15-02-2025
Review of BBC MasterChef judge's favourite Indian restaurant in Taunton
MATTANCHERRY is an award-winning Indian restaurant in Taunton that has been named in the top eight Somerset restaurants and named 'Best Takeaway in Taunton in 2025'.
It has also just been named in the top five most romantic restaurants in Taunton, awarded a 'coveted' 2024 Good Food Award and a "Recommended restaurant" certificate from the Restaurant Guru.
Alongside these achievements Mattancherry was the only Indian restaurant to be named Bristol, Bath and Somerset's 'Restaurant of the Year' in 2024 (bronze), Tripadvisor's 2024 Traveller's Choice and BBC MasterChef judge William Sitwell's favourite Indian restaurant in Taunton.
I had the pleasure of dining at Mattancherry this week and was really impressed by the attentiveness of the staff from the beginning of my visit.
They were all so friendly and greeted me with huge smiles and no matter how busy the restaurant got my glass of water was constantly topped up and I was constantly asked if I need anything and if I was enjoying the food throughout my visit.
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Patha Chaat. (Image: Molly Kirk) I really enjoyed taking in the warm interior as I settled into my seat at my table.
The décor all felt homely, understated and intentional and I really appreciated how the ambience of the restaurant added to and complimented my overall dining experience.
To start off I was given poppadoms with a chutney trio, including mint and pickled lemon flavours while I decided on what to order which was a light and tasty way to start my meal.
In terms of food, I wanted to try a little bit of everything, and the lovely manager Gopi helped me pick out some popular menu items including the Patha Chaat for my starter.
Patha Chaat is a dish consisting of baby spinach leaf fritters topped with sweet yoghurt and tamarind sauce.
As someone who naturally opts for vegetarian dishes I really enjoyed this one.
The fritters were absolutely delicious and I really enjoyed how the savoury spinach mixed with the sweet yoghurt and tart tamarind sauce.
If I had to offer a slight critique I would say at times the strong sweet flavouring of the yoghurt slightly drowned out the taste of the fritters and tamarind for me but overall this did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the starter.
Assortment of mains. (Image: Molly Kirk) For my main I had Toran (spiced stir fried vegetables including cabbage beans and carrots sauteed with coconut oil, lentils, aromantic curry leaves and subtle spices), Pan-seared Sea Bass served with curry leaf infused mash potato and raw mango ginger coconut sauce, Garlic Naan and beef Kizhi Parotta - which is parotta layered with beef, fresh onion and curry leaves wrapped in banana leaf.
All were also really tasty, with the beef being really tender and flavourful on top of the crispy but also soft parotta mixed with all the delicious stir fried veggies complimenting the meal perfectly.
I also really enjoyed the sea bass and mash potato with the mango ginger coconut sauce perfectly complimenting the meal and providing the perfect dipping sauce for the garlic naan.
Overall, the main was incredible but if I were to be slightly nit-picky I would say that the sea bass was slightly too salty for me.
Despite this, I again do not feel that this significantly took away from my enjoyment of the meal and very much do send my compliments to the chef.
Rose Brulee. (Image: Molly Kirk)For dessert because I was extremely full from trying a bit of everything aforementioned I decided to opt for something light and fragrant.
Enter the Rose Brûlée - a floral twist to the classic Crème Brûlée made with rose petals.
This pretty little number was truly the perfect way to finish off an already successful dinner.
Whilst small in size this dessert is by no means forgettable (and not just because of its bright pink colouring) with the delicious creamy taste of the classic Crème Brûlée shining through but complimented the subtle taste of rose making it also perfectly on theme for the week of Valentine's Day.
Overall, this was a wonderful introduction to yet another restaurant I have never tried before in Taunton.
The food exceeded my expectations, which were already pretty high, and with the outstanding service I received I had no choice but to give this place a high score.
Mattancherry truly deserves the recognition and the awards the team have worked so hard to receive, and I cannot recommend it enough to those who haven't tried it yet.
