How do you feel about Christmas Dinner? It is a tradition that induces both joy and despair in kitchens up and down the country. For some it's a chance to reunite family and share good food, for others, it’s a series of cooking instructions and timings that just don’t add up.
Now, I love making lists so the whole timing issue and multiple stoves on at once isn’t something that throws me off, but there is one thing about Christmas dinner that I’ve always found a bit of a chore.
It might be the star of the show but roast turkey, as far as I’m concerned, is overrated. It’s an unpopular opinion to hold and a position that wins you few friends - or presents. ‘But it’s tradition’, I’ve been told over and over again, or the passive-aggressive, ‘well, what else would you have?’
I’ve tried to reason that there are other potential meats - definitely ones that are less dry - that could be used as the show piece, but alas, no one wants to hear it. So, you can imagine my delight when I was invited down to popular Indian restaurant Bundobust's tap room on Oxford Road to try out their much-loved alternative Christmas dinner.
As you may already know, Gujarati street food is the name of the game here, and every dish is vegetarian - so there’s no risk of dry turkey ending up on my plate - or in this case, the handy paper tubs. So, sat amongst the steel brewing tanks and under the splendid glass atrium above, I prepared to try a Christmas meal with a twist.
Christmas hat on, and crackers at the ready, I surveyed the scene, beginning with the legendary sprout bhajis - an annual fixture on the Christmas menu here. I started off with a knife and fork, but if you want the full experience you need to pick it up with your hands and smudge it into the spiced cranberry chutney beneath.
For what it’s worth, I think sprouts get a lot of flack - they’re often viewed as the poor man of the Christmas roast - but really they should be viewed as a main character. To use a nativity analogy, they should be bumped up from myrrh to gold.
Bundobust is certainly showing naysayers the layers and quality of the humble green sprout. In this case the crispy sprout, onion and broccoli bhajis have been boosted by a hit of fennel and chilli, which is nicely paired with the bitter and sharp tang of the cranberry chutney.
If you’re one for a Christmas sandwich from the supermarkets around this time of year, then the sprout bhaji butty with salad might just be your thing. Definitely an upgrade from a shop-bought turkey and stuffing sarnie, the robust bun is slathered with spiced cranberry and green chutneys.
Both beautifully soak through into the bread and sprouts below - making it not just visually appealing, but much-needed confirmation that red and green should in fact be seen when it's this delicious. It’s a hefty old thing though, so if your interest is piqued you might not need to order much else, especially if it’s just a quick lunch pit stop.
A quick beverage break let me try the festive tipples, which include a 5.8% Gingerbread Wheat Beer and Bundo Snowball. The latter swaps out the Advocaat traditionally used and instead injects a dose of winter sun into proceedings. Here, they use banana liqueur, cream of coconut, cardamom bitters, and top it all off with a cherry.
Next, I tackle the festive dahl with rice - both warming and smoky, this Christmas variation of the popular creamy lentil dish packs flavour with the medicinal quality of cardamom, matched with a seasonal hit of clove and cinnamon that feels akin to being wrapped up on the sofa with the fire on, watching Christmas classics.
Channelling the snack-tastic quality of arancini, the biryani balls once again show adeptness in the kitchen team, who in this instance have taken a celebratory Indian dish and reworked it for a seasonal brief. Mint, saffron, ginger, nutmeg and rose work together to create a heady and moreish snack, which, just like the bhajis can be dunked in an accompanying sauce, dip or chutney. In this case it's a rich tomato sauce, which works magically with the crispy onions the biryani balls are topped with.
Backtracking slightly, I realised about halfway through that the life-affirming festive dhal was a match made in heaven for Bundobust’s secret weapon - the mince pie paratha. It’s basically what the peshwari naan did next, the perfect crossover of sweet and savoury.
Jam-packed full of raisins and sultanas, it’s giving strong garibaldi vibes, and the cinnamon, clove, star anise and coconut just compounds that hunch. Cooked on a traditional Indian griddle pan - this dish in particular feels like a meeting of two cultures. Washed back with a mulled wine made with hot and fruity Garnacha red, chai spices and orange juice, I feel the festive spirit is rubbing off on me.
Now, at least I know that when I get asked what I think should replace the turkey on the table this year, I'll have plenty of delicious alternatives in my arsenal.
Bundobust's Christmas menu runs until the end of December. Bookings can be made online and walk-ins are welcome.
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