Search search
movie, bar, restaurant, info

Jyoti Vegetarian Restaurant

2.5 star(s) from 18 reviews
Jyoti Vegetarian Restaurant
569-571 Stratford Road
Sparkhill
Birmingham
B11 4LS
tel.: 01217667199
Jyoti Vegetarian Restaurant titleshot
Full Size Map for Printing

Liked by   (2) See all»

Emily Bridgewater
p parikh

Reviews or Comments   (18) See all»

Emily Bridgewater
04-08-2009
4.0 star(s)
AS a young teenager I was best friends with an Indian girl, who I nicknamed Indie.
Our days together were spent listening to the ballads of Mariah Carey and Boyz 2 Men, while day dreaming of unrequited loves. And consoling ourselves with pizza.
Her mum used to ply us with pizza presumably because she thought that's what teenage girls wanted to eat. And generally, it was.
However, the gorgeous fragrances escaping her kitchen promised something far more exotic than your average margarita.
In hindsight, knowing what I know now of Indian cuisine, I wish I'd ventured past the kitchen door and delved into one of the giant pots bubbling away on the stove.
I also wish I'd sacrificed fewer hours to listening to Mariah Carey too, but that's a different blog post.
I was reminded of the intoxicating scent of Indie's home on my first trip to Jyoti's - a vegetarian Indian restaurant in the Hall Green district of Birmingham.
Despite it's humble interior (a bit like the back room of a shop, which technically it is - the front of the premises sells Indian sweets and treats) it's highly-regarded, with a list of celebrity fans such as Jamie Oliver and Anthony Worrall-Thompson, whose pictures take pride of place in the restaurant as if they were family portraits.
Service was swift and polite without being over familiar and we were delivered a jug of water as soon as we were comfortable.
We started with a selection of starters, including the fiery kachori - sumptuous little balls of deep-fried mixed lentils and peas in pastry, which was served with some excellent chutney.
We ordered some deliciously woody mogo chips too, as well as crispy samosas, and possibly the finest, freshest poppadoms we'd ever tasted. So many Indian restaurants serve up poppadoms which taste as if they are straight out of an out-of-date box labelled Sharwoods.
Our lips and tongues tingled with delight, while out tummies groaned with pleasure.
Main courses were just as flavoursome; the sauces evidently made from an expert blend of spices.
I tucked into the mouthwatering panner stuffed aubergines, accompanied by warmed chapatis and cumin rice, while the boy enjoyed the paneer bhurji, which was packed with the taste of ginger, garlic, cashew nuts and tomatoes.
Desserts such as homemade barfi looked sensational, and priced from 75p, were recession-busting to boot.
But our waistbands were already bursting, so it was time to bid farewell to this friendly family-run restaurant.
Had Mariah Carey been playing, it'd have been a real blast from the past!
A B
08-03-2009
A B
0.5 star(s)
I found the food preparation below acceptable standards. The attitude of the owner was less than courteous. This is not a typical indian vegatarian restaurant that i would like it to be.
p parikh
27-01-2009
4.5 star(s)
I have visited Jyotis many times and to me its Gujarati food at its best. Its the only place in the west midlands that does authentic day to day Indian food that is not too spicy and oily and yet very tasty. The ambience could do with some improvement though.
john
24-02-2008
5.0 star(s)
Best vegetarian - and best Indian restaurant in the West Midlands.Chaat and Dhosas sublime. Great value as well
bulging joe
22-02-2008
5.0 star(s)
Fantastic best restaurant in Brum!
(18) See all»
Its Valentine's Day, .... again
Things to do, what to buy, where to go, what the rich and famous do and even if you are anti Valentines, read all about it here.
Advertise your Business for Free
Promote your buiness or service here - call 020 7461 9294
Share if you like:
Digg del.icio.us Facebook MySpace StumbleUpon FriendFeed Posterous Twitter