Review of 'Mowgli Street Food (Cheshire Oaks)'
Having passed by the Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet mall many times on the way to Liverpool on the M53 we decided to finally have a look to see what was there. We have also always wanted to check out the Indian street food chain “Mowgli” owned and operated by Great British Menu (tv show) judge Nisha Katona. I just liked the idea of an “…eatery serving the kind of food Indians eat at home”, which seemed like a refreshing change from the normal Indian food you find in most towns throughout the country. Every time I have tried to visit various Mowgli locations it never happened so this time I was were determined to visit. The only thing was that this location, unlike all others, does not allow you to book a table so I would have to take my chance on the day…
Located on the eastern edge of the mall this Mowgli location has floor to ceiling windows and is difficult to miss surrounded by other more familiar high street dining options such as Tortilla and, across the walkway, McDonalds. We were surprised to see no queue inside so entering into the restaurant we were politely informed that there WAS a queue on the far side of the pavement in the outdoor seating area of the restaurant (were it in use - it was a miserable, rainy, January day so no demand to eat outside). We joined the end of the queue but only waited about 10 minutes before being fetched and shown to our table.
The interior is light and modern with fake plants throughout. Along the windows there are tables with swings as seats (thankfully tethered but it still quite “swingy” if you are trying to eat) while the interior is scatted with a number of wooden tables, standalone and in booths. At the back of the restaurant you can see across the “pass” into the kitchen while a large bar is positioned across an adjacent wall. The seats are quite comfortable though bench seating is hard wood.
The main menu was on a placemat with food on one side and drinks on the other. The food menu was divided into “Street Plates” on the left, “House Kitchen” on the right, and “Curry Companions” (sides like paratha) along the bottom. In the middle was described the “Sharing Menu”, basically a three-course meal for £25pp. On the other side the drinks menu held no real surprises though we noted several good looking mocktail options (and, my favourite, mango lassi £5.70). A separate notice on the table was for the “Little Tiffin” set menu for £15pp for people looking to watch their calories at 600/pp.
For drinks to start I opted for a “mango lassi” and my companion had a “Mowgli Twister” (“It taste like a Twister. A family favourite - pineapple juice shaken with raspberry & ginger puree, fresh mint leaves & lime. Fruity, fresh & full of joy”; £5.70). They were both delicious - My lassi was perfectly judged striking an excellent balance between sharp and sweet while my companions Twister was wonderfully light and fruity.
We opted for the “Sharing Menu” which looked to take in some of the featured items on the menu and seemed to be quite generous in what was offered. This turned out to be all completely true.
The first to show up on our table to share were five “Yoghurt Chat Bombs” (“The heart of Mowgli, a real flavour explosion. Crisp puff breads filled with chickpeas, spiced yoghurt, tamarind, coriander & topped with a pomegranate seed”). These were absolutely amazing and truly were like a bomb in your mouth, eaten each in one bite - The delicious yoghurt and other fillings offered an amazing sweet/sour taste that filled the mouth then quickly left. I know these as “chat puri” which we have had in other Indian restaurants but never with this amount of flavour.
The second starter item on the “Sharing Menu” was “Fenugreek Kissed Fries” (“Potato cubes tossed in turmeric, fenugreek & our iconic Mowgli massala. Simple, spiced & moreish in all the right aways”) which came, just like the first, in a small rectangular metal tiffin tin. The potatoes were perfectly cooked and a generous amount of topping meant you could not miss the wonderful spicy flavours. Onions and peppers added a bit of a veggie body to the dish but it was the spices that delivered on flavour. Very good indeed.
For our mains, the “Tiffin Sharer”, we were able to select three curries or dahls from the “House Kitchen” section of the menu to share. We chose the “Mother Butter Chicken” (“Chicken Tikka Massala does not exist in India; Butter Chicken is the real deal – the kind made in Mother's kitchens. Tandoori chicken pieces simmered in a rich, sweet, spiced tomato & yoghurt sauce finished with a gloss of butter”) which was quite different than any other butter chicken we could remember – full of flavour and spice with a good amount of chicken pieces; our second choice was “Goan Fish Curry” (“Boneless market fish simmered in a deep, spiced sauce with tamarind, ginger, coriander & smoky Kashmiri chillies. Fiery, tangy, sweet & delicious”) which my companion was reluctant to try as she suspect it might be either too fishy or too spicy, or both – it was neither and ended up our favourite dish of the meal – tender white fish with an unusual sauce that I found sweeter than I would have expected and certainly not, in any way, spicy; and our final choice was a new addition to the menu “Mowgli Black Dahl” (“Simmered through the night, luxurious black lentils, aromatic spices, garlic & butter, finished with a slick of cream. Earthy, velvety & warming”) which was as described - Very creamy if not a huge amount of flavour but very nice.
Our curries/dahl were accompanied with “tangled greens”, “roti bread” (one each), and “Mowgli Basmati Rice”. We found the small, round roti sadly undercooked and quite oily (the biggest disappointment of the meal) but the greens were wonderful and the rice a simple plain rice that served as a good base for the curries/dahl.
The “Sharing Menu” describes the final course as “Salted Caramel Ice Cream” but we were sadly informed this was not available so we chose the mango sorbet instead which was wonderfully clean and delicious - A single scoop that nicely rounded off the meal.
We met different members of staff delivering food to our table and they were all lovely. Friendly, easy to talk to, and very helpful in describing options on the menu, offering opinions when asked (they approved of our choices, it has to be said).
For the two of us, including drinks, a £1 charity donation (which was pointed out by the server) and a 10% service charge, the bill came to £68.54 which we felt was quite reasonable for the quantity and, more importantly, the quality of the food and the experience. We will definitely be visiting Mowgli again – Exciting, interesting and different food served simply.
Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”
Review Date: 2026-01-24
Cuisine: Indian
Address: 60B, Cheshire Oaks Outlet Village, Kinsey Rd, Ellesmere Port CH65 9JJ ENGLAND
Public Transport: 
Ellesmere Port
Location: Cheshire (England) - Ellesmere Port
Map:
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Telephone: +44 (0) 1244 722440
URL: https://www.mowglistreetfood.com/restaurants/cheshire-oaks/