With its sumptuously chic gold-accented dining room and discreet service, Tamarind was the first Indian restaurant in Europe to receive Michelin recognition - a well-deserved accolade and just one of many to come. But for all the gilded splendour in a dining room positively oozing opulence, the friendly smiles that greeted me when I walked into Tamarind were a sign that there are no pretensions here.
And that goes for the menu, too.
I had been invited to sample the entirely new a la carte menu which offers a contemporary interpretation of both Moghul cuisine - the ancient courtly cuisine of India, and the pungent coastal dishes of the subcontinent’s southern tip.
Northern Indian cuisine is considerably different to South Indian dishes. The former includes recipes with cream, butter, nuts and warming spices whereas the South uses fresh ingredients such as coconut, curry leaves and mustard seeds. Created by acclaimed Head Chef Alfred Prasad who originally comes from Chennai (formerly known as Madras) in Southern India, there is an extremely personal touch to the mouth watering menu which includes a fabulous Southern Indian korma with aromatic fennel seeds, Tandoor grilled Portobello, shitake and oyster mushrooms with silver skin baby onions in a curry leaf dressing and Monkfish Kebabs with coriander and lime leaf.
One dish which particularly caught my eye was Kingfish simmered with raw mango and coconut. This is a fish which is indigenous to the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and has a meaty texture with a delicate taste. It brought back memories of my recent trip to the former French Indian colony Puducherry where the locals cook this fish on a regular basis. It is the chef’s personal take on what he feels is a ‘seafood gap’ on London’s Indian dining scene.
I also sampled the date and almond naan which was sheer heaven and I was happy to eat it all on its own if it wasn’t for the indulgent and popular Northern favourite Murgh Makhani laced with cream and spices that was unashamedly wicked. If you do want to experiment with a dessert, opt for the Grilled pineapple marinated with ground spices and honey, served with a rose petal ice cream. Flavours of rose or kewra are frequently used in creating Northern Indian desserts.
All of the food is rooted in the authentic traditions of regional Indian cooking but as I found, goes beyond the boundaries of conventional cuisine.
Every dish seems to work well without trying too hard and the staff will always advise you on what to order if, like me, you’re feeling slightly dizzy with all that choice.
To savour the full flavours of the curries, I suggest ordering plain, steamed basmati rice or a plain tandoori roti. They help bring out the tastes of the spices in the dishes.
There might not be a natural affinity between wine and Indian food, but with careful and relentless tasting, the guys have come up with a well-chosen selection to stand up to intense, spicy or fragrant dishes. If I had to recommend just one from the list then it would have to be the Zinfandel Rose for its fruity notes that marry so well with the South Indian curries.
It’s been said for years but it’s still true: the sign of a good ‘Indian’ restaurant is one full of Indians. Such is the case here - the day I visited it was heaving with holidaymakers from the Indian sub-continent, jaded, no doubt, with an underspiced pie and mash too many from London's panoply of Brit gastropubs. I bet they had come to Tamarind for a taste of home. On the other side of the dining room, however, a group of adventurous Americans were perusing the menu with what looked like a mixture of curiosity and trepidation: Indian cuisine still something of a novelty in the States.
But looking round that lunchtime I saw that the majority of guests were Brits – it’s true what they about Indian food, it really is Britain’s national cuisine.
Opening Hours:
Sunday to Friday lunch: Midday to 2.45pm
Monday to Friday dinner: 5.30pm to 11.00pm
Saturday dinner: 5.30pm to 11.0
Sunday dinner: 6.00pm to 10.30pm