Almost everytime I go out for a meal with a group of people, someone always bring up the question of “what’s your favourite wine” or “desert island choice of food?“. I could never pick just one wine but picking only one cuisine to live on for the rest of my days is an easy choice, its Indian. I’m not just saying that for the purpose of this article but for me the cuisine is so diverse compared to all others – you could have a different meal everyday. From the light, delicate dishes of the south, all the way through to the rich and heavy North Indian Bangladeshi dishes. Indian cuisine offers diversity, flavour and lots of intrigue – so for me I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather eat everyday.
Bombay Brasserie is a fine-dining Indian restaurant located directly outside Gloucester Road station. Location wise it’s perfect, but not particularly glamorous. That said, once you arrive through the tiled, mosaic arches of the restaurant a colonial oasis awaits you in the form of a stunning bar – it’s very Gymkhana – but better. Complete with beautiful plantation shutters and traditional ceiling fans. Step through the doors to the restaurant from the bar and that colonial gentleman’s club feel moves into something much more luxurious and refined. It’s huge too with lovely spacious dining tables that spread so far apart each diner feels as though they’re allocated their own private dining space.
Part of our journey here at Bombay Brasserie led us deep into the kitchen as part of a special evening where executive chef, Prahlad Hegde was waiting to give us a masterclass in Indian cooking and preparation. From making the perfect tikka marinades, chopping skills and the cooking of a naan in a tandoori oven. After spectating, we got down to eating and sampled some golden crumb coated king prawns straight our of the pan and melt in your mouth seekh kebabs. I’m sure the rest of the kitchen staff couldn’t wait to get us out of their way – but I didn’t want to leave. It may have been hot in that kitchen but food straight off the pan and out of a hot tandoori oven really does taste that little extra bit special.
After consuming almost all the contents of the entire kitchen we sat down to our dinner, chatting over a glass of wine or two and nibbling on some mini papadums with chutney. The one thing which really interested me most about Bombay Brasserie was that alongside executive chef Prahlad Hegde – its Michelin starred sister restaurant, Quilon has its head chef Sriram Aylur giving Prahlad and the kitchen guidance – it’s certainly paid off. An amuse bouche of sev batata puri was a mix of gram flour, potato, chutney and sweet tamarind sauce. I’ve had many Indian snacks similar to this and while here it was good, I’ve had better in my time. Still, it got the palate excited.
The food here at Bombay Brasserie is most likely not what you’ll expect. Yes it has some classics but everything comes with an authentic twist, modern edge or has been stripped back to its roots. Dishes such as the adraki lamb chops were a small bite of heaven – coated in a thick, ginger infused marinade that really worked its way through the meat. But then the tandoori raan arrived and shook everything up. Quite easily one of the best dishes I’ve eaten this year – it was legendary. The lamb shank had been smothered in spices and cooked slowly on the bone to reveal moist, flaky meat and a good crisp, wafer thin, crunchy exterior. Notes of black cardamom ran through the meat and gave it all an unforgettable flavour. A must order dish for anyone visiting Bombay Brasserie.
Main courses continued coming at us in force with full on flavour. Chicken makhani, served in a creamy, bright red sauce was not too dissimilar to that classic chicken tikka masala. The dish was complemented by some rice (a little stodgy), aloo roast (roasted baby potatoes with ginger, lime and spices) and the most amazing dal makhani, full of deep, rich and nutty flavours – perfect for dipping our buttery laccha paratha into. One of my favourite dishes from the evening (apart from all that lamb goodness) was the masala seabass on a bed of spinach. It was the most refined dish of the evening and actually very mild with its spice offerings, which I liked. The fish was beautifully cooked too, moist and fleshy on the inside, but charred and perfectly crisp on the outside.
By this point the food coma started to settle in and after practically inhaling my dessert trio (which could have been more traditional) it was time to stumble my way back home. Bombay Brasserie was such a lovely find in an area of London which while popular, doesn’t have that much good food. You might even say it’s the Indian ruby within the rough. While the restaurant is by no standards cheap, the food is of quality, the dining room is immaculate and the service is second to none. More than one reason why you should all stop following the latest Indian restaurant openings and revisit a classic – such as Bombay Brasserie.
8/10
I was invited to review
