Jali - Hastings

Jali restaurant at Hastings is a part of the Jali group of restaurants that have become synonymous with fine Indian dining. Each restaurant is elegant in its theme and creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. Jali was first started in Hastings, on the sea front of the historic fishing centre and awarded an AA Rosette for culinary excellence. Encouraged by its success, two other branches opened in Crewe and in May 2007 in Blackpool. The owners plan to expand to other parts in the UK. Decorated in warm shades of red and ornately carved furniture, the atmosphere is one of indulgent dining.

The restaurant itself is popular and so is their takeaway. Jali has an internationally experienced team both those dealing with guests and others working behind the scenes and caters to parties, large groups and corporate events. They also noticed that a lot of their guests dined at Jali when celebrating a special occasion or a memorable event, and are happy to go the extra mile to makes these moments even more special when informed in advance. The special touches can include balloons, cakes, champagne, roses and other little thoughtful touches that mean so much, particularly when they are not expected.

Like most other restaurants that specialise in Indian cuisine, Jali too offers the usual array of tandoori, Punjabi and coastal cuisine with curries, rice, rotis and starters that are well loved because of their familiarity. Jali brings in a creative twist to these familiar tastes with dishes like chicken marinated in gin and fried with herbs and lifafa, an interesting starter made of potatoes and cheese, pan fried and served with tamarind coulis and a drizzle of green chutney.

Jali creates another winning combination of the familiar and the new with their pan fried bazaar or kiosk style of cooking. On the one hand they offer certain combinations like prawn and egg, mushroom and baby corn or chicken and lamb that form the base of the dish, and on the other, they offer a variety of sauces like green curry, kadai fry or rogan josh in which these are cooked. The guest is invited to choose a preferred combination of the two, thus creating the perfect dish according to one's taste and mood.

Jali is the term for a perforated stone or latticed screen constructed through the use of calligraphy and geometry, and it appears that these restaurants play the role of decorative windows permitting a peek into the rich tradition of Indian cuisine.