Haveli Ponteland is a glamorous fine-dining Indian restaurant in the heart of Darras Hall which has also been featured in the Michelin guide every year since 2018, and for good reason!
The word ‘haveli’ means traditional grand mansion in India and no expense has been spared when it comes to the interiors in this place. We loved the amount of space, the lighting and the incredible intricately carved authentic haveli door located near the bar. There are also hundreds of beautiful lilies adorning the restaurant which is well spaced out with plenty of room between the tables and the lavish bar area.
We started with a Risky Whisky and a Lychee Martini – beautifully balanced and the perfect accompaniment to our basket of poppadoms with freshly made tamarind, mango and mint yoghurt dips.
With the prettiest of presentation and the finest ingredients, we started with aloo tikka chaat – a spiced potato patty, stuffed with cashew nut, green pea and raisin, mashed chickpeas and honey infused hung yoghurt.
We also tried the sev papdi which is a classic Indian street food dish served with crispy Indian crackers mixed with honey, chickpeas and pomegranate. Super sweet and totally delicious, the portion sizes are huge too. This had to be the most beautiful sev papdi I think we’ve ever tried and Haveli’s head chef is determined to present only the most artistic and memorable dishes when they arrive to the table.
For main dishes, Andrew chose the Rajasthani Laal Maas – traditionally served at hunting parties for Rajpur royalty. Made with mathania chillies, it has a rich colour and a unique smokey flavour with incredible melt in the mouth lamb.
What I love about the menu at Haveli is that there are so many new and exciting alternatives to the norm. I went for something totally different to what I’d usually order as I do tend to play it safe when trying new Indian restaurants. I decided on the Bangla Methi Machli which is a Bengali dish usually served with fish on the bone, but this version came with pan seared sea bass served in a mustard seed and fenugreek spiced curry sauce. These ingredients go so well together and the nuttiness and earthiness of the married flavours provided an addictive combination.
We also couldn’t resist trying the Old Delhi butter chicken to see how it compared with other Indian restaurants and this one was so indulgent – bold flavours, yet with a subtle taste and a velvety amber gravy, creamy and rich with the butter and fenugreek combined.
Haveli have been firmly routed in the Ponteland community for over 10 years, with a loyal client base who visit time and time again. Drawing influences from all over India, classical Indian recipes are cooked using traditional cooking techniques like roasting on the tandoor or sigri (a small charcoal fire grill used in Northern India) as well as hot stones. And while these ancient techniques are used in the preparation, the ‘food art’ that’s served up is modern, contemporary and utterly delicious.
Haveli Ponteland is definitely somewhere that’s a little bit special – perfect for a birthday or celebration. With menus running for Christmas and New Year plus a weeknight early bird set menu priced at only £20 for two courses (5-6pm Wednesday to Sunday), head to the website to find out more and book your table.