It was the intriguing ‘park and dine’ concept of Chaii Garden that initially drew me to the Delhi-inspired tea room in the Sparkbrook area. But it is the quality of their amazing food that has convinced me that I need to return to this hidden street restaurant in the Balti Triangle.
The restaurant may be named after its Delhi-inspired chai teas, but its edible options steal the show. Chaii Garden also offers a wide variety – from burgers, wings, samosas and nachos to milk pies, cheesecakes, waffles and donuts, there is something for everyone on this vast menu.
The park and dine experience itself was certainly unique. Driving up, we passed an ‘order here’ booth that was unmanned, I guess because it was a calm day, before parking in one of the eight to 10 bays next to the kitchen.
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From here, you turn on your hazard lights to indicate you’re ready to order and a server will come out to your car. We found that we had to wait quite a while in the parking lot to receive our food, about 15-20 minutes total, but to be honest the food was worth the wait so I’m not too upset about the delay in hindsight.
We ordered a Smashed Burger with Fries (8lbs), Glazed Naga BBQ Wings with Fries (8lbs), Two Donuts with Brownie Chunks on Top (3.50lbs) and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecakes (4.50 pounds). It seemed to be a really affordable meal, especially considering the quality of the taste.
We opted to take our food home to eat and the presentation alone looked amazing. Admittedly, the burger was a bit squashed from the shallow packaging it was placed in, but that didn’t matter one bit by the time we tucked into the feast before us.
The burger was nice and thick with delicious sauce splattered on the buns and lots of flavor in the patties. The fries are also worth mentioning as they were thick, plentiful and covered in seasonings.
However, the jewel in our Chaii Garden taster’s crown was their amazing chicken wings. Delicious and spicy BBQ naga sauce covered the four large wings that came with the meal. The spices left a lovely tingle in my mouth and the crunchy yet juicy texture of the skin completed the excellent taste sensation.
In fact, we were really gutted that we didn’t invest more in the wings, so I would definitely recommend trying them if you’re considering eating at Chaii Garden. After this strong demonstration of the tasty dishes, we moved on to the desserts that the park and restaurant are proud of, and they didn’t disappoint either.
The cookie dough cheesecake was everything I dreamed it would be, with a creamy layer of cookie dough that complemented the buttery cookie base (sorry, had to say!). The donuts were amazing too, dipped in sugar and drenched in chocolate sauce, with huge brownie chunks on top.
I felt like I was getting two desserts in one, and their donuts are ridiculously cheap at just £3 for two, with an extra 50p for any toppings.
Walking out of Chaii Garden I was a bit embarrassed at how safe I had played my menu choices as there were a variety of Delhi inspired food options available which I shy away from. However, having tried their products, I know that on a return visit I will definitely be exploring the milk cakes, samosas and exotic ‘Garden Desserts’. Along with a big plate of wings, of course.
And it says a lot about the quality of their food that my return visit is a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ as it can be hard to stand out as an independent restaurant in Birmingham, but Chaii Garden has successfully created an experience unique gastronomy combined with a wide variety of delicious sweet and savory dishes to satisfy even the most demanding eaters.
If you’re looking for an affordable spin on Eastern and Western fast food with plenty of flavor, I would definitely recommend venturing into the Balti Triangle to try Chaii Garden’s park and dine experience.
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