Moti Mahal Covent Garden | cheriecity.co.uk

Afternoon tea, Cafes, London, Paris, Restaurants

A Very Foodie 2010…

January 3, 2011 by cheriecity

2010 has been a thoroughly foodie year for Chérie City and over the past year, I’ve unearthed some incredible discoveries – in fact, I’ve never eaten so well!

A mixture of new openings and long-time institutions, here are the top new finds of the year. If you’re feeling tempted, click to read Chérie City’s review…

10 favourite restaurants in London:

Cafe Luc – Marylebone’s neighbourhood Belgian bistro that outshines the rest!

Empress of India – Victoria Park gastro pub with seriously good seasonal dishes.

The Fish Place – Michelin-standard seasonal dishes…and not just fish!

Fox & Anchor – Mighty, hearty pub food with gourmet touches served up in the snug.

Camino Puerto Del Canario – Authentic Spanish produce and the best tapas I’ve ever tasted!

Belle Vue – Scrumptious Sunday Roast with well-seasoned meat and huge portions.

Mestizo – Traditional Mexican mole dishes with a huge selection of tequila.

Old Queen’s Head – Perfect Sunday Lunch with homemade Yorkshires and duck fat roast potatoes.

Dishoom – A Bombay Cafe in London with atmosphere and delectable dishes.

Moti Mahal – Grand Trunk road cuisine at its best with exceptional service.

Delectable cakes and afternoon tea:

Winter Tea at The Goring – The quintessential afternoon tea at London’s oldest family-run hotel.

Cox Cookies and Cakes – Cheeky fashion cupcakes from Soho’s suitably camp cupcake store.

De-Light Afternoon Tea at The Met Bar – Low-fat concept, haute cakes!

Ruinart Afternoon Tea at Miller Harris – The most refined and understated afternoon tea in Mayfair.

The Bridge, Shoreditch – The cakes aren’t the best in London, but it’s worth it for the weird and wonderful decor.

Albion at The Boundary – Forget the queue, grab a latte and slice of Victoria Sponge and take-out, cheaper too!

New Paris hangouts…

Hotel du Nord – Intimate, bobo and full of character with great food and nutty waiters.

Pink Flamingo – Punk rock pizza joints in Paris’ hip neighbourhoods – try the chicken tagine pizza!

Chez L’Ami Jean – Baskets of charcuterie, taster menus and chef Stéphane Jégo yelling from the kitchen.

Le Comptoir – 6 months wait for a table, but they Yves Camdeborde also does a cracking breakfast!

Le Chateaubriand – The place to see and be seen and the heart of the neo-bistro revolution – food with feeling!

Hotel Amour – André’s hotel lives up to the reputation with a buzzing atmosphere and pretty decent food.

La Tete Dans Les Olives – Tiny olive shop and dining table run by former slack rope walker, Cédric Casanova.

Rino – Quietly pushing the boundaries with a Nordic influence – a new favourite of Le Fooding.

New openings for 2011:

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – modern British dishes with a bit of ‘Heston’ alchemy at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, opening January.

Pollen Street Social – Ex-Maze chef Jason Atherton’s first informal restaurant with a separate all-day tapas bar and dessert bar.

The Gilbert Scott – Marcus Wareing opens a British bistro at the spectacular St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in February.

Spice Market – NYC chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten opens Asian street food restaurant at the W Hotel on Valentine’s Day.

Chérie Wish List for 2011: Les Deux Salons / Tierra Brindisa / Koffmann’s / Bistro Bruno Loubert / Hotel Thoumieux / Chez Jeanette / La Cantine du Troquet.

Have you visited any of these restaurants? Which places are you dying to try out in the New Year?

Cafes, London, Restaurants

Bombay Cafe Culture at Dishoom

November 1, 2010 by cheriecity

Upper Saint Martin’s Lane seems to be going through a food renaissance at the moment, with a number of new restaurants opening this year. Dishoom holds court as the most talked-about one of them all, and with good reason too!

Dishoom fills a void in the London restaurant scene – a Bombay cafe. Moti Mahal covers fine dining cuisine (one of my favourites) and most of us have our own favourite local Indian restaurant, but London has definitely been lacking an all-day, central cafe for Indian snacks, light curries and chai.

I brought my half-Indian friend Emily to samples the delights of Dishoom, as she’s a fellow curry connoisseur and straight-talking as they come. A below-par roti would not pass her scorn.

Dishoom has a bright, airy feel and the interior is designed like an old Bombay railway cafe with brass rails, low lighting and a chequered floor.

The cafe is full of personal touches such as original photographs of the owner’s close family and relatives on the walls. It feels like a real labour of love – warm and totally unpretentious.

Our waitress was super friendly and helpful, recommending dishes that complimented each other and telling us the specials of the day.

We started by sharing a plate of Vegetable Samosas (£2.90), which were nicely spiced with a dense, satisfying filling and not at all greasy. They cames with three glass ramekins of chutneys and minted yogurt.

After a hard day’s work, we couldn’t resist a couple of cocktails and started with a Bollybellini (£5.70) – a rose, lychee and raspberry bellini. They were sweet, fragrant and not overly strong, with the fruit perfectly balancing the champagne.

For our next course, we ordered the Murgh Malai (£6.50), the chicken curry special of the day (I forget the name) and a bowl of House Black Daal (£4.50). These were accompanied by a selection of sides – Plain Naan (£1.70) Steamed Basmati Rice (£1.90) Roomali Roti (£1.70).

The Murgh Malai was skewered pieces of chicken breast chargrilled in the tandoor and served with lime and coriander. It was tender and delicious and came sizzling hot and generously sized.

The chicken special was a delicately flavoured tomato and onion based curry that was light and non-greasy. The black daal was worth ordering and came with lots of sauce and tiny, dense black lentils.

Emily gave her Rotis the seal of approval and I loved the soft, chewy naan bread with melted butter (you can have it without) served in a bread tin. The Basmati rice was as light and fluffy as it should be.

For our second cocktail, we ordered a St. Martini (£5.50) – pomegranate and home-made chili syrup shaken with gin – and House Punch (£4.90) – a blend of exotic fruit juices, coconut and rum with a dash of Darjeeling tea. Both were slightly stronger and less sweet than the Bollybellini but it’s pretty hard to decide a favourite.

We then ordered a House Chai (£1.90) to let everything go down. The chai tasted fragrant and slightly malted, as though it contained condensed milk. Our waitress told us that they make the chai base fresh in the morning and keep batches of it simmering away during the day.

After the curries, we were too full to try a heavier dessert, although Chocolate Fondant and Seasonal Fruit Crumble with a glass of Chai would make a scrumptious afternoon treat, getting away from the winter chill.

Instead, we went for Kulfi on a Stick (£2.50) in chocolate and pistachio. The pistachio was subtle and creamy while the chocolate was deliciously sticky, caramelised and rich. The perfect way to finish the meal.

Dishoom’s concept of small plates and lighter curries makes it a must for those who like a bit of everything with their meal. For the quality and of the food, g0od portion size and the prestigious location, the dishes and the cocktails especially are well priced. The only thing is, you could be tempted to try almost everything on the menu, so approach with restraint.

For breakfasts, Dishoom offers classic breakfasts with a spicy or fragrant twist such as Breakfast Lassi, House Porridge with dates and bananas, Granola with cinnamon, fresh fruits and Madagascan vanilla, spiced Bombay Omelette or a Sausage Naan Roll.

At lunchtime you can order roti wraps filled with tandoor grilled chicken, lamb and paneer, or a selection of small dishes such as Chilli Cheese Toast, Bombay Sausages and Desi Fish Fingers.

While some central London restaurants can leave you feeling detached or apathetic, Dishoom has the kind of warm, inviting atmosphere that makes you want to come back. Every meal of the day is taken care of at Dishoom and you can even have a glass or a bottle of Moët with your dinner.

While the original cafes of Bombay may be rapidly disappearing, at least in London we can get a piece of the legacy on our doorstep.

* Chérie City was a guest of Dishoom

London, Restaurants

Grand Trunk Road cuisine at Moti Mahal

July 25, 2010 by cheriecity

During London Fashion Week, the daily jaunt past Moti Mahal proved torturous, as there was simply no time to give in to the heady aromas of fine spices and grilled tandoor meat. That’s before I even mention carbs…

So you can imagine my delight at being invited to come and experience Moti Mahal’s Grand Trunk Road menu. What differentiates Moti Mahal from other high end Indian restaurants is Delhi-born chef Anirudh Arora’s dedication to recreating India’s most defining, rare and indulgent dishes.

Long forgotten recipes from rural India, along the 2500km Grand Trunk Road, feature alongside traditional favourites, celebratory cuisine and the original Moti Mahal speciality, Murgh Makhani (butter chicken).

Moti Mahal first opened in Delhi in 1959 and the five year-old Covent Garden outpost has been setting the trend in Indian gastronomic restaurants ever since.

On arrival, I was offered a cocktail and although there were some delicious concoctions on the menu, I was made a personalised cocktail based on green apples. My cocktail looked stunning and was carefully blended with squeezed apple juice, apple puree, vodka, cardamon, cinnamon and crushed ice, finished with a delicate sliced apple fan.

It was certainly a bold drink and the strength of the vodka was matched with a sweet tartness and aromatic edge. All of Moti Mahal’s cocktails are made to reflect the spices and flavours of India and are reassuringly strong and intense.

Moti Mahal attracts a well-heeled, food-savvy crowed and has a relaxed, airy atmosphere with contemporary decor intriguing Asian artwork.

At Moti Mahal you can choose from a range of carefully selected taster menus, but for my first visit, chef Anirudh Arora prepared dishes for us based on our personal preferences.

First up was a beautifully presented board of fresh vegetables to chop up and make our own Indian salad, dressed with freshly squeezed lemon and a medium hot blend of spices – a refreshing start to the meal.

Our first started was Bhalla Papdi Chaat (£9), an unusual dish from Old Delhi, consisting of crisp fried pastry and chick pea drizzled with yogurt, mint and chutney. The pastry had a dense, moist texture, as it was covered in cooling yogurt and the chutney and pomegranate seeds added a sweetness to the spice.

My favourite of the two starters was Qabali Seviyan (£11) – masala chicken, vermicelli, tossed with pine nuts and baked in an egg custard. Originating from Kabul, Qabali Seviyan is an indulgent celebration dish, often served during Eid to mark the end of Ramadan. The marinated chicken is set in a spiced egg custard on top of a bed of vermicelli noodles and all the flavours blend together perfectly.

It is a rich and moreish dish that I would have happily polished off had there not been another two course to get through. The generous portion size makes it a great starter to share and it really reflects Moti Mahal’s commitment to sourcing the most rare, traditional dishes.

A banquet of main courses was presented to us and the lovely, chatty Maitre’d served us a bite of everything. One of the dishes was my all-time favourite curry, Murgh Makhani (£20) – chicken tikka in a creamy tomato sauce.

There really is no better place to eat Murgh Makhani, as the butter chicken recipe was created by a chef at the first Moti Mahal restaurant in New Delhi. The chicken was tender and infused with delicate spices and had a rich, deep flavour that wasn’t overly sweet. Once again, the portion size was plentiful with at least six large pieces of chicken smothered in sauce.

The greatest challenge for Moti Mahal was to make me enjoy a lamb curry. This really is a testament to the Moti Mahal chefs, as I couldn’t get enough of the Khadey Masaley Ka Gosht (£23) – lamb stir fried with fresh chillies, shallots and freshly ground spices, from the Punjab region. There was no overly meaty aroma, as the lamb was so well marinated and the texture was so soft and tender, I actually added more to my plate.

Another surprising dish was the Parda Khumb (£10), a dish from Lucknow, consisting of baked mushrooms baked in a pot with a pastry top and fennel and ginger powder.

Never before have I tried an Indian pot pie and it was an interesting, flavoursome dish. On a menu like this, however, it was somewhat overshadowed by the excellent meat curries. It would be a great option for vegetarians and a welcome change from spiced potato or spinach dishes.

Being part Iranian, I’m a bit of a rice fanatic and Moti Mahal’s light, fragrant basmati Pulao (£5.50) with saffron definitely made the grade. Of course, the meal wouldn’t be complete with a naan bread side order and we mopped up our sauce with Tokri (£7.50) – a selection of three delicious tandoor baked breads that were closer to dense paratha than bubbled naan bread.

At this point, dessert seemed impossible, but in the name of research, I found some space to try the Kulfi Selection (£10) – five mini Indian milk ice lollies, including Gulukand and honey, milk chocolate and raisins, blackberry, pistachio and mango.

The lollies were beautifully presented in a cluster and surrounded by exquisite rose petals. Each flavour was absolutely delicious and they were the perfect end to the meal, once again great for sharing (to avoid the brain freeze).

We finished with a pot of Chai Masala (£4) – Indian spiced tea that comes with a treasure chest full of three different types of sugar and honey.

Moti Mahal’s charm lies in its impeccable service, matching fine dining protocol with traditional Indian hospitality. The Maitre’d and each of the waiters came to top up our drinks every time they passed and gave us a brief history about each dish as its region as they brought it to the table.

Might I also add, this wasn’t a result of special blogger treatment, as I watched the other tables being served and can report that they also experienced sublime service and attention.

The Moti Mahal experience really is quite spectacular and the prices reflect this attention to detail, so it’s perfect for an occasional indulgent treat.

* Chérie City was a guest of Moti Mahal.