The Tiffin Box

In the midst of the other restaurants in the Plaza Shopping Center food hall is The Tiffin Box. This might be quite a peculiar name for an Indian restaurant however the name is inspired by an Indian lunch box. In India, there is a unique transport system were dozens of these tiffin boxes are delivered with bicycles or with the metro train system by dabbawalas in the Mumbai region. Every morning the wife would usually cook a meal for her husband or children who would already be at work or at school and prepare the food inside the tiffin box. These are then delivered by the dabbawalas to their husbands or their children by coding system, by dabbawalas who in most cases do not know how to read.

The Tiffin Box in Sliema has been inspired by this concept and is introducing it as a practical way how one can reduce packaging and plastic, making it eco friendly. You can buy your own set of Tiffin boxes and then re-use them every time you visit the shop.

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The Tiffin Box is an Indian curries, tandoori grills and street food restaurant with a substantial vegan and vegetarian section on the menu. This is so because 60% of the Indian population is vegetarian and that the owner of the restaurant, Jaideep Venugoeal is vegan himself. Jaideep states that his restaurant is not like any other Indian restaurant in Malta. One main difference is that this is not a subdued, candlelight, formal dinner setting but a comfortable and casual dinner, which tries to make it more accessible to all. He wants everybody to feel comfortable eating at his restaurant.

As for the food my father tried some vegan dishes whereas I tried both the vegetarian and vegan dishes. I tried the Rajma Chawal which was a kidney bean curry with rice, the Mutter Mushroom with Basmati Rice which was with was with cheese and mushroom curry, the Palak Paneer which is a spinach curry sauce which cottage cheese cubes and the Paneer Tikka Masala which is with cottage cheese cubes with tomato sauce , spices and cashew.

the tiffin box sliema indian restaurant vegan malta

On the other hand my father took the Vegetable Kofta Curry with vegetable balls and tomato curry, the Vegan Dal which is a lentil curry (which he couldn’t stop eating and highly recommends), the Vegetable Curry and the Masala Channa with a chickpea curry with garam masala and some traditional naan bread. Worth noting that all of the vegan curries are gluten free.

This is the perfect location for someone who is vegan or vegetarian and looking for something new to try out. If you’re a fan of spices these are the prefect dishes for you however if you are not, not all the dishes have spice in them. The dishes are not only a burst of flavor but have a wide selection of curries, kormas and so much more.  If you are in the Sliema area, pop into the Plaza Shopping Mall go down to the food court. The Tiffin Box is the last one on the left hand side, Worth a try with the benefit of having reasonable prices, a quick service and a wide range of selection.

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