A local Indian which has quietly become very much a destination restaurant with the media and public alike.
They say:
The Guardian: “This venture is a serious step up, where (chef) Vasaikar brings a trademark lightness of touch to a menu that skips with agility around the subcontinent.”
Evening Standard: “Designer plates and an emphasis on lightness, but doesn’t lose sight and flavour of what we all like about going out for an Indian.”
We say:
What puts chef proprietor Manoj Vasaikar head and shoulders above the run of the mill Indian chefs is partly his training, courtesy of some of the most prestigious hotels in India and partly that the man has oodles of imagination.
The former comes in handy when you know when to stop while the latter helps when you want to push the culinary boundaries.
So it’s hardly any surprise then that the menu dances between the traditional and the contemporary though wins either way with Vasaikar’s astute judgement of spicing and flavouring.
Green peppercorn malai tikka (£4.50) is no shrinking violet as a starter with robust taste, but refreshingly so with the spicing nicely underlined by hint of creamy cheese.
Marinated calamari (£5.50) has been steamed and griddled and given a kick with roasted tomatoes and green masala.
Mains are no less diverting. One can put one’s hand on one’s heart and say that the restaurant has one of the best lamb shanks (£9.50) anywhere to be found in London.
The meat just falls off the bone only to be then smothered in a superb, practically finger licking sauce of onion, poppy seed, ginger and bold spicing. Similarly, the Mevaari chicken (£8.30) is crackingly good dish of chicken braised in spinach, fenugreek and dill.
Vegetarians can take heart too with the likes of new potatoes with peanuts and fresh herbs (£3.60) or the slightly less successful smoked aubergine with onion and corn (£4) while dessert lovers won’t do better than masala bread and butter pudding. Rice and organic breads are also top notch.
ADDRESS
236 King Street
London
W6
tel, 020 8748 5959
POSTED...
Sun 27 Aug 2006 at 11:11am
