Chakra Restaurant Review: Modern Indian Dining in Kensington

I think 2018 has been the most exciting time for my blog to date. Not in terms of opportunities or glamorous trips away, but because I finally feel like The Foodaholic is back as the hobby I love. Running a blog nowadays has so much pressure against it but I’ve taken a step back, not trying to rush into anything and do everything in my own time because this isn’t my job – it’s my hobby. One big thing that I’ve changed is trying to eat where I love and I really do live by Indian cuisine – especially as one of my parents runs a tandoori oven company.

With all that in my and my love for Indian food, we recently made our way to the newly refurbished Chakra in Kensington. Its had a fresh modern face lift, new chefs and a new winter menu which launched just a few weeks ago. If you’ve visited Chakra before then you’ll definitely recognise the big decor change and to celebrate – we started with a couple of cocktails.

Our favourite of the cocktails was the ‘Holland Park’. A delicious concoction of Canadian club, lemon juice, passionfruit syrup and grenadine. Another nice choice, but perhaps not completely to my taste was the ‘Chakra Spice’ which was a mix of Tequila, fresh raspberry, mint, lime and chilli – topped with lemonade.

Of course every Indian meal must (or at least should) start with a selection of papadums with home-made chutneys. Over the last few years papadums in restaurants are coming in so many different forms, making what is usually quite a simple starting point, into something a little bit more exciting. All of the yoghurts, chutneys and papadums here were excellent and we left nothing but empty pots.

My favourite dish from the selection of starters was the soft shell crab. It was stuffed, covered in a golden batter flavoured with chilli and was easily one of the most meatiest soft shell crabs I think I’ve ever eaten. If that wasn’t already good enough, the whole thing is taken to new heights with a Szechuan pepper chutney for dipping into.

Another excellent choice was the samosa ghugni chaat. Two huge Punjabi style samosas, sat on a fragrant bed of spiced yellow peas and topped with mint, tamarind and nylon sev. I love samosa chaat so much, in fact it’s one of my favourite dishes and this didn’t disappoint.

If I had to pick another dish I absolutely love when dining in an Indian restaurant, it would be paneer – especially when cooked in the tandoori oven. Here it was marinated in a thick coating of pickled spices, the cheese was perfectly cooked meaning not an ounce of chewiness in sight and the grilled pieces of peppers were full of smokiness from that oven.

For seafood lovers, order the Mangalorian prawn curry. Huge, meaty prawns, cooked in a rich and silky sauce made up of caramelised onions, roasted spices and tamarind. For extra indulgence, order a side of the chilli cheese naan for moping up the juices, plus a portion of the tadka palak. The latter, a mix of creamed spinach, wild garlic, chilli and dill. It’s another of my favourites and this version was beautifully executed.

Desserts were absolutely fantastic too. The Valrhona chocolate mousse was surprisingly lighter than it looked, infused with a with orange zest centre which turned this dessert into something not too dissimilar to a Jaffa Cake – making it even better. The seasonal fruit cheesecake was almost an ice cream version of the original, but every bit as delicious. Rich, creamy and that biscuit base was a dream.

It was great to be back at Chakra in Kensington and whilst I loved this restaurant before it’s menu updates and refurbishment – I love it even more now. We struggled to find fault in almost every dish which we ate and with its trendy location on Kensington’s back streets, I can think of so many reasons why I would return and why you simply need to try it out for yourself. If Kensington isn’t your local, then Chakra recently opened up in Kingston-upon-Thames – somewhere I’ll certainly be adding to my must-try list.