Review: Jaldee Jaldee at the Bottom's Rest, Brighton
Every Tuesday from about 5pm, you'll find the Brighton Girl Editor, Anna, and I working at the Bottom's Rest. It's a gorgeous pub tucked behind the Old Market in Hove with lovely staff, an array of dogs and a great choice of music. The wifi's pretty fast, too.
Around a month ago, the Bottom's Rest got a new addition to the team when Jaldee Jaldee took over their kitchen. The Jaldee Jaldee team, run by the energetically beautiful Fagoon, make vegetarian and vegan Indian food for the hungry folk of the Bottom's Rest. It was a total no-brainer that we had to review it.
THE ATMOSPHERE
Jaldee Jaldee are at the Bottom's Rest every Thursday to Sunday and have truly lit up the already vibrant pub with the amazing smells of Indian cuisine and a consistently full house of happy – and, let's face it, full – people.
Much like the staff at the Bottom's Rest, the Jaldee Jaldee team are always smiling, making sure people are happy and getting to know their delighted eaters. Fagoon herself is often bouncing around the Bottom's Rest speaking to the regulars, telling stories about her food and getting to know more about the eaters. Her infectious personality makes everyone feel at home. We simply can't think of a better match for the Bottoms Rest.
THE MENU
The menu is small but mighty and we've been told it'll change fairly regularly to keep us all on our toes. But the menu we tried was spot on! It's a concoction of food for all appetites; there are stomach-lining snacks, like Mogo Chips, food coma extravagance with their Thali's and a you-can-still-walk-afterwards curry option, too. They're all vegetarian and can easily be made vegan and/or gluten-free on request.
THE FOOD
It goes without saying that this food is mega instagrammable/ideal for creating whatsapp envy. But let's get to the part you really want to know: does this food taste as amazing as it looks?
Hell yes.
As you can see, we went for the Thali - both vegan but I had a gluten free version a.k.a an extra bowl of rice because the rholti's are full of wheat, which is a no-go for my stomach. I devoured both rice bowls, so obviously that lack of rholti was no issue.
Everytime I look at these photos my mouth waters a little - like, right now. Those 9 little bowls were bursting with flavour; from the best Chana Masala I've had in my entire life to the Mogo Chips, which have quickly entered the league table for 'tastiest bar snacks in Brighton' that we have yet to write down and share (but, we shall, one day).
This Thali isn't dominated by spice; the general "heat" could be best described as 'mild'. But it is by no means plain. I should probably get my one teeny bit of criticism out of the way and say that Red Onion Pickle was a bit too sour for my liking - but Anna loved it so much that she ate mine, too. The rest of the Thali, though, was just divine.
I don't know what the vegan chicken was made of in the Vegan Chicken Malai, but I know that I want it again - I think about how the tangy sauce soaked itself into that wannabe chicken every time I see these photos/watch a fellow Bottom's Rest customer devour it in front of me. The Chana Massala will always take the trophy for the best curry on that plate - nobody should live in this city without tasting it.
It won't take you too long to devour this wonderful concoction of deliciousness – but we do recommend that you save as much of the vegan yoghurt as you can until the end as it's the perfect palette cleanser.
ALLERGIES
Jaldee Jaldee is a completely vegan and vegetarian eatery – and every single dish can be made for vegans, and gluten free folk like myself.
Thank you so much to Fagoon and her wonderful team for filling the Bottom's Rest with divine smells and making our tummy's very happy (and now envious every time we walk into the pub).
Written by Pippa Moyle