An Indian Christmas Feast Supperclub with Chef Saurav Nath at Chakra Kensington

I’m back yet again at one of my favourite London supperclubs. I feel like I’ve attended enough of chef Saurav Nath’s superclubs now that by the end of 2018, I’ll be able to put a whole article together covering his culinary journey which I feel like I’ve been part of for the best part of 10 months. Though no doubt by the end of this year I’ll be fighting the crowds off from him or the queues sprawling out of his restaurant wherever he may be. But until then I plan to relish it, enjoy a little too much wine with my meals and savour his exciting modern Indian dishes.

Once again this fabulous supperclub was held at the Chakra in Kensington and was hosted by food & hospitality consultant, Humayun Hussain. The restaurant was packed, had a lovely atmosphere in the air and whilst we settled in with a glass of bubbles our first course arrived. Celeriac infused darjeeling tea with celeriac pakora & mint chutney. A really lovely small bite which got our taste buds tingling. The pakora was nice and crunchy, but still soft in the middle and the tea which I wasn’t at first quite convinced about, actually complimented it very well.

I think my favourite dish from the evening was this Peroo Malai aur Titar Kofta. Translated, this dish was a mix of tandoori glazed turkey tikka, green chilli flavoured beet & cranberry sauce – as well as smoked minced pheasant, carrot pickle & apple chutney. A really lovely plate of food full of flavours and textures. The turkey tikka was so moist and juicy too.

Shankhi Machali, was our third course and consisted of delicious (and may I add perfectly cooked) pan-seared Atlantic Sea scallops, drizzled with madras curry oil, a dollop of lemon gel, kale chutney & radish pickle. Again I really loved all the textures, spice and flavours to this dish and that scallop tasted of quality. I wasn’t quite sold on the lemon gel element here, however my dining companion absolutely loved it and so I realised that was simply down to ones personal taste.

While that glazed turkey tikka was my favourite dish, star of the evening was the Do Tarike Ke Hiran Shikar. A golden and fluffy Scottish venison curry pie which was packed out to the brim with tender morsels of tandoori roasted haunch steak. Some lovely wild mushroom khichadi on the side, glossy chestnut puree, braised red cabbage & chocolate infused peanut sauce which went so well with the meat, adding a nice depth and richness.

I really enjoyed the sides too and it was lovely to see chef Saurav Nath using seasonal ingredients throughout the menu. My favourite was a pot of Brussels sprouts & carrot porial which went great with the pie.

We finished up on an absolutely gorgeous dessert of chocolate mousse cake & pumpkin pudding. Silky, light, rich and the flavour of pumpkin really coming through and added a nice touch of natural sweetness alongside the berry compote. It was all washed down with a cup of warm cardamom & ginger chai tea.

Once again we had such a lovely time at chef Saurav Nath’s supperclub and I can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeves for 2018 with the help of Humayun Hussain. If you’re looking for a delicious Indian supperclub cooked by a chef with a stellar Michelin starred CV and with more food then you could ever eat then look no further. Keep an eye on both Humayun’s and Saurav’s Twitter feeds for future updates and bookings.

NB: My meal was complimentary. All views are as always, my own. My views are not influenced by anyone other than my own palate and slightly poor eyesight.