I have been indulging in quite a lot of Indian food recently. or rather much more than my usual average. Following my visit to Moti Mahal, I recently attended a #ZomatoMeetup at the charming Bombay Brasserie in Kensington.
Opened in 1982 (before I was even born!), Bombay Brasserie has been an iconic restaurant destination, well known for its authentic, eclectic Bombay and Indian cuisine.
We started off with drinks at the stylish Bombay Bar – I ordered an innocent Passionate Sparkler which was really sweet and fruity with plenty of crunchy passion fruit bits.
We then followed Chef Prahlad Hegde’s lead into the kitchen prep room where he conducted a little private masterclass before us. He explained a bit about the use of different spices in his cooking and gave a short demonstration of the starters that we were to be served that evening.
We were then given a brief tour of the kitchen, which was actually quite large – I always feel like I’m ‘intruding’ during kitchen tours, as I try not to knock over hot plates of food with my massive bag. We were shown the tandoor oven where the naans are baked and the chef even gave us some freshly baked naan to try which tasted delicious on its own.
For dinner, we were seated in the lovely, spacious conservatory area, decorated with plenty of greenery and hanging plants, which gave a bit of a tropical feel to it.
I tried a couple more cocktails later on that evening: Lychee Martini (because I love lychee) and the Queen’s Necklace (because it sounded pretty fancy…).
I was quite pleased when they brought out a sharing plate of mini poppadoms – we had passed by a huge pan of mini poppadoms whilst on our ‘tour’ of the kitchen area that I eyed at hungrily and was tempted to swipe a handful of them in my state of hunger…
Each of us were also served an amuse bouche: Sev batata puri, a crunchy mouthful which consisted of wheat crisps topped with Peruvian potato mix, gram flour straws and chutneys.
We were then able to try the dishes that was demonstrated by Chef Prahlad during the masterclass: Crispy prawns with trio of peppercorns, Tulsi chicken tikka and Lamb Seekh Kebab. All three of them beautifully marinated and full of flavour. I really liked the side of Palak patta chaat, which was crispy fried baby spinach topped with yoghurt, date and tamarind chutney.
Next came the larger sharing dishes with some naan and rice to go with them. The Tandoori raan (braised lamb shank marinated with cinnamon, black cumin and vinegar) was slightly dry for me, but I enjoyed the Kasundi monkfish, coated in mustard from Calcutta which had a nice, meaty texture.
I love a good bowl of dal, and I helped myself to generous spoonfuls of the rich Dal makhani to have with my olive naan bread. I also thought that the Aloo roast looked quite cute and tasty – roasted baby potatoes coated with ginger, lime and spices.
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| Pumpkin soup with truffle oil |
And finally for dessert, was a trio of chocolate samosa, chocolate raspberry and mango fig ice cream. A pretty plate of mini delights which was just enough to satisfy my sweet cravings.
Another excellent venue that I would recommend if you’re looking to satisfy your Indian food cravings. The Weekend Brunch Buffet also sounds rather intriguing which may tempt me back for another visit.
Check out their website for more details.
The Cheekster, signing out x
