Guest Reviewer Andreas – Shanti Gossip – Stockholm (Sodermalm)

For the first time on Rate My Bistro, we have a Guest Review! Introducing Swedish born and raised, Andreas. Andreas has kindly reviewed a Bengali/Indian restaurant,  Shanti Gossip in Stockholm.  Enjoy his fantastic mouth-watering review. A big thank you to Andreas from the Rate My Bistro team for the Guest Review.

Shanti Gossip Review by Andreas:

“In the midst of Södermalm, declared the third coolest neighbourhood in the world by Vogue Magazine (http://www.vogue.com/slideshow/fifteen-coolest-street-style-neighborhoods), crammed in between second hand shops and hipster cafés, lies a little gem of Bengali flavours. Shanti Gossip is the third out of five restaurants opened in Stockholm by owner Nahid Hassan, serving curries, biryani, pakora, paratha, and other dishes from India and Bangladesh. The restaurant is small with just enough space for around 30 people indoors and, if weather permits, maybe another ten on the pavement outside. The menu is focused on street food from Bangladesh, with a good selection of both vegetarian and fish dishes, as well as chicken and lamb.

This particular evening, we started with the Dall Poori with Chana Dall, a delicious lentil curry which comes with deep fried poori bread and a couple of dip sauces. The Monsoon Rain Sabji is chunks of different vegetables cooked in a bit of gravy with lots of flavour and comes with a fried egg to complete the dish. We also tried the Salmon Curry with Mango, a local adaptation of Bengali fish curry where the sweetness of the mango balances perfectly the spices of the curry. One of the highlights of the evening was the Kofta Veggie Curry, an explosion of flavours made of deep fried vegetable balls with mustard oil and rolled in bread crumbs, served in a tasty curry of God (and Nahid) knows what spices. Simply delicious.

At other visits, we have also tried the Eggplant with Sugar Peas Curry, where half an aubergine has been cut into pieces and mixed with chili, lemon grass, coconut milk and spices, and is served with honey and paratha bread; the Salmon Bengali Curry, where the taste of turmeric mixes perfectly with the ginger, cumin and coriander; and Lamb Biryani, where cinnamon, cloves and saffron melt together to create a delightful dish.

The service was prompt and friendly. However, one of the main dishes was forgotten and arrived only a bit later. Something similar to this has also happened to us at earlier visits to other Shanti restaurants. We have been quick to forgive such mistakes however after the first bite.

Booking a table in any of the five Shanti restaurants is usually a little confusing; sometimes the reservation is happily accepted over the phone without asking for a name, and sometimes the name seems to be written down at the time of reservation, but is never asked for at the restaurant. You have a reservation for five people? OK, great, let me find you a table. In our experience, their system seems to somehow work out just fine, as we have never had to wait for more than ten minutes, even when the restaurant is crowded.

In summary, if you visit Stockholm and like Indian or Bangladeshi food, a visit to Shanti Gossip is highly recommended.”

Shanti Gossip, Skånegatan 71, Sodermalm, 116 37 Stockholm

Rating: ★★★★★

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