When the plate was set down in front of me, I whipped my phone out straight away
We went for a range of mains
A Liverpool restaurant, named the city’s best curry house, served me a plate like never before. At this point, Ikkayees on South Hunter Street, needs no introduction – at least to those who are fond of finding hidden gems.
The family behind the brand has had a major few months. The brand was among the top recommended by ECHO readers, and it walked away with a prestigious title at this year’s Northern England Curry Awards. And just this week, it opened a new stunning restaurant in a historic city centre building.
Everything seems to be a go for the family, with glowing reviews closely following in their every footstep. The next few paragraphs you are about to read will be no different.
I headed down to the venue, hidden up an alleyway a stone’s throw away from St Luke’s Bombed Out Church, to firstly meet the family, and secondly put the food to the test.
My Ikkayees order at the start of this month
Ikkayees has only been in Liverpool for just over a year but its history goes far beyond this. It was born on the streets of Calicut, India, in 2014, thanks to founder Fulaij Nelliyot.
Since then, it has blossomed into an international restaurant family with several sites dotted around the city and another coming soon. The brand started just over a decade ago when a group of college students were deeply moved by their experiences at a palliative care centre in Southeast Asia.
Meeting a spirited six-year-old named Kulsu and witnessing the resilience of patients battling chronic illness inspired Fulaij and his brothers, Shafrin and Muhammed Arafath, and friends Shibili Latheef and Shyam Prabhakar to merge entrepreneurship with compassion.
And I, for one, am glad they did. Despite only a short-stint in the city, it’s clear to see their experience is much more than this. Arriving on a cold-Friday night, you were quickly warmed up the minute you stepped into the underground venue.
Owners and staff members at Ikkayees on South Hunter Street in Liverpool
Waiting for you was a ice-cold bottle of water, which in hindsight, was needed more than I’d like to admit after a few spoonfuls of my main. Even better yet, it was Volvic branded, the best flavour of water about.
The cosy quaint venue only boasts seven tables but this ensure you were well looked after as everything, and everyone, was in eyesight of the waiters. Sat on the table, underneath the sparkling gold cutlery, was a newspaper doubling up as a placemat – making me feel right at home as a journalist.
The story printed on sheet, sadly wasn’t anything off the ECHO’s, but the family’s journey and how they go to where they are today – a subtle, but genius, marketing move. Without even speaking or meeting the owners, you already had a sense of who they were and what they were about.
Chefs at work in the kitchen in Ikkayees on South Hunter Street in Liverpool
After scrolling through the menu and nitpicking through the waitress’s recommendations, we settled on a hefty load of side plats – masala chips, pilau rice, peshwari naan, onion bhaji, honey chicken and chilli mushrooms – to ensure we got a real feel of the menu. This, coupled with the beef chatty curry, garlic chicken and fish mango curry, we got as mains, meant we were practically rolling out of the venue.
I was assured I would be able to manage the heat of the dishes, but I was quickly humbled. I was reaching for that bottle of water more times than initially anticipated, quickly establishing a relationship like Mary Kate and Ashley – you won’t see one without the other.
The selection of starters we opted for
The highlight for me was definitely the chilli mushrooms. Despite its heat leaving me panting like a dog it didn’t stop me picking up the fork again after a few moments and going for seconds fourth and fifths. You get the picture.
The detail with the starters was something I have never seen before. There were flowers beautifully dotted onto the plates, made out of multi-coloured mayonnaise.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to return and try the rest of the dishes on the menu, but I think a trip to the new venue, The Grand Ikkayees, is going to take precedence.