Mayfair, Indian Restaurant Guide

“From the amuse bouche and blue cheese naan onwards, we were blown away!” – this “impeccable” Mayfair spin-off from a famous New Delhi venture is in contention as “the best-of-the-best of London’s new wave of fine dining Indians”: “maintaining classic, traditional flavours” but with “an impressive balance of refinement and power” to create “deliciously tantalising” dishes. Service is “patient” and “warmly welcoming”, while the interior – though certainly “smart” and “tastefully understated” – can also seem “very stereotypically Mayfair”, or “too businessy”.

Despite a vintage stretching back to 1926, London’s oldest Indian (part of the same group as Chutney Mary) doesn’t merely trade on its guidebook potential, with “subtle” and “original” cuisine, “dedicated” service, and a first-floor setting, whose agreeable looks are thoroughly modern. It seems to have become “a wee bit pricey” of late, though, “but it is in the heart of the West End, so perhaps not excessively so”.

“Boldly flavoured” nouvelle Indian cuisine served in a “dark and clubby”, colonial-theme setting puts Leela Palace’s Mayfair two-year-old in London’s premier league, if not perhaps quite at the top of the table: “not as memorable as some top names, but definitely a favourite”. But while it’s “a good attempt at taking Indian cuisine to the next level”, it lacks the stunning verve fans recall from when it first opened: “a fun evening out, but it will need to do better again to match the best of the best”.

Mixed reports this year on this swish first-floor Indian, in the heart of Mayfair, which severed ties in August 2018 with its original founder. Fans say it’s “still excellent, despite Atul Kochhar’s departure”, serving “very nicely balanced, spiced and well-prepared” Indian cuisine that offers “a real twist compared to what’s usually found in the UK”. Its ratings have waned, though, with gripes re-emerging about its “windowless”, slightly “dull” interior, but more concerningly about cooking that “may not justify the price tag”: “just go to Dishoom, get better food, have more fun and save your cash!”

The “fantastic”, “properly spicy and tasty” Indian cooking at this Mayfair two-year-old is “definitely of the quality and invention of Jamavar” – its celebrated stablemate nearby. Taking inspiration from Mumbai street and comfort food invites the comparison to an “upmarket Dishoom”, while the departure of founding chef Rohit Ghai has thus far only had limited impact on the excellent ratings.