I rarely choose to go to an Indian restaurant in London, for the sole reason that I just don’t know any really good eateries specialising in this cuisine. Cinnamon Kitchen has changed all that for me – after a brilliant meal there the other day I would happily return. In fact I would even venture all the way to East London to eat such good Indian grub again.

The Cinnamon chain, which has just expanded to a new restaurant in Soho fills a gap in the market… modern, delicious Indian cuisine served in a stylish lively setting. Cinnamon Kitchen is the relaxed version of Cinnamon Club and the newest member of the team, Cinnamon Soho is a younger family-oriented eatery in the heart of Central London.

A few paces from Liverpool Street Station but located in an intimate covered courtyard, the venue exudes exclusivity. On a Monday night the place was completely full of friends catching up, it seemed the ideal place to celebrate the start of the week.

Easily persuaded, we tried the special cocktails, one strawberry and one passion fruit Bellini… a light sweet aperitif before our meal. Not recognising many names on the menu, it was hard to pick out dishes, but after speaking to the waiter we managed to decide on some starters: Tandoori black leg chicken with wild garlic & coriander, Duck breast sesame & tamarind glaze and aubergine & masala peanut crumble. A richly flavoured white wine was brought to accompany our food… I wasn’t intending on drinking but was won over by the unique and fruity taste.

Three petite plates arrived and we had no problem polishing off the lot between the two of us. The chicken was unanimously the favourite, seasoned with a delicious mix of spices and chargrilled to perfection. Though the duck and aubergine were also wonderfully light and full flavoured dishes.

I usually bypass Lamb in restaurants, as I find it often disappoints… however my Tandoori rump of Kentish lamb at Cinnamon Kitchen was the best lamb I have eaten out – soft and tender but cooked exactly to my specification (medium-well) and enriched with wonderful spices and fragrant sauce; it was divine. My friend’s choice, Stir fried king prawns, Kerala curry sauce looked sensational too, the creamy aromas wafting alluringly to my side of the table.

I have no idea what an authentic Indian dessert is and whether Cinnamon Kitchen abides by the rules but we immensely enjoyed the selection we tried. Passion fruit tart with clotted cream ice cream and peppered orange biscotti was very good, a lovely mix of refreshing sweet and creamy tastes. The Valrhona dark chocolate soufflé with cinnamon cream Anglaise, pistachio crisp was light and airy, apparently made moments before it reached our table. We left after fresh mint tea, very full and very satisfied.

For Indian food fans this restaurant ticks all the boxes, I’m looking forward to trying the other venues in the successful Cinnamon chain.

Visit the Cinnamon Kitchen website here for more information.