Chakra, Chakra, Chakra – why have I not discovered you earlier. Admittedly it’s a strange name for a restaurant, naming itself after the seven colours of spiritual awakening of health and well-being – but once you visit this Kensington institution you’ll realise just why. One sunny early evening we took a seat on the terrace in this restaurants shiny new location. A relaxing and tranquil space where time seemed to disappear through excitement and enjoyment. It’s a lovely place and compared to other Indian restaurants in London it offers not only good food and drink but something just that little bit different. Once settled in we started with two delicious cocktails, the favourite being the Chakra Spice – laced with a good helping of fiery chilli and fresh mint.
While devouring a small bowl of poppadoms and sipping on our drinks, the first dish to grace our table turned out to be the best dish of the evening and one which has quite honestly set the bar very high for other similar dishes across the restaurant scene. Huge spiced tiger shrimps were cooked to absolute perfection, smothered in a tikka style coating and accompanied by dollops of green chilli garlic yogurt. The flavour was fresh, rich and oh-so lingering. The prawns were incredibly well cooked, so good in fact that each strand of its flesh almost melted in the mouth. I can’t recall the last time I had prawns these good and I can’t wait to come back for more of them.
Our other starter didn’t quite live up to those prawns, nothing really could – but was still utterly enjoyable. Crispy avocado spheres, curry leaves and tamarind chutney made for some golden balls of perfection which we didn’t want to part with. The flavour was refined and delicate – but memorable. Exactly how you want the start of your meal to be, unforgettable – and that’s exactly what it was. It was all beautifully presented too.
Main courses came in the form of fish heaven and a meaty affair. What I love about the food is here the fact that it throws you off a little. Do you need the naan, will you need a rice, where is the huge menu of sides – the truth is you don’t need any of it (well except the incredible blue cheese naan). Each plate is perfect just the way it is and anything extra is simply a bonus. One dish during our meal however left us in a slight Marmite state – tandoori Gressingham duck breast. A dish in mesmerizing flavour, but lacking the precision of cooking. If they took a little extra care and left this bird with a nice pink centre it could be something really special indeed. On the flip side of things the clay oven cooked black cod was perfectly executed and practically faultless.
Another element which makes Chakra really stand out to other Indian restaurants is its desserts. You’ll find the classics, yes – but they all have a fun little twist on them. Indian Mess was a recreation of the British staple, laced with a good hit of saffron and touch of spice. The star and what should become this restaurants signature dessert was the mango kulfi. A bowl of fresh Alphonso mango is accompanied by three pipettes filled with a sweet mango puree and topped with squares of kulfi ice cream. It was such a fun and delicious way to finish our meal.
Chakra was a great little find in Kensington and one I wish I’d found sooner. It’s fun, has class and the food is fantastic. With Summer officially arriving, Chakra have since launched a fantastic new Summer menu, featuring the likes of crab galouti, saffron tartar, seafood biryani, zingy salads and a Tandoori Poussin which is no doubt a dream come true. In short – visit Chakra, you’ll have a fabulous time.
