I visited one of Sheffield’s newest Indian restaurants with hundreds of reviews - the food didn't disappoint

Grand Kerala opened on Carver Street at the back end of 2023, and since then, it has gathered hundreds of reviews on Google and food delivery platforms. 

With it close to our office, I walk past this busy South Indian restaurant most days, and often smell the mouth-watering spices luring people in from the street at even 9am. 

It always seems to have people inside and delivery men waiting outside on their bikes, and on Friday night, I finally seized an opportunity to see what all the fuss was about… However, this also saw me become that annoying customer walking in just before closing time.

Despite the time (around 10.30pm), the staff showed us to our table with a smile, and we were pleased to not be the only people walking in at that time.

Not wishing to waste any time, my friend and I quickly began looking through the menu for some inspiration. I ended up ordering the paneer butter masala, while my friend ordered the mutton biryani. We decided to share one pulav rice, and one Kerala parotta. 

Less than 20 minutes later, our meals were brought to us with the layered baklava-like flatbread, and the rice shortly followed.

On first impression, my meal looked lovely with the creamy tomato sauce a deep shade of orange. If I’m being fussy, I thought the paneer cubes were cut a little small. I would’ve liked them to be a bit bigger so I could really sink my teeth into them and taste the flavour.

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After putting a dollop onto my plate, I tried the curry with the rice, the parotta, and some poppadom. I was surprised at the amount of spice - a teeny bit of heat, but mainly lots of flavour. It was different to any masalas I’ve had before simply because of the seasoning, but it was delicious. It’s safe to say that I didn’t leave a morsel on my plate.

I am told that my friend’s meal was “some of the best rice I’ve ever had”. He described it as fluffy and somehow creamy without any sauce.

When it was brought to the table, with one wordless look, we both agreed that it didn’t look particularly impressive. It was a rounded mound of rice with some mutton somewhere underneath. But it got all the praise for the most important aspects - taste and texture.

The restaurant itself was also different to any Indian restaurant I’d been in. The team spent £200,000 when they renovated the former Italian, and they kitted out the interior with large bubble walls that changed colour. 

It definitely felt more catered to a younger clientele, and on this night, they were also playing loud Indian dance music. It felt a bit like a club, but I was there for it.

After finishing my meal, I nipped to the bathroom and was a bit shocked at the strong smell of damp. It didn’t feel very sanitary, but I am sure it is something they are addressing.

Our bill came to £26, or £28.60 with a 10 per cent tip, which we thought was brilliant. We were there for around 50 minutes, and we left just before 11.30pm. It was a great way to end the week, and a great start to the weekend, and I look forward to my next dining experience there.