Three Elephants, Newport, delivers food of high quality

Three Elephants Indian restaurant has been rebranded from the former restaurant, the award-winning Tamarind, which closed its doors on Saturday, August 11, and reopened as the Three Elephants on Tuesday, September 3 at 5pm. 

Customers at the Three Elephants have the opportunity to sample food cooked under the supervision of a chef who is known to British royalty. 

Chef Atikur Kahman is currently mentoring the staff at the restaurant, and is hoping to pass on some of his 20 years of experience in the food industry, including serving King Charles during his time living in London. 

Chef Atikur is responsible for curating the menu, which a spokesperson for the Three Elephants has said will "be a celebration of flavour, heritage, and creativity". 

After hearing about the standard of food that can be expected at the Three Elephants, we went along on opening night to try this food that is fit for royalty for ourselves. 

Three Elephants was decked out in balloons to welcome customers on opening night (Image: NQ) Upon arrival at the Three Elephants, it was clear that word had spread pretty quickly in the local community, and there was certainly a buzz in the air as we waited to be shown to our table. 

From the  moment we walked into the restaurant, it was clear that this was a celebration of a long period of hard work, with the entire main bar area and entrance decked out in sparkly  decorations and balloons, as well as members of staff stationed at the door to welcome you in. 

The whole main bar area was decked out in balloons and glitter as a celebration (Image: NQ) Waiters were everywhere, as people began queuing up outside the door for a table - or to get food to takeaway, which soon become apparent as a popular option. 

After about 20 minutes, we were shown to a quiet table and offered a complimentary bottle of sparkling water. 

After discussing the preferred level of spice and heat for our meal - this was something that I particularly noted as it became clear that the Three Elephants have a varied menu to ensure there is something for everyone - we were presented with a delicious looking curry of Welsh lamb and ginger, served with a generous portion of rice and naan bread. 

Our meal was presented with each element in its own dish (Image: NQ) We could not fault the presentation, as the curry was brought out in a silver bowl, with the naan in a small silver platter and the rice on its own plate. 

The portions were very generous too, with a high quantity of chunks of meat in a curry that was smothered in rich sauce that left our tongue tingling with the strength of flavour. 

The meat was cooked exquisitely, falling apart the moment our fork touched it, and was covered in a sauce that let its flavours sing and shine in a unique manner with each mouthful. 

The meal was delicious with food of the highest quality (Image: NQ) The rice was soft and fluffy, while the naan breads were soft in the middle and crunchy on the edges - expertly cooked.

During our meal, we were also presented with a dish of jumbo king prawn with garlic and mustard, which is presented using boiling water and steam, which made for an amazing watch - and you can see the presentation in the clip below. 

We even got a moment to sit down with Chef Aitkur, who told us that he had been very impressed by the quality in the kitchen. 

He said: "I'm really pleased by the quality of what is being produced in the kitchen, and that's the key element here. 

"I'm here to support these staff as a mentor to ensure they can produce food of the highest quality.

"It's been a really busy opening night, and we're keen to iron out a few tweaks, but we're really looking forward to becoming part of the community." 

Manager Naz Jahan said: "We've had a really good response so far and have been delighted by the positive uptake, so we're looking forward to continuing to delight our customers."