HomeReviews - UKKuti’s Brasserie (Indian) – Southampton
Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

Kuti’s Brasserie (Indian) – Southampton

HALAL STATUS Fully Halal food menu • Alcohol served

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

The success of my restaurant is down to the quality of our food. We only use the best fresh ingredients. Our chicken is fresh, never frozen and lamb is the best I could find from Wales. Every dish is cooked to order and the difference is in the taste.

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton HalalThere can’t be a restaurant in Southampton, nay, in the county of Hampshire itself, that boasts a more impressive-looking residence than The Royal Pier (if there is, leave a comment below).

If this magnificently-lit historical landmark doesn’t set your pulses racing, it might be time to book that medical.

Kuti’s Brasserie is the culmination of the dedicated hardwork put in by restaurateur Kuti Miah, and his way of saying thank you to the people of Southampton for welcoming him all those years ago and embracing him as their own.

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton HalalAnd this Indian restaurant is already making waves, having last year won three awards, and that too within a space of a single week which Mr Miah described as “the proudest week of my life”:

  • Asian & Curry Awards – Best Newcomer South of England.
  • International Indian Chef of the Year Awards – Restaurant of the Year.
  • Cobra Good Curry Guide – Certificate of Excellence.

The place itself is huge, with no expenses or effort spared in making certain its glitzy and lavish interior matches the grandeur of the building itself.

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton HalalWhile the lounge area can accommodate between 20-30 people, the important thing to note is that the alcohol bar is located entirely separately from the large 120-cover dining hall.

But there’s more. Not only is there seating for 70 more upstairs, including an outside setup overlooking the docks that once saw the Titanic cruiseliner depart for its ill-fated maiden voyage, but Mr Miah will soon be opening a second restaurant with a European menu that’s going to be showcasing, among other things, premium steaks.

As for Kuti’s Brasserie, then it offers a fully Halal food menu, with every effort made at procuring its produce from quality sources.

DRINKS

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal drinks

(Left-right) Beach, Red Caribbean, Tropical

drink beverage cocktails mocktails Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton HalalWhile these mocktails aren’t part of the official drinks menu, they can readily be ordered on request.

And of the trio had, the best was easily the passionfruit-oriented Tropical; but only because the other two were garden-variety.

The not-so-good was the yoghurt-based pink Beach, which not only erred on the side of sour, but also appeared to have split making it quite unappealing.

As for the Red Caribbean, then it was mellow in its fruity delivery, and nothing more than pleasant.

STARTERS

Lamb Chops Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

Moongphali Chicken Tikka – Chargrilled chicken breast marinated with peanuts, tamarind and curry leaves, £7.95

RECOMMENDED

It would be no exaggeration to say that this Moongphali Chicken Tikka will likely be in the running for our end of year awards, it was that good!

We kid you not when we say that this wasn’t so much chicken in texture as it was fish, it was that tender. In actual fact, the texture was so unbelievably soft that the knife didn’t so much cut as it did glide through.

And with its yoghurt-based marination complemented so well by the delicate smokiness imparted by the extreme heat of the tandoor, which also gave it an attractive charring, this would be one dish we’d happily return for.

Lamb Chops Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

Adraki Lamb Chops – Chargrilled lamb chops marinated with ginger, fenugreek, cinnamon, garam masala, £11.95

RECOMMENDED

And these lamb chops Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton HalalAdraki Lamb Chops just confirmed the fact that Kuti’s Brasserie have the technique and knowledge of utilising the tandoor to serve up some exceptionally good grilled dishes.

Couple that with the sheer quality of the meat sourced, and what we had here were cuts of lamb presented as pink, succulent and tender as you’ll ever hope to for.

In addition, not only did the delicate charring successfully add a textural contrast of sorts, but its smokiness also helped to enhance the flavour of the deliciously spicy marination. A triumph!

THALI

thali Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

Lamb Thali £22.95

The anticipation of receiving a thali anywhere is always an arousing one, heightened, in this case, by the history and surroundings of this restaurant. And we were expecting something quite special after a spectacular pair of starters.

This particular one contained four dishes, dal of the day, rice, gulab jamon dessert and bread.

VeggieChicken TikkaTurnipDaalMeatRiceGhulab Jaman

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

Comprising of carrots, peppers, beans, peas, potatoes and more, this little bowl of mildly spiced vegetables, had a hint of pungency to them, and was nicely cooked without being anything spectacular.

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

These chicken tikka pieces were extraordinarily tender, with the balance between the spicy marination and the smoky char judged well enough to make these easily the most memorable part of this thali.

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

We think that this was a turnip-based dish with the vegetable being nice and soft. In any case, taste-wise, this needed the spices to be far more robust. Too mellow and simply not good enough.

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

With a semi-thick consistency, the mellow heat courtesy of the garam masala was there or thereabouts, with the tarka coming through well. Decent enough.

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

While the meat was tender, we all felt that the spiciness in this curry, slightly offset by a touch of the sour, could and should have been more purposeful than it was.

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

When you have rice whose grains are individually distinct, you know that you’ll be enjoying this with any of the curries presented on this thali.

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

Couldn’t tell if this was inhouse, but with plenty of syrup, it was an enjoyable little finale to an otherwise fairly ordinary thali.

CURRY

 

lamb shank Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

Sikandari Lamb Shank – Lamb shank and apricots infused with delicate spices simmered in rich onion gravy, £18.95

Had the strength of the spices in this otherwise discernibly sweet onion and tomato-based curry been more intense, this Sikandari Shank would have been more balanced than it was.

In addition, had the cut of lamb been of a less fatty variety, then the meat would have been more tender, and thus more enjoyable, than it actually was.

In the end, a lamb shank that neither looked the part nor hit the high notes.

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

Bhuna Gosht – Tender house smoked spring lamb cooked with tomato, peppers, ginger and cumin, £14.95

In terms of spice, this Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton HalalBhuna Gosht was easily the most fiercest dish enjoyed on the evening.

Better still, rather than the heat of the chilli hitting you in one go, it built up gradually.

As for the spring lamb, then indeed it was tender just as the menu promised, making this an enjoyable one.

And with no garam masala to the whole thing, this had a mild smoothness to it which we all enjoyed.

VEGETARIAN

Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

Mushroom Matar Masala – Fresh mushrooms and green peas finished in thick masala gravy, £9.50

It was the gentle spicy-sweetness of this Mushroom Matar Masala which marked this out as arguably the pick of the curries had.

With the assortment of vegetables and mushrooms being nice and soft, and with the curry sauce delivering a good depth of flavour, this had just enough heat to make it an enjoyable one.

BIRYANI

Rice Biryani Kuti's Brasserie Indian Southampton Halal

Gosht Dum Biryani – Slow cooked lamb with aromatic basmati rice, spices, flavoured with saffron and kewra, £18.95

There’s a reason why we go for Dum Biryanis when visiting award-winning restaurants; when done right, they’re a thing of beauty. The problem, of course, is that these are notoriously difficult to get right on the best of days.

In this case, what frustrated us the most was how a biryani, whose lamb turned out to be so utterly tender, could lack the necessary masala that makes a biryani such a memorably distinct one.

Yes the rice was well executed, but it was all too simple for our liking. A pity, since the clay pot it was presented in was a nice one.

Sadly, we didn’t get a chance to try their desserts menu.

THE ROAR
Kuti's Brasserie
3.5 FTL's Roar
4.5 Pride's Roar (2 Roars)
Alcohol/ Pork?
  • YES/ NO
FSA HYGIENE RATING
Last Checked: 23/02/19
Facilities
  • CHILD SEATING
  • DISABLED ACCESS
Summary
There's no denying the ambition of Kuti's Brasserie. This place has been transformed by restaurateur Kuti Miah and primed for success. As such, we were expecting great things from this award-winning destination.

Having picked up a number of awards last year, including an Asian & Curry Award, we have to be honest and say, we were expecting more from their curries. While they were good, they weren't exceptional. And with most of them lacking that real depth one tends to look for in a well crafted curry, we felt as though the chefs might have been playing it a tad safe.

In contrast, however, not only can there be no denying the expertise required in presenting such stunningly delicious tandoori kebabs, but also the sheer quality of the meat sourced is exceptionally good.

But, given that this is The Royal Pier which overlooks the docks that once saw the Titanic cruise ship depart for its ill-fated maiden voyage, one has to acknowledge both the grandeur of the place, and its surrounding history. For that reason alone, Kuti's Brasserie should definitely be on your list when visiting Southampton.

Menu Recommendation

Starter - Moongphali Chicken Tikka

Main - Bhuna Gosht

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Kuti’s Brasserie
The Royal Pier, Southampton SO14 2AQ.

T: +44 (0)23 8022 1585 | W: kutis.co.uk | E: [email protected]

Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 12:00–14:30, 17:30–23:00

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