Harden's survey result
Summary
In a plush hotel near Buckingham Palace, this “very classy” dining room “focuses on dishes from southern India’s coastal areas, especially seafood” (“they also go out of their way to feed vegans in style”), all delivered with a “subtle” touch. Running the kitchen since 1999, Sriram Aylur has earned the right to be regarded as one of the capital’s elite subcontinental chefs. A recurring gripe, though, concerns the uneventful decor and “stuffy atmosphere”.
Summary
“Delicate flavours” from dishes rooted in southwest Indian coastal cuisine establish this blandly luxurious hotel venue, near Buckingham Palace, as “the most interesting of London’s Indians” for some of its fans. You wouldn’t go there for riotous ambience though, particularly in the “gloomy back of the dining room”. Top Tip – “the set lunch menu is great value considering its location” and there’s also a “great weekend brunch”.
Summary
“Superb, delicate and fragrant cuisine” from Kerala in southwest India, has been a top attraction for more than 20 years at this luxurious but muted hotel dining room in St James’s, run by the luxury Taj Group (and still under founding chef Sriram Aylur). Seafood dishes are particularly good, and there’s a tasting menu matched with beers. Top Tip – “weekend brunch is super value”.
Summary
“South Indian cuisine at its best” – with “coastal influences and high-quality ingredients” and notably “great seafood dishes” – has established this Westminster venue from the luxury Taj Group at the top of the capital’s dining scene for more than two decades. Founding chef Sriram Aylur is still at the helm, and champions Keralan cuisine for its lightness and multidimensional flavours. A few minutes’ walk from Parliament, it’s a known haunt of politicos. Top Tip: “the restaurant is more dark and gloomy at the back, so ask for a table at the front”.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Quilon?
41 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AF
Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £25.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £5.00 |
41 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AF
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:45 pm‑11 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:45 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:45 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:45 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:45 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 12:30 pm‑3:30 pm, 5:45 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | 12:30 pm‑3:30 pm, 5:45 pm‑10:30 pm |
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