and there's a lovely, orange glow to the place. My husband was especially taken with the huge artwork behind us on the wall.

Double parked. Well, it was
Mother's Day.

The greeter/host was really friendly (and pretty easy on the eye) and offered us a choice of tables because we had our son with us. In fact, all the serving staff were super friendly and helpful. I would say more so than the Bournemouth one where the staff can be overly "prompt", but perhaps that's because they are always so busy.

Our Tapas style starters

The food was the quality you'd expect from Koh. If you've never been, it's Thai food, but with smaller portions that you mix and match. The meal sizes certainly weren't boutique though. And, typically we ordered too much. 

We both had Dim Sum to start and there were five large, delicious dumplings on my plate. I also had the squid and my husband had the spicy prawns. Thoughtfully, they brought my son's noodles with the starters which is great because he has minimal patience. I then had the Thai beef salad and my husband had spicy friend rice.

My son playing with the
"carrot art". 

All washed down with two Margaritas from their extensive cocktail menu and I also got a free glass of Prosecco as it was Mother's Day.

The bathrooms were very luxuriant and smelt of lemon grass. Sadly, no baby changing facilities, but the disabled toilet was out of order (as was one of the ladies toilets so I think they still had some work to do). So perhaps there will be facilities in the future.

Overall, a fantastic dining experience. Delicious, quality food, friendly and attentive staff with a contemporary and relaxed atmosphere.