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Five to try: Indian Restaurants
Evening Standard 01.04.09
Good grilling: Cinnamon Kitchen
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CINNAMON KITCHEN
9 Devonshire Square, EC2
(020 7626 5000) £50
When contemporary intelligent sensibility is applied to a cuisine with deep roots, the result need not be called fusion. Vivek Singh, who headed the kitchens at the Oberoi Rajvilas hotel in Jaipur, understands well the appetites of a largely Western clientele. This co-production with Westminster's Cinnamon Club pushes the envelope further with warehouse décor, a tandoori bar, cocktail lounge, European staff and sprightly, mostly successful ideas for dishes.
ZAYNA
25 New Quebec Street, W1
(020 7723 2229) £40
A complete makeover of the interior has rendered Riz Dar's Pakistani and Punjabi restaurant a seductive haven in this little West End street pleasingly filled with singular shops. Low-slung sofas and intricate woodcarvings distinguish the décor. Free-range meat and traditional recipes such as gurda qeema, where spiced minced lamb is mixed with finely chopped kidneys, make the menu unusually inviting.
ZEEN
130 Drummond Street, NW1
(020 7387 0606) £26
In what is Brick Lane for the Euston Road School, signage for this restaurant, opened by Zeenat Harnal, daughter of Sir Gulam Noon, king of the Indian ready-meal, is discreet. Stairs lead to a basement decorated in bright orange and a menu with slightly heart-sinking subheads such as Begin Your Voyage, Cruise with Our Chefs and Final Destination but the cooking is fresh and inventive and the pricing keen.
DOCKMASTER'S HOUSE
Hertsmere Road, E14 (020 7345 0345) £52
This is not the first time this Georgian building — looking surprised amid the brutal architecture of Canary Wharf — has been launched as an Indian restaurant. This time there is the addition of a glazed annexe and the provision of sprauncy bars and party rooms. Executive chef Navin Bhatia, who previously worked for Café Lazeez group, fulfils the restaurant publicity's promise of “dishes given a contemporary twist”. As you might imagine, this works better in some instances than others.
TRISHNA
15-17 Blandford Street, W1
(020 7935 5624) £40
This outpost of the raucous Mumbai original goes for minimalist lines and muted colours. Chef Ravi Deulkar has come from the Michelin-starred Rasoi Vineet Bhatia. Crabs from Cornwall are not as imposing as those from the waters of south-west India, the heroes of the famous butter-pepper-garlic king crab speciality. But Blandford Street has garnered its own following among well-to-do Indians. As with all the restaurants mentioned here, lunch is a relative bargain.
Prices estimate a meal with wine and service for one.
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Reader views (1)
Ive been to the restaurants mentioned and the 2 that stood out the most for being the most innovative, freshed and having the all round package are Cinnamon Kitchen and Trishna. Its funny that Fay Maschlers review of both places weren't all that great however Ive noticed she was in at both places early doors meaning her reviews dont give a true reflection of the restaurants which to me were both running like well oiled vintage sports cars.
- Julian True, mayfair, london
