Since Delhish in St Clements closed, Oxford’s veggie/vegan offering has been lacking. Cue Namaste Village, a Gujarat restaurant which set up shop in the Oxford Castle Quarter, in the former Prezzo site, and making quite the impression since opening a month ago.
Ketan Vaghasiya, one of the partners behind Namaste Village, is delighted with the response, and says it’s their most successful site yet (There are Namaste Village’s in Norwich, Cambridge, London and Southend, with Birmingham following shortly).
“We had 350 people here on our first day, so the response since we opened a month ago has been great,” Ketan says.
Whatever your culinary bent, give Namaste Village a try just for its originality, invention and the sheer delight of Rakesh’s cooking
Historically, restaurants at Oxford Castle Quarter have struggled, but Namaste Village’s reputation precedes them, and the herbivorous amongst us, as well as the curious and more open-minded diners, have been flocking, veggie or not.
“The vast majority of Gujarati food is veggie/vegan, so we are just replicating that here. It’s the food that we eat, alongside all the ethics and principles around that. We don’t want to cause undue suffering to any living entity,” Ketan says, “and that’s always been our approach – to bring our culture along with the food, and introduce something new to Oxford.”
We had to try the Namaste special dosa with grated paneer, desiccated coconut, green sultanas, and cashew nuts – beautiful to behold
But with multiple Indian restaurants opening in Oxford this year, EXCLUSIVE: We review new Botley restaurant Tempering ‘A refreshing reinvention of the trad curry house’ they’ve got their work cut out.
Judging by our meal there, it won’t be a problem – the authenticity, quality and novelty of the dishes taking our breath away. Plus, the joy of the menu is the variety of unknown and exciting sounding dishes. Where to start? With a cooling blood orange and ginger soda which was tart and refreshing.
the joy of the menu is the variety of unknown and exciting sounding dishes. Where to start?
Then the chilli, lime, mogo chips house special (£7.45), made with cassava wedges, doused in a vibrant, hot sauce, which was an instant favourite. The buffalo cauliflower with a vegan mayo (£8.25) were another hit; the fritters crispy, the cauliflower al dente, the mayo rich and strong. And the grilled paneer broccoli salad bowl (£8.25) was a real surprise – smoky and juicy with a zingy dressing.
We had to try the Namaste special dosa with grated paneer, desiccated coconut, green sultanas, and cashew nuts (£12.95) – beautiful to behold, decorated with flowers, the pancake crispy and thin, the contents dense and fragrant, with moments of sweetness from the coconut and sultanas.
The paneer angara – smokey tandoor roasted paneer in a fiery hot gravy of tomatoes, cashew nuts, spices, herbs and chillies (£13.95), was rich and saucy, the paneer pert and bouncy. The jackfruit biryani (£7.85) was light and fragrant, and the mushroom kadai (£13.25) another winner – the mushrooms and peppers so juicy, the dry rub giving the dish a real strength, a revelation.
Throw in the Namaste dosapatti, (chewy and thin), the masala chai, (sweet and spicy), and the mango lassi (one of the best ever – really generous with the fruit) and we ewer entirely satiated. All good. All excellent. All different.
So yes, Namaste Kitchen is a wonderful addition to Oxford, a city, and indeed county, lacking in veggie/vegan offerings. And with such a vibrant student population, and a growing trend in plant-based food, it looks set to land just right.
Whatever your culinary bent, give Namaste Village a try just for its originality, invention and the sheer delight of Rakesh’s cooking. And with cookery classes, festival celebrations and Divali specials to enjoy, there’s lots to join in with.
Namaste Village is at 2 Oxford Castle, New Rd, Oxford OX1 1AY https://namastevillage.co.uk/restaurants/oxford/
