Bundobust Liverpool
Creative Tourist
Review by Stephanie Heneghan
Street food is everywhere. No longer the preserve of those vans on Church Street where your mum worries about where they wash their hands, it’s become legitimised as the go-to genre of choice.
The whole nature of street food is that it’s quick. Easy. Not something you have to worry about waiting for 45 minutes to eat and that will cost you an arm and a leg. A lot of places confuse street food with offering small (expensive) plates and queues out of the door. It’s not fulfilling and it’s not fun.
Bundobust is most definitely fulfilling and fun. Their new Liverpool venture is a large welcoming space with benches and tables, the décor showcasing their tongue in cheek merchandise paying homage to their favourite dishes. I didn’t know I needed an Okra Fries (more on them later) t-shirt until now.
Two weeks after opening their doors and they’ve settled in well to Bold Street. They’re bustling but not too busy to seat you, they’re friendly but not overly so. Food orders are placed at the bar and served in disposable tubs that appear to be a thumbed nose to single-use plastic crackdown but no, they’re made from plant starch and are fully recyclable. But not edible.
Talking of edible (wow, what a segue) let’s get down to business. Bundobust offers Indian comfort food, flavoursome dishes that nourish the stomach and the soul. The aforementioned Okra Fries are light crispy delights that vanished within minutes of being delivered, their Bhajis combine onion, broccoli and kale equally and perfectly. Be sure not to miss the chutney hidden away at the bottom of the tub that deserves a lot more prominence.
This feels like a good moment to note that all items are vegetarian or vegan. I am neither and the absence of meat on the menu doesn’t affect the offering at all. Good food is good food. So let’s get back to it.
Their Chole Saag is a spicy warming chickpea & spinach masala served with puri bread. I could have eaten a vat of it. It’s the kind of menu item that you want to replicate at home but you know that the recipes Google serves up will never be able to match. The Tarka Dhal and rice left me less effusive, a bit too heavy on the rice and without the rich texture of the saag but if you’re a bit of a wuss when it comes to spices you might find it’s right up your street.
The Paneer Kadai mixes big chunks of fried cheese and rich tomato sauce infused with cinnamon and red pepper, served with fluffy bhatura bread that you dunk in and sweep up the remainders with.
And it’s all so relaxed. It will take around 10 minutes (15 if you’re a slow eater) to devour the food in front of you but we stayed for around an hour chatting and drinking and letting our dinner go down, digestion techniques that your nana would be proud of.
Bundobust is also renowned for their craft ale selection, something which I’m not au fait with. However my companion tried the Bombay Dazzler and found it to be “Gorgeous. Light and fruity and very cold” which sounds like a belter to me.
As street food goes, they’ve nailed it. It’s quick, it’s inexpensive, it’s relaxed, and it’s bloody good. What more could you want?
