THALI STORY for OXFORD MAIL by JIM PIZER, FOUNDER DIRECTOR

Thali started as a festival thing back in 1999, when I came back from six months in India. The food that I’d eaten didn’t bear much resemblance to the high street curry houses in the UK and I tried to recreate the healthier, fresher, home cooked Indian food that I’d discovered on my travels around the subcontinent.

In the beginning things were very basic, the festival Thali consisted of one veggie curry and an old banger called ‘Noddy’ but the response from hungry festival-goers at Glastonbury was so positive that I decided to set up my first restaurant in Bristol’s Montpelier where I was living at the time.

Thali opened, effectively as one of the first ever pop-ups in a shop that functioned as a gift store by day, and has grown organically staying true to a strict ethical code inspired by ‘jugaard’ the Indian philosophy of ‘do more with less’. Today there are five Thali restaurants in Bristol.

Since the very beginning I’ve tried to present Indian food in a new and exciting way. I feel that Indian food has been left to rot somewhere in the 1980s (meat of uncertain origin, gassy lager) and I’m on a mission to make Indian food cool again. My dream is to share a taste of everyday India with diners across the country.

I have been searching for a restaurant outside of Bristol for the last year and a half. It has been tough as competitors are often backed by huge corporations which has forced Thali - a die hard independent - to think creatively and really sell the dream of a fresh take on Indian food to landlords.

During this vaguely frustrating time something incredible happened. I met author of bestselling cookbooks Made in India and Fresh India Meera Sodha (you might have read Meera’s column The New Vegan in The Guardian). Meera shares a passion for all things Indian and joined the Thali team as a cook. Together we showcase the hero dishes of the subcontinent, as well as recipes from Meera’s cookbooks. I believe that we have created a simple and tasty menu that is accessible without dumbing down the original thali concept or scrimping on quality (meat is free range, dairy is organic).

Finding the site on George Street was a lucky break that happened at the beginning of the year. The minute I saw the restaurant I knew that it would work perfectly for Thali. Oxford is an incredibly rich cultural centre and I’m confident that Thali will bring something completely new to Oxford’s food and drink scene - a cool Indian restaurant for the 21st century.

The Thali menu looks to India for inspiration; from the back streets of Chandni Chowk to the beach shacks of Goa as well as recipes from Meera Sodha. Meera’s creations utilise traditional Indian techniques with a large dose of British cool featuring dishes from her latest vegetarian cookbook Fresh India including: pea kachoris with pickled onions, mushroom and walnut samosas and pumpkin coconut olan. The menu features a range of thalis (from Keralan nandan chicken to Punjabi paneer) and roadside grills cooked on a tava or hot coals – just like they do in the back streets of Bombay.

The restaurant interior presents a raw vision of India that I feel is true to my experiences of travelling around the country. The colour palette originates from the dust, haze and aged quality of the city streets. We have also incorporated the Indian philosophy of ‘dhulaee’ the washing of something into the space with a multi-function water station and communal water basin for hand washing. I hope this will encourage diners to eat with their hands, just like they do in India as I’m considering an out-right ban on cutlery.

Thali

71 George Street,

Oxford OX1 2BQ

www.thethalirestaurant.co.uk