We love going to restaurants and really missed them during the lockdown earlier in the year. We replaced a weekly restaurant trip with a weekly home delivery from one of the local restaurant on the various platforms (this one on Uber Eats). When the restrictions were lifted, we had Hitchki on our list of new places we wanted to try. However, we’ve not got round to it and, with the Covid infection rate rapidly increasing, we’ve decided it doesn’t feel safe for us to visit restaurants just now. So, we’re back to home delivery which is how we came to be having dinner from Hitchki tonight.
They major on Mumbai street food. It’s becoming very popular round here. There’s Indian Tiffin Room and Aamchi Mumbai just down the other end of the village. And our current favourite, Bombay to Mumbai, is just a short drive away in Bramhall. Having recently eaten at all of those, we were interested to see how Hitchki’s food compares.
Starters weren’t that great. Bhel puri is a regular order for us. This version had the right balance of flavours, with a good tangy sauce (tamarind?). But texture let it down badly – with there being none of the crispness you expect from the puffed rice. Kaju rolls were just boring. Looking a bit like small potato croquettes, but with no crispness. Nor, in fact, anything of the advertised “spicy” to the vegetable filling. A spoonful of chilli sauce perked up an otherwise disappointing affair. At least, the disappointment in eating the starters didn’t last long, as these were very small portions.
Main courses were much better. “Railway Lamb” had very long cooked, tender meat in a well crafted, rounded sauce, with no spice dominating, although there was a decent hit from chilli. A cashew, pepper and potato curry was fine. Its stand out component was the rich sauce, with the nuts giving it a little background sweetness. We also had a portion of daal tarka – a really well made version, perfectly spiced and, unlike some others you’ll come across, retaining a little bite from the lentils.
Carbs were very good. Light, fluffy rice. And a tandoori roti, soft with little burnt, crispy bits – just as you hope it would be.
So, a decent enough dinner and a place to visit once we feel it’s safe again.
