Southern comforts
A refurbishment of Tamarind, one of only two Indian restaurants in Britain to achieve a Michelin star, has provided newly appointed executive chef Alfred Prasad with the opportunity to introduce a new menu.
Previously, when former executive chef Atul Kochhar was running the kitchen of the London venue, the menu featured dishes that almost exclusively had their roots in North-west Indian cuisine. Prasad, who has worked in both the North of India, at the Maurya Sheraton in Delhi, as well as in Madras in the South, as executive chef at the Sheraton hotel's Dakshin restaurant, has now begun to extend the breadth of the menu by also offering some southern dishes. "I eventually hope that around 20% of the menu will be inspired by the food of southern India," says Prasad, sous chef at Tamarind for 18 months before his promotion in August.
Dishes from the South that currently appear on the menu include the starter of murg dakshini - chicken coated with chilli powder, garlic, ginger and crushed curry leaves, then deep-fried and served with a cucumber, pomegranate and yogurt dip (£6.50).
Fish and seafood is a very popular element of South Indian cooking and a typical example is Prasad's seafood moilee from Kerala, which combines squid, scallops and kingfish in a mild coconut sauce (£15).
Tamarind offers a set lunch menu for £14.50, as well as an … la carte menu, available at both lunch and dinner. In addition, there is a selection of set menus, ranging from £34 to £48 per head, for parties of 10 or more.
A typical lunch menu may offer squid tossed with crushed peppercorns and curry leaves, or potato cakes with spiced chickpeas, followed by kingfish in a gravy of tomatoes and tamarind, or chicken tikka marinated with pickling spices. Both main courses would be served with yellow lentils with tomatoes and garlic, mixed vegetables in makhni sauce, and steamed rice. For dessert, kiwi fruit with vanilla ice-cream may be served.
Most popular
Kebabs, cooked in the tandoor, are an important element of Tamarind's menu. There is currently a choice of seven different kebabs, of which the most popular are adraki jhinga (king prawns marinated in yogurt with ginger, garlic and chives), £17.50, and masala champen (lamb chops with crushed black pepper), £17.75.
In addition to the six curries currently on the menu, there is also a venison curry (£16.50) for the autumn season. This is a dry curry combining green chillies, ginger, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin, garam masala and tomatoes. Another game dish now available is tandoori quail (£16.50 for two birds), which is usually served as a starter portion shared between four.
Fewer than half of the restaurant's customers order dessert. "Most people overeat on starters and kebabs before the main course, so they often don't have room for pudding," Prasad says. Those who have not over-indulged may be tempted by gajar ka halwa (carrot fudge) or tandoori ananas (grilled pineapple with honey and saffron ice-cream), each £4.50.
Average spend at the 94-seat restaurant is £45 with beverages. Around 140 covers are currently being served at dinner.
Tamarind, 20 Queen Street, Mayfair, London W1X 7PJ. Tel: 020 7629 3561. Web site: www.tamarindrestaurant.com
Sample dishes from Tamarind's à la carte menu
Saag aloo tikki (pan-fried potato cakes with creamed spinach and fenugreek leaves), £5.50
Kekda salad (crabmeat tossed with curry leaves, ginger and mustard), £8
Shammi kebab (ground lamb, cinnamon, coriander and mint), £6.50
Dhuae ki machchi (grilled monkfish and swordfish marinated in mustard, green chilli and lime leaf), £15.50
Jhinga masala (prawns in a spicy onion and tomato masala), £15
Kali mirch ka murg (spicy chicken curry with black pepper and mace), £13.50
Kadhai paneer (Indian cottage cheese with bell peppers and coriander in a tomato gravy), £6.75
Dhingri mutter (shiitake mushrooms, snow peas and green peas with Indian spices), £6.75
Poriyal (fine beans, cauliflower and carrots with coconut and green chilli), £6.75
Dates and orange roll with cinnamon ice-cream, £5.50
Gulab jamun (soft cheese dumplings), £5.50
Taze phal (fruit selection), £5.50
