With so many new food and drink places popping up in Leeds, it's easy to forget about tried and tested favourites. This is definitely the case for me with Bundobust, where I have not visited since the summer. A friend was in hospital at the time, so we took advantage of their take-out option and took her some food, and enjoyed something to eat there ourselves. A few weeks ago, I was invited to try the new additions to their food menu, which you may remember that I have done before in February of this year. In that post, I talked more extensively about Bundobust's origins, what they offer and how they operate; there's little sense in repeating myself, so feel free to check it out if you're looking for more information. So, what's on the new menu?





Before we get into the food, however, let's first talk about the drink. Bundobust pride themselves on serving a wide selection and variety of beers, and change up the tap selection on a regular basis. Beers from local breweries feature pretty much constantly, but beers from around the world can be found both on tap and in bottles or cans in the fridges. I had heard about the Cloudwater DIPA online, so when I saw it on tap in Bundobust there was really no other option for me! I did, however, not see the percentage as it was written on the pump clip very small, so I foolishly tried to order myself a pint without really thinking about it. Needless to say that the percentage was pointed out to me and I quickly went for a half instead! It is an IPA (Indian Pale Ale), so it was as expected, pouring with a warm golden colour and with a thin white head. Citrus aromas are immediately apparent, and it went beautifully with the Indian food due to its fruity, herbal notes. Striking a fine balance between bitter and sweet, it is easily one one of my favourites from Cloudwater - and I've had quite a few! Martin went for a half of Moo Let The Dogs Stout, which is a collabration between Ilkley Brewery and ShuffleDog (BrewDog's newest bar in Leeds). Being a coffee milk stout, I didn't try any myself, but it seemed to be very smooth and not too bitter from the coffee, although strongly scented. Faith especially was a big fan of it, which gives you an indication of how good it was!



First up were the Paneer and Mushroom Tikka Kebabs, which I believe are the first ones to feature on the menu at Bundobust - although I may be mistaken. Obviously featuring Paneer cheese and mushrooms, these also had red peppers, marinated in yoghurt curd and tikka masala. It has only been in recent months that I have come around to liking red peppers, which previously I would have left, so I was able to enjoy the whole dish. This was quite a mild dish, with the flavours brought out with the sauce that they had been marinated in. The pieces of Paneer were generously sized (and my favourite part of this dish), and the mushrooms and peppers had been cooked well. Overall, it was quite simple but very satisfying, and definitely one I would order again. It is also worth mentioning that this, and all the other dishes I write about in this post, are gluten free and are marked as such.



Next was a dish that really piqued my curiousity, the Punjabi Kadhi. This was described as a warm yoghurt soup, cooked with onions, coriander seeds and ginger, served with Gobi Dhaji dumplings. I've never had an Indian soup before (to be quite honest, I didn't even know it was a thing as I'm not too familiar with Indian food), so this was a totally new experience for me. Upon first taste I thought that it was really quite spicy, but as we worked our way through it seemed to get milder and milder - or maybe I was getting used to it? Like a good soup should be, it was rich, comforting and surprisingly creamy. As for the dumplings, they really made the dish and helped to add a bit of sustenance. I would say that there were more dumplings than soup, so it seemed to me that the soup was more like a sauce. If it had been advertised as such, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. However, it was a really pleasant surprise and a truly fantastic dish, and I applaud Bundobust for introducing something a bit different to the menu.



The Tarka Dhal & Rice was next for us to try, and I was keen to see how this compared to the Dhal & Rice that I had tried in February. Just like the original, this is a lentil based curry, but this time is cooked with an oil tempered in cumin, garlic and chilli, and therefore was a lot lighter in colour. Also, this time mixed lentils are used, instead of black. Still served on basmati rice, I honestly couldn't tell you out of the two which one I prefer. Considering they have the same basic make up, they really do differ immensely in flavour. This one was a touch spicier, but was still extremely filling and really warmed you up. I really enjoyed the cumin in this version, as it added a more traditional Indian flavour, but missed the unusual hint of ginger from last time. It is really down to personal preference as to which one you would choose, but both are excellent choices and I like that there is that option to choose. In either case, it is these dishes that have enabled me to start enjoying lentils again, after years of hating them!



Mine and Martin's favourite dish by far was the Biryani Bhaji Balls, and it's easy to see why. Comprising of rolled rice, flavoured with whole spices and rose, this was a dish that I knew that we would really enjoy. The rolled rice is fried and then served with a spicy tomato sauce, with what I believe are crispy onions on top. Every single bite of this dish made me crave the next one, and it was almost too good to share! Frying the rice balls gave them a wonderful crispy texture, and the inside was amazingly soft. I couldn't really taste the rose if I'm honest, just a slightly floral hint, but they did carry a bit of spice. It was another dish that was quite filling, and the sauce was spicy, but not so much that it didn't allow the flavour of the rice balls to come through. I would have happily eaten more of these on their own, but this dish didn't strike me as particularly Indian - or at least not conventionally so. However, this could well be a good thing as it offers that extra bit of variety to an otherwise fairly traditional menu. I will be back for more!



Last but by no means least, was the Chole Bhatura; chickpeas in a onion and tomato sauce, served with soft Indian flatbread. Along with lentils, I never used to be keen on chickpeas - it was the texture that really set my teeth on edge. I'm still not overly keen on them to this day, but I managed to enjoy this dish thanks to the flatbread. The sauce that the chickpeas were in was delicious, and I have sneaking suspicion that there is more than just onion and tomatoes in there. It had an underlying spiciness that makes it clear that it hails from an Indian background, and it was I think the spiciest dish out of the five. The flatbread I was particularly keen to try, as it was gluten free and I've never tried gluten free bread before. The texture was pleasant but I could tell that it was gluten free - I can't quite put my finger on what was different about it, but to me it was noticeable. That being said, it was delicious and worked incredibly well with the chickpea curry. Out of the five new additions to the new menu I'm not sure that I would order this again, simply because it didn't particularly stand out to me, but it was still very tasty.



So, to round off, how did I find these newest additions to the menu? There was certainly nothing that I disliked, that's for sure, and I had a definite stand out dish. In comparison to what they launched back in February, though, I think that there was a lot more variety in the types of dishes offered last time, and I was a little disappointed that there wasn't such a range this time. However, all of these additions bring something new to the existing menu, and compliment existing dishes nicely. The prices are really quite reasonable, and the joy of it is that you can have as much or as little as you like. I believe that they run a continuous offer of "two dishes for £7" during lunchtime hours, where this would probably suffice, but for an evening meal you can have one or two more and take advantage of sampling more of the menu. As always, the food is fantastic quality and when paired with excellent beer, I will always recommend Bundobust to anyone looking for somewhere a bit different to eat and drink in Leeds.

Disclaimer: Our meal was complimentary, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.