London thumakda with desi Michelins

My wife and I were on holiday in London recently. The five Michelin Indian restaurants in London were on our must-do list: Amaya, Trishna, Quilon, Gymkhana and Veeraswamy.

Quilon was our first port of call as we were staying at the Taj’s St James Court hotel and the restaurant is within the same premises. Quilon opened in 1999. Its South-west coastal Indian menu created and curated by Chef Sriram Aylur won a Michelin star way back in 2008 and the restaurant has retained the honour ever since. We kicked off the meal with Quilon’s epic qojito cocktails (green chilli-infused vodka, mint and lemon) — they had a delightful punch. We ordered, on recommendation, Southern s-a-a-t crispy rice idlis for starters — a combo of black chickpea, lentil crisps, tomato, cucumber, carrot kosambari, karvari and ginger chutney with spicy crispy vegetables. I ordered Quilon fish curry — cubes of halibut simmered in coconut, chilli, and raw mango sauce. The wife is vegetarian. So for her came spinach poriyal — shredded fresh spinach cooked with mustard seeds and freshly grated coconut; and a portion of asparagus, beans and edamame sautéed with mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chillies and grated coconut. It was a delicious meal. Understated. Mild. Tempered to British tastes — subtly spicy. Overall, a well-deserved Michelin rating.

A table reservation at the Gymkhana was not easy to obtain. The retro ceiling fans, marble table-tops and vintage photos of polo and cricket team triumphs, made for the typical Raj ambience. The restaurant was packed with foreigners, hardly any Indians around. We opted for the 39-pounds per head lunch menu. I loved the beetroot chops pao and the Goan cafreal salmon tikka. Tanya, my wife, said the saag makai was nice too. Gymkhana’s quinine sour was highly recommended. I tried it minus the London gin. It was still fun. Gymkhana is good for a colonial flashback.

Established in 1926 by Edward Palmer, a retired Indian Army officer, Veeraswamy is one of the oldest Indian restaurants in London — for the record, though, the oldest Hindoostanee Curry House opened its doors way back in 1809 but unfortunately shut down three years later. To the food. Tanya opted for the raj kachori and loved it. My choice of tandoori wild tiger prawns was equally good. My main course choice of, Patiala lamb shank, slow-cooked for six hours with marrow sauce turned out to be an absolute winner. The 2017 Michelin seems a suitable and befitting honour to the Camellia Panjabi-owned eatery.

Located in Belgravia, the Michelin one star Amaya is known for its open grill and sublime execution of an upmarket take on Indian street food. Amaya was opened in 2004 and is a sibling of the equally famous Chutney Mary. Tanya ordered spinach tikki with spiced fig and watercress & green peas seekh. The “bite sized” portions were actually ample. I chose to feast on the black pepper chicken and tandoori ocean prawns. The preparations were delightful. We skipped our next two meals — so stuffed were we!

Trishna opened in 2008 and received its Michelin star in 2012. The restaurant is owned by Chef Karam Sethi who also runs Gymkhana. Tanya’s order of badami broccoli and wild mushroom (shiitake and shimeji) pilau served with pink peppercorn raita and dal panchmel was a 10/10. My own Telicherry squids and shrimps, though, were just passable. The gongura lamb — Welsh lamb, pickled sorrel leaf, poppy seed and Guntur teja chilli was however awesome. We rounded off the meal with a smoked pineapple, tender coconut and jaggery sorbet that was just superb.

Why is Indian cuisine doing so well in London? Well for one, in the past 50 years it has progressed aeons beyond the traditional Indian eateries at Brick Lane, and gone far beyond their age-old kali dal tadka and piyaz kulcha offerings. The current Michelin starrers are truly global restaurants with an international clientele and fancy prices. Indian dishes have been transformed by savvy chefs to feed multinational palettes, and food courses come paired with top cellar wines. The busy and buzzy Dishoom at Covent Garden has not earned a Michelin star yet but at any time of the day, there is a persistent queue of 30-40 customers waiting for a table.

Experimentation and innovation have driven the rise and rise of Indian cuisine. Like aesthetically presented single serve pre-plated portions. Subtle use of masalas and Indian ingredients. Clean, modern interiors with little or no Indian overhang. Yet, a lot of storytelling about the food on offer. The Indian chefs have evolved, so have their meals. Michelins don’t come easy.

Even at the cost of repetition, the patrons at all these upper crust Indian restaurants are invariably affluent foreigners. And yes, some well-heeled, rich desis too. No wonder, then, being seen at Amaya or Quilon is as prestigious as being spotted at Locanda Locatelli or Fera at Claridge’s.

The writer is managing director of Rediffusion