CHESHIRE: Handforth’s newest Indian offering Jathra opens its doors after full makeover

Jessica Ward | 13th September 2019

Set in a popular Handforth location – the former Viceroy site, now lives a new wave of Indian cuisine. Jathra is already making waves in the industry as they aim to take authentic Bangladeshi food to the next level for a unique Indian culinary experience.

 

With a great reputation within the community after only a few weeks of being open, we knew we had to get ourselves down to Jathra to experience the hype for ourselves, and report back to the good people of Cheshire!

 

 

Jathra translates to “journey” and is also the folk art and cultural tradition in Bengal and I’m told that this is where their story really begins.

 

Inside, Jathra have created a relaxing ambience within three distinct sections of their restaurant. They aim to provide maximum comfort whilst dining with them, with the atmosphere being equally as important as the food and service.

 

Every dish which comes out of the Jathra kitchen has been carefully and meticulously thought through and put together. Their blend of spices are mixed in house by the head chef himself, who truly believes that the right mix of spices bring out the very best flavours.

 

 

Our Jathra journey began from the moment we stepped through the doors. We were greeted by an exceptionally friendly waiter as he showed us to our seats and began to build a rapport with us. He took a great interest in our tastes of curry, and what our experiences with curry had been thus far.

 

He began to build up a good understanding of the traditional British curries we preferred and had become accustomed to and from there he was able to recommend some of their more unique dishes which had been specially crafted by the chef.

 

 

In the end we left the ordering to the experts. They made us feel so at ease and their knowledge made us feel comfortable enough to leave it to them.

 

Whilst we waited for our food to be delivered, we were given a selection of poppadum’s which included normal, grilled and spicy pops! The grilled poppadum was a new one for us, however it got the thumbs up from all of us, as the clear favourite.

 

We began with the mixed grill starter. Consisting of succulent pieces of chicken in a dry tikka marinade, a freshly prepared onion bhaji and a homemade shish kebab balanced perfectly with spices and extra onions for added flavour.

 

 

The main event was a triumph. Each dish had been made bespoke by the chef for each of us. Our waiter had informed the chef of his recommendations and chef put a unique spin on each of our dishes based on the curries we were used to, whilst adding a special Jathra twist to each dish.

 

My tastes tend to lean towards lamb when choosing a curry. I love how tender lamb meat becomes, especially when slow cooked. A personal favourite of mine is a lamb karachi or a lamb rogan josh. Chef took this into consideration when constructing my curry and used lamb rib, a cut I had never tried before this evening. The meat fell apart almost in the same way as you would imagine a beef brisket or pulled pork to do so.

 

 

The curry itself was based around the same spices used in a rogan josh. As I had mentioned in passing to our waiter that I liked tomato-based dishes, chef included extra tomatoes in the curry sauce and on top.

 

The attention to detail and the level of communication within the staff really impressed me.

 

Other dishes of the evening included a spicy chicken curry packed full of spinach, based on the traditional saag, but with the added heat of a Jalfrezi to give the rich dish a lovely warming aftertaste.

 

Our final dish was a traditional Indian lamb dish. This dish was created using lamb shanks which simply fell off the bone and soaked in the beautiful flavours of the curry. This dish was created with keema and potatoes in a richly spiced sauce which complemented the meat perfectly.

 

Overall this was a dining experience we never expected. The level of detail the staff pick up on and remember really makes you feel special. We thoroughly enjoyed our Jathra experience, and understand first hand exactly why they place such emphasis on Jathra’s meaning. A journey we recommend you take!

 

 

VIVA Verdict: Whether you want to go out for a standard curry, or fancy trying something a little different, Jathra can cater to you. If you want our advice – trust your servers. They know their food and they take the time out to know your tastes. Put your dinner in their hands and you will not be disappointed!

 

To find out more information and to book a table head over to www.jathra.co.uk