Tag Archives: curry

Cinnamon Soho

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Cinnamon Soho is ideally situated for Carnaby Street shoppers in need of sustenance. I was surprised to find the atmosphere and mood very different to Cinnamon Kitchen which I visited a while back near Liverpool Street. This boutique restaurant is cosy and intimate, perfect for catching up with a friend, or enjoying a quiet relaxed meal. Posh Indian food seems to be growing in popularity at impressive speed. The Cinnamon restaurants offer high quality food without the pretentious dining style, they seem to have got the balance just right.

We ordered a selection of small dishes to start, petite plates attractively presented, all smelling divine… Naanza, an Indian pizza, this sounds bizarre but was surprisingly yummy, a thin doughy base topped with delicious spicy vegetables and cheese. Burnt chilli Indo-Chinese stir-fried chicken was my absolute favourite, intensely flavoured moreish marinated meat with soft pieces of pepper… it was too spicy for me and yet so delicious I couldn’t stop eating it. The only disappointment was the Roasted Aubergine chutney and carom seed ‘mathri’ – it was a bit bland, and the dip was a strange murky green colour, not very appealing or tasty.

CS offers a select menu of signature and classic cocktails, all appropriately influenced by Indian flavours and ingredients. We chose two of the most extravagant sounding concoctions: ‘Burning with Passion’ (vodka over proof rum, orange juice, passion fruit and strawberry puree) was suggested by our waitress and the light ‘Bhangra Bubbles’ (Rum, Chambord, homemade spiced syrup and champagne). They were very different drinks, the Burning with Passion is a long fruity drink, arriving spectacularly aflame and sparkling, Bhangra Bubbles is very sophisticated, a subtly flavoured glass of champagne.

Mains were sublime, we shared the Old Delhi-style black leg fenugreek chicken and Smoked saddle of Cumbrian lamb with spiced onion sauce. The lamb was beautifully cooked and spiced, we loved it so much we were fighting over the final slice of tender meat. The sauce was creamy and sweet and complemented the lamb well. The chicken reminded me at once of a cross between tandoori and tikka masala, a crispy spicy piece of chicken with a tomato based sauce. This was a comforting and filling dish, a lovely recipe especially when paired with the fragrant pilau rice. Perfectly thin and crispy naan, lightly brushed with garlic oil was the ideal ‘mopper–upper’ for the remnants of the addictive sauces.

Both desserts were amazing… an exotic Mango and cardamom crème brulee was thick and mousse-like, delicately flavoured with cardamom spice. My homemade sorbets were wonderfully refreshing, the peach flavour was lovely but it was the Pina colada boule that really excited me, a drink that I usually don’t even like turned into a sensationally sweet and coconutty sorbet.

If you like Indian food you will love Cinnamon Soho, delicious dishes created with flair and style, I was impressed.

More information here: http://www.cinnamon-kitchen.com/soho-home

THOROUGHLY MODERN MISS: Patara, Soho

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In the heart of London, the bustling streets of Soho offer an array of individual restaurants, serving delicious food from all over the world. When I met Milly there last week, I was delighted when she said we were going to a Thai restaurant as it’s my favourite cuisine.

Patara is a beautifully designed restaurant set in classy interiors (think dim lighting, exposed brickwork and Thai wood carvings) offering fantastic Thai food, using the highest quality ingredients. The menu was certainly extensive and it took a while for Milly and I to make decisions. A smiley Thai waiter took our drinks orders first – I went for a passionfruit caipriniha and Milly went for a regular caipriniha. In all honesty, they were not the best cocktails I’ve ever tasted but the food that came later, more than made up for the drinks.

For starters, I ordered the assorted rice paper rolls with prawns, crabmeat and five spice duck served with a lime and chilli sauce. The presentation was immaculate, complete with a lovely flower carved out of a red pepper. The taste of the dish was even better; the freshness and quality of the ingredients were especially striking and lime and chilli sauce was refreshing and a perfect complement to the rolls. Milly ordered the ordered the chicken and beef satay combination and we both feel confident in saying it was one of the best satay sauces we have ever tasted!

Although the menu had a range of original and exciting dishes (i.e. wild boar curry), we couldn’t resist ordering some classics – the beef fillet red coconut curry (with Thai eggplant and sweet basil leaves) and the free-range chicken green curry with sweet basil leaves. The curry sauces were lovely but the real highlight -of both dishes- was the meat. The quality of the chicken was superb and the beef was so tender it simply melted in your mouth. This was a refreshing change for me as I usually order vegetarian curries when I’m eating out because I don’t like eating fatty/overcooked meat which is so common in many Asian restaurants. Patara have clearly decided to provide a fine dining experience and have opted to use the best produce possible; it certainly shows.

We complemented the two curries with a side of greens – Chinese Water Spinach (morning glory) with chilli and garlic –  which was really tasty and a perfect addition to the rich and creamy curries.

When it came to the dessert menu, neither of us had our hopes up; I will make a sweeping generalisation, but the desserts in many Asian restaurants are often disappointing, involving too much sticky rice and mangoes or deep fried bananas. Patara’s desserts are in a different league and I urge you to try them- however full you are after your main course!

We ordered the homemade coconut ice cream and the bitter chocolate chocolate pudding with mango sorbet. The coconut ice-cream was truly delightful; definitely homemade and full of fresh coconut. The chocolate pudding oozed rich melted chocolate and its accompanying sweet mango sorbet was also incredible! Milly rounded off the meal with some fresh mint tea in a very classy teapot.

If you love Thai food as much as me, I would definitely recommend trying Patara; its original menu and the top-notch ingredients make it stand out. This quality does come at a price though – the beef fillet red curry was an expensive £19.50 and rice is charged on top of this. This aside, as a special treat Milly and I do not think you will be disappointed … Just make sure you leave enough space for that coconut ice-cream!

Visit the Patara website here for more information.

Written by a Thoroughly Modern Miss, Sabina Morley.

Bombay Brasserie, Gloucester Road

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A decent takeaway is easy to find in London, but if you’re after finer Indian cuisine it is difficult to know where to look and what to look for.

Bombay Brasserie is blissfully close to my office in South Kensington, located opposite Gloucester Road station. I had heard good things about this eatery – opened in 1982, it has aimed to provide London with authentic Indian, specifically Bombay, cuisine. The stylish restaurant attracts a crowd of celebrities and politians.

“Bombay (now known as Mumbai) brought Indians from all over the country together, making the cuisine unique to the city. The menu at Bombay Brasserie reflects the cultural diversity of Bombay, with influences from Parsi, Goan, Bengali, Gujerati, as well as the Portuguese and Raj. The dishes on the menu today have been served on the tables of past Mughal Emperors and the spice traders of Goa. Like the city itself, Bombay Brasserie has grown. 30 years since it first opened its doors, the mission is the same – to bring authentic Bombay Cuisine not only to London and Londoners, but its guest from all corners of the globe.”

For both starter and main, the knowledgeable waiter chose us a selection of the most popular dishes to try. This ensured the meal was well balanced with a choice of  vegetarian, meat and fish dishes, showing off the restaurant’s versatility. We were offered wine and were keen to taste a bottle of an Indian variety. The Sula Sauvignon Blanc, 2010 was absolutely divine, a light and dry white which accompanied both courses well. Perhaps now I will try Indian wine a little more often, though I can’t remember ever seeing the choice on a wine list before.

Our favourite member of staff was the characterful barman who prepared us bespoke cocktails. My friend was losing his voice so received a particularly delicious warm and smooth short drink. The secretive waiter eventually succumbed to our begging and disclosed the crucial ingredients: Brandy, sweetening and fresh lime. I opted for a sweet and tropical tasting lychee martini. Accompanying the cocktails were dangerously moreish crunchy, salty snacks…  the type of thing you don’t intend to eat but end up polishing off very quickly.

The star dish for me was, without a doubt, the Palak Patta Chaat (Crispy fried baby spinach, yoghurt, and date chutney). It was insanely yummy and creatively made, unlike anything I have ever tried before. The spinach leaves are battered and dipped briefly in extra hot oil so although fried are left light and unoily. The Chicken Tikka Kalimiri, cooked in the ‘Tandoor’ was very tender and seasoned with cracked black pepper and the Batter fried spicy Prawn Tokri, though a scary shade of luminous orange, tasted delicious.

For mains, a series of small bowls arrived… I still can’t believe we managed to finish it all. Miraculously, unlike cheaper Indian food, BB’s offerings are light and lean, with much less fat. Classic curries, Chicken Tikka Makhani and Lamb Rogan Josh were full of flavour and beautifully seasoned to taste. I especially liked the Tikka Makhani which was similar to butter chicken but with a richer slightly spicier essence. I was surprised to find I liked the Lasooni Palak (Sauteed spinach with golden fried garlic) – this dish looked like the very worst kind of baby grub but had a magically sensual flavour and smelt wonderful too. Aloo Katliyan spiced potatoes and fluffy basmati rice were lovely accompaniments to the creamy meat curries. Most people have a regular favourite dish (mine is currently Lamb Rogan Josh… though I must admit I like Korma too) at Bombay Brasserie it is easy to get distracted… the dishes are all unique and interested and I was tempted to choose something completely new.

Before dessert I had time to enjoy the end of the wine and observe the restaurant around me. The space is huge and spacious, quite palatial with an attractive sunset mural on one wall. The diners seemed to be mostly regulars, enthusiastic eaters relaxing and reminiscing while tucking into their favourite Indian dishes.

We were baffled by the variety of desserts, our kind waiter brought us a selection to save us from attempting to choose just two! Needless to say, the table was filled with colourful pretty puddings. The raspberry chocolate torte was rether too dense and rich to enjoy after curry which was a shame as it looked amazing. Mango Fig Ice-cream was homemade and tangy, more of a sorbet alternative to the fresh fruit. I thought the Masala Tea Brulee with sesame tuile ginger honey cream and pineapple sorbet was the best of the desserts we tried – it was very unusual with a hint of masala tea but actually worked quite well. The brulee was a good consistency, creamy and sweet with a thin layer of caramelised sugar on top.

No Indian meal would be complete without the customary tea, we tried the Masala Chai and the Black Chinese Ginger and Peach Tea.

The courteous and accommodating service at Bombay Brasserie made our experience enjoyable from start to finish. If you like Indian food, but are fed up with takeaways, this is the restaurant for you. I will definitely be revisiting.

Visit the Bombay Brasserie website here for more information.