‘Rustic roadside and railway station’ is the intended style at Tuk Tuk, a smart modern venue which nevertheless aims for the obvious in hindsight but strangely not overpopular trick of merging contemporary Western dining with the homely and very informal style of Indian street food. The description might be a very popular contemporary buzz phrase, however, but remove the street food ethos and what you’re looking at is a restaurant which might best be described as to a Western audience as an Indian tapas-style place – in which case, it ranks most comfortably alongside the likes of Mother India’s and VDeep elsewhere in the city, which is good company to be in.
It’s a smart and attractive place which uses wood panelling and soft lighting to good effect, and the menu is every bit as fresh and enticing. Dishes are designed to be shared as they’re prepared, and most range from just under four pounds to just over five (the more expensive mixed grill is the only exception), including samosas, pakoras and Keralan-spiced chicken wing ‘lollipops’ to roadside specialities including the tuktuk-wallah staff chicken curry and an on the bone raste ke chicken biryani. More typical butter chicken, aloo gobi and very hot Platform 5 vindaloo are all in there too, while self-described ‘Indo-Chinese’ dishes including chilli noodles and seasoned chicken nuggets offer a different selection to the standard sub-continental selection.