A pop-up restaurant in Bristol serving high quality Indian food has closed, just three months after launching.
The Coconut Chilli - which was given a four-star rating by Mark Taylor - took over former tapas restaurant Rosa in May and served food inspired by the hill station regions of the country, which are towns located in the low mountains.
The pop-up's head chef Khilesh Kumar Anand introduced a bespoke menu which featured small plates which could be paired with local ales and a selection of fine wines.
And the brand's founder Navina Bartlett told Bristol Live the pop-up was a 'phenomenal success'.
She said: "Coconut Chilli was offered the opportunity to go into the site at Whiteladies Road on a temporary basis, which is why we ran the restaurant as a pop-up.
"It was the first time I have ever had a 'shop front' and as I have been running my independent catering business for four years now, I was confident that customers would love our food and our concept, especially the warm, personal service.
"Our pop-up, although short-lived, was a phenomenal success.
"We launched our successful concept within three weeks of taking the keys and built up a loyal customer base of local residents, and also some tourists who came from the USA and Singapore because they heard good things.
"The draw of excellent quality Indian cuisine in a casual format with a premium drinks offering, including local ales on tap proved popular."
Sadly, however, Khilesh and Navina have now left the Whiteladies Road site, which has been put back on the market by Christie & Co.
Navina explained why they have departed so soon after building up a loyal following.
She added: "We went into the site with open eyes, knowing that the site was being marketed with a premium of £95,000 and would remain on the market for commercial sale.
"The current tenant is keen to achieve the premium advertised and our offer was rejected.
"The site is now being marketed by another commercial property agent and we were not in a position to continue in that site."
The good news, however, is that Navina is eyeing up a suitable premises in the city to keep the Coconut Chilli name alive. We're keeping our fingers crossed we don't have too long to wait...
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