Chaiiwala – Bolton

For those that don’t know about Chaiwala, let me explain. First of all, the definition of the Chaiwala is “Chai” means Tea and “Wala” refers to the one who is making it. Chaiiwala Bolton is a modern cafe that offers different flavoured Chai and drinks, alongside an accompaniment of their finest Indian street food. Rest assured there are many options to satisfy your cravings with a sip of their fine tasting Chai! Chaiiwala has a modern ambience, It’s not shabby and dated like how you would expect at a traditional chai shop. Chaiiwala is decorated with numerous vintage filament bulbs hanging gracefully from the ceiling. It’s such a pretty sight to look at, especially from the outside which draws the attention of customers into the cafe, due to its magnificent pops of light that can be seen from the window looking in. The retro/rustic inspired metal chairs are surrounded by large and small wooden tables, perfect for small and large families to sit around comfortably. They also have large booths positioned on the edge of the wall which is also perfect for large families. On the other side of the cafe is a breakfast bar with high bar stools and small worktop hanging from the wall if you want to have a casual chat with a friend. A massive mirror is placed in front of the area so you can take as many chai selfies as you like! They also have plugs available under some of the booths which are useful if you need to charge your phone or MacBook. Chaiiwala has many branches located all over the UK, London, Leicester, Birmingham are to name a few! It all started on Eid Day when we decided to take the whole family including Grandma to Chaiiwala. Well, that was quite a shocker because grandma doesn’t really go out to eat much so I guessed because it was Eid day it was a one off! I was looking forward to trying this place after hearing a branch was going to open near us. We all took a drive down on a warm afternoon after stuffing our faces with Eid Biryani and Kheer. I’m sure you all can relate haha! We needed a chai fix and what better way to have it than in Chaiiwala right? These are a few pictures to get a good feel for the place. We were able to pick any table we wanted when we entered. It was surprisingly quiet due to it being on Eid Day. We managed to get the eight of us around one table/booth with ease as they are surprisingly large. We were given our menu immediately and couldn’t decide on what to get!

They do have a small but simple menu which is very friendly on the pocket meaning you can try loads! We ended up trying most of the menu haha! Don’t judge me okay! After all, it was Eid day soooo yeahh… After our order was taken, it took quite a while for our food to arrive even though it was quiet at the time. But I guess that was because we ordered so much stuff and it took time for them to make everything in sync so that our food came at the same time. Having said that, my advice is to give yourself enough time to visit if a large number of you are going. In total, we were there for about 50 minutes. So let’s start off with the Chai obviously! We ordered the classic Karak Chai, the cinnamon chai, saffron and also the Mint tea. All of their Chai’s are infused with real ingredients which I was so pleased about. They are served in take out cups. The coolest thing about the design of their teacups is that the illustrations on the cups. You are given a tea cup with a picture of a moustache or  a picture of big red lips is on the cup! (Ideal for a Chai Selfie) I mean how cool is this idea! I really enjoyed the Chai and was quite pleased with it. I mean, I love tea just generally, so when I tried this I loved it and I’ve gone back regularly since! However, once I ordered some tea late at night, after I nearly finished the tea, I could taste some powdered bits of tea coming from my mouth which was unpleasant. I told the manager and he implemented my feedback and got the sieves changed so you don’t experience it again. I was very impressed with their level of service which I will discuss in detail below. In addition to this, one of my family members particularly didn’t enjoy the Mint flavoured one, they said it was disappointing because it had literally four mint leaves in there and the tea was too strong so you couldn’t get the flavour of the mint running through. My favourite one is the cinnamon tea, it’s infused with real cinnamon sticks and not the powdered stuff. This is what you call real tea folks! Masala chips. Real potatoes peeled and cut into chips marinated with the special masala sauce and topped with fresh spring onions. This is one of the most popular snacks on the menu and I really wanted to give it a go. I enjoyed this, especially the sauce which covered the chips, it lifted the flavour and tasted delicious. Mogo chips. Cassava fingers finished with gazebo sauce. My mum is a huge fan of cassava chips, she used to fry these for me and my sister in our childhood, it definitely brought back memories of us when we were little..and you guessed it…she did really like them! I wasn’t too keen on this type but nevertheless, I was glad my mum was happy with them! Pav Bhaji. Homemade curry of mixed vegetables in special spices served with soft bread. The flavours of the curry were nice however I personally would prefer for more spice and my family also agreed. We had to order more bread though because they didn’t serve enough on the tray. This is one of my FAVV items on the menu! It would have been perfect if more spices were added to the dishes but the manager informed us that its a set recipe from the head office so they cant change anything from the menu which is understandable. Tip: make sure you order extra bread as it comes in handy.   Samosa cone. Vegetable Samosas served with Chaiiwala’s own Chutney dip. I must admit that these are actually my favourite item out of everything. When my family visit Chaiiwala, I always tell them to order me these to bring me home because it’s literally one of the best samosas I have ever had. The pastry is so crispy, fried to a perfect golden colour and the filling was absolutely delicious. I definitely recommend to try this if you pop down. Nutella wrap.This was a paratha with a thin layer of Nutella spread inside. This was disappointing because there was barely any Nutella inside the Paratha so all you could taste was the Paratha. An extra dollop of Nutella and all would have been well! However, I have since ordered it with extra Nutella & it’s soooooo much better! This is the Bombay sandwich which is a grilled sandwich with potato filling, coriander-mint chutney & Special sandwich masala. This was really nice and tasty, the potatoes were soft on the inside and the sandwich was nicely grilled and mainly warm! I would definitely recommend ordering this if you go. It was only £2 which is super affordable. Butter Chicken Roll. Shredded pieces of masala butter chicken in a roti and wrapped up in their signature Chaiiwala newspaper. If you have read my Roomali Blackburn Review you MUST be aware that I am a major Butter Chicken lover. Like seriously though, I am haha. However sadly when I tried this, it was quite bland in flavour. There was no taste to it and it needed more filling. I was quite disappointed about this because I had high expectations. The manager has since instructed the staff to add more filling based on my recommendation but I am still yet to taste it.   Limbu Pani. This is lemon mixed with water & sugar. One of my family members ordered this and she absolutely devoured this.  It was so refreshing,  a perfect balance of sweet but still sour.she loved it so much that we ordered another! To the front, we also have the Rose Faluda. Gajar halwa cheesecake. My family really enjoyed this Indian dessert. The flavours really complimented each other and it was sweet but not too sickly sweet. Chocolate Chaii mousse £3.50. Chocolate mousse with a very subtle hint of tea. This was so tasty and delicious guys! The consistency of the mousse had the texture of a chocolate torte. It’s more comparable to a chocolate torte due to its dense texture whereas with a mousse you would generally expect a light fluffy and airy texture. But it was delicious and I get this on a regular basis! Take out. Don’t forget if your craving a Chai fix but are in a rush you can call the store on 01204371419 & collect your order to go. THE STAFF – When we paid a visit, they were only opened for a week so in my experience their service was fairly slow. But I have been going regularly and I must say that their level of service has improved in time. The manager took our feedback in the most positive manner and he immediately made changes after we mentioned to him about a few issues we had. For example, when we had the Pav Bhaji, it arrived cold due to it being served in a metal bowl, I informed one of the managers about this on social media and he now uses plate warmers to warm to ensure the Pav Bhaji stays warm. There is also more staff employed now so service is faster. The manager actively reached out to ask how things were during our visit via social media. This showed us that he genuinely cared about the place and the customers. OVERALL – Chaiiwala is definitely the best place in this area to enjoy authentic Chai, even though their indian street food needs some oomph, the main thing is that their tea should be on point and it certainly is. Everything is cheap and super affordable. I definitely recommend dropping by to try out their Chai. my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Also with regards to the Halal status, I can confirm that everything is sent from their Head Office who started that their meat is non stunned so no worries! woop! Address: 147 Deane Rd, Bolton BL3 5DL Opening times: Mon – Sun 9am – 11pm Tel: 01204 371419 Website: www.chaiiwala.co.uk Social: Facebook | Instagram IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE – Everything sent from Head office who confirmed all chicken is non-stunned – Car Park Area available 1 hour free then you need to pay by your phone (they have cameras as you enter & leave) – Card Payment accepted Including contactless – Food isn’t very spicy but does taste nice, it’s literally nashto (snack) thus very small portions but is priced accordingly, the most expensive thing is £3 so if you like something don’t be shy to get more than one Plugs available for working and charging phones

All information was correct at the time of dining, however, we strongly recommend that you re-verify that Halal status before dining to ensure there have been no changes regarding certification/suppliers