London Appetizer

Masala Zone Indian Restaurant Now in Fulham

Award-winning, casual dining restaurant, Masala Zone, opens its doors at 583 Fulham Road, Fulham Broadway, London, SW6 5UA on November 13, 2009, bringing new zest to an already vibrant neighbourhood.

This restaurant sits in a locale that offers a cosmopolitan mix of shopping options including antique, design and interior stores as well as high street names and small offices and is close to the tube station, easily accessible for diners by public transport. 

Eating at Masala Zone is a great leveller, with lunch spends between £10 and £12 and dinner between £15 and £20 including drinks. The restaurant will showcase real Indian food to a busy neighbourhood that has not had this option thus far. Renowned for serving delicious, authentic and wholesome Indian food, covering dishes from street food favourites, tandoori grills and curries from many regions of India, to traditional home-style balanced thali meals, Masala Zone is the perfect destination for people of all ages engaged in their various daily activities – it’s the ideal meal choice for diners searching for a relaxed haven from retail therapy, locals looking for a quick yet healthy option during work lunch breaks, residents looking for a wholesome meal en-route from work, and family or friends looking for a perfect and creative dining choice for lunch or dinner.

The differentiation factor about Masala Zone restaurants is that each is headed by an experienced chef who decides every day what their daily changing offering of vegetables, lentils, raita, rice and thali canapés will be, so each  restaurant offers a different thali experience every day, ensuring freshness and quality. Beverages include a tempting selection of fruit juices. Those with a sweet tooth can indulge in sumptuous desserts which include popular home-made Indian options such as gulab jamum, rasmalai, kulfi and falooda, a traditional Indian sundae. The wine list offers wines to match the food at very reasonable prices.

What’s more, each restaurant in the Masala Zone portfolio is a dedicated labour of love combining thought, pride originality and passion, with each one having its own, inimitable style artistically themed around a particular form of popular Indian tribal, folk or pop art.  The site of this seventh Masala Zone restaurant will showcase wall murals in the ‘Shekawati’ style. This semi-desert region of India, north of Jaipur, is rich in artistic tradition and is renowned for its abundance of painted ‘Havelis’ (large mansion houses). These lavishly painted buildings are adorned with frescoes of mythological and contemporary lifestyle subjects in a competitive spirit. Each merchant would like his Haveli to be the finest in the area and there are more than 50 such Havelis in the Shekhavati region.

Seating capacity for the restaurant is 140 (with no reservations), with a separate party area for 40 – the perfect setting for private functions against an interesting and vibrant backdrop. With its buzzy atmosphere, Masala Zone is the ideal setting even for smaller celebrations in the main restaurant.

A takeaway service will be available throughout the day, perfect for those wanting to savour the authenticity of Masala Zone in the comfort of their own home. The delivery service will be available Monday to Sunday from 5.30pm onwards. Delivery service will be free on orders over £15 and home delivery prices will be less than food to go and restaurant prices. Furthermore, anyone who joins Masala Zone’s mailing list via www.masalazone.com will receive an automatic voucher giving them 15% off their total bill.

Masala Zone and its highly respected sister restaurants – Chutney Mary, Veeraswamy and Amaya – are part of the Masala World Group.

Masala Zone Fulham opens to the public on November 13, 2009 at 583 Fulham Road, Fulham Broadway, London, SW6 5UA.

•    Website: www.masalazone.com
•    The first Masala Zone opened in May 2001 in Marshall Street, Soho, W1.  It is owned by Masala World, whose directors are Ranjit Mathrani, Namita Panjabi and Camellia Panjabi.  Masala World also owns Amaya, Chutney Mary and Veeraswamy restaurants in London

Awards:
•    Best New Concept Award 2004 (Best Curry Guide)
•    The London Restaurant Guide’s Top 6 “Cheap Eats”
•    “Best High Street Chain” BBC Olive Magazine

Restaurants:
•    Masala Zone Fulham - 583, Fulham Road, Fulham Broadway, London SW6 5UA
Tel: 020 7386 5500
•    Masala Zone Soho - 9 Marshall Street, Soho, London, W1F 7ER  Tel: 020 7287 9966
•    Masala Zone Islington - 80 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 0NU  Tel: 020 7359 3399
•    Masala Zone Earls Court - 147 Earls Court Road, London, SW5 9RQ  Tel: 020 7373 0220
•    Masala Zone Covent Garden - 48 Floral Street, London, WC2E 9DA  Tel: 020 7379 0101
•    Masala Zone Camden – 25 Parkway, London, NW1 7PG  Tel: 020 7267 4422
•    Masala Zone Bayswater – 75 Bishops Bridge Road, London W2 6BG Tel: 020 7221 0055

Hyderabadi Cuisine at Chutney Mary

Hyderabadi cuisine is one of the best kept culinary secrets of the Indian subcontinent. This Autumn, the chefs at Chutney Mary will be serving a selection of Hyderabad’s best dishes using rare spices and time-honoured techniques.
 
Situated in the heartland of India, Hyderabadi food is a fusion of the cuisines of the Moghul court and the flavours of Southern India. Kebabs, pilaus and biryanis, delicate Kormas and unusual desserts from the North are mixed with the Southern preference for the herbal flavours of coriander and curry leaves, the hint of sourness in the food with the use of tamarind, the nuttiness of peanuts and sesame, and spices like mustard seeds and dried red chillies.
 
The team of chefs in Chutney Mary have spent many hours perfecting numerous recipes using rare spices flown in from Hyderabad (fragrant roots of the vetiver and betel nut plants) including Haleem a slow cooked lamb and broken wheat with unusual spices and a fragrant Green Chicken Biryani well known from the area surrounding the city of Hyderabad. The kitchens of the aristocracy of Hyderabad were particularly adept at making desserts. You will be able to sample a Beetroot Halwa Tart and a Shahi Tukra Bread and Butter Pudding.
 
Situated on the Kings Road in Chelsea, Chutney Mary has been a firm favourite for twenty years. Its talented chefs serve specialities from all over India paired with fine wines in an opulent and romantic setting.
 
 
CHUTNEY MARY
‘The Romance of the East’
535 Kings Road, London SW10
Tel: 020 73513113 Fax: 0207 351 7694
Website: www.realindianfood.co.uk

London Restaurants Celebrating Diwali

Diwali, also known as the ‘festival of lights’, is one the most important dates in the Hindu calendar. A reaffirmation of hope and renewed commitment to friendship and goodwill, Diwali is a celebration of the simple, and not so simple, joys of life.
Falling on the 17th October this year, London’s most innovative Indian restaurant, The Cinnamon Club and fine-dining Malaysian restaurant, Awana, are serving fantastic festival menus over Diwali, inviting diners to gather their nearest and dearest for lunches and dinners of indulgent revelry.

AWANA

Situated in the heart of Chelsea, Awana’s decadent Diwali menu, showcasing six dishes, is unbelievable value at just £13.50 per person.
Created by executive chef Mark Read, Awana’s Diwali dishes are all beautifully presented with banana leaves. Offerings include deep fried king fish marinated in turmeric, curry powder, ginger and garlic; stir fried corn-fed chicken with spices, curry leaf, oyster sauce and dark soy; curried lentil and root vegetables flavoured with coriander and mint; chilled cucumber salad with onion, chilli, carrot and coconut milk; and stewed spinach with aubergine, potato, curry leaf, birds eye chilli and coconut, served alongside steamed fragrant rice.

Available from 13th - 21st October and at just £13.50 there is no reason not to make the most of this amazing menu.

Awana, 85 Sloane Avenue, London SW3 3DX

020 7584 8880 www.awana.co.uk

THE CINNAMON CLUB

Housed in the Old Westminster Library, the grandeur of The Cinnamon Club is a wonderful setting in which to honour the pleasure of savouring modern Indian cuisine at the top of its genre. Head chef Hari Nagaraj, under the guidance of executive chef Vivek Singh, has created a luxurious Diwali five-course set menu, showcasing a collection of the restaurant’s finest creations.
From an appetiser of pumpkin and pine nut ravioli in pumpkin and coconut soup; to a starter of rose petal and poppy seekh with yoghurt kebab; main of aubergine steak and tandoori paneer with morel and peas; and second main of grilled cauliflower with tandoori broccoli and chutney pilau, diners will discover why The Cinnamon Club is heralded as one of London’s most exciting and innovative Indian restaurants. A trio of traditional Indian desserts – rice kheer, apple jalebi and caramelised milk dumpling, followed by coffee and petit fours completes the menu, ensuring this is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

The Cinnamon Club’s Diwali Menu is available from 12th – 17th October and is £45 per person.
The Cinnamon Club, The Old Westminster Library, 30-32 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BU

020 7222 2555 www.cinnamonclub.com

New London 18 Hole Golf Course for Foodies

The City’s Devonshire Square has gone a 'fairway' to ensure it's 'putt' on the map this summer by hosting an 18 holes mini golf course. Offering suits and secretaries the chance to swing into action throughout the day, urban players can raise a glass at the 19th hole, courtesy of drinking destination, Anise, or celebrate with a meal at adjacent Indian restaurant, Cinnamon Kitchen.

The covered courtyard of Devonshire Square, within easy reach of Liverpool Street Station, is the prefect pitch for a mini golf course. Providing one of the most popular past times come rain or shine, City dwellers can now slice their way through meetings, chip through brainstorms or pin down a group of friends for a round or two. From just £5 a game, and with various corporate packages available, this new addition to the Square Mile is sure to score highly.

With the course open Monday to Friday, 10 am to 10 pm, golf pros and novices can savour a pre-game spice-infused breakfast, take a well-deserved lunch or tee-up before a decadent dinner of Indian delights at the Cinnamon Kitchen. However, for those seeking just a little light refreshment, the 19th hole bar offers beer, rosé and mojitos. What better way to break the monotony of money making!

To book a round and a pre or post game meal at Cinnamon Kitchen
call Cinnamon Kitchen Events on 020 7397 9612
events@cinnamon-kitchen.com

Cinnamon Kitchen and Anise, 9 Devonshire Square, London EC2M 4YL
www.cinnamonkitchen.co.uk

Café Spice Namasté opens the Ginger Garden for Summer

Leave the hectic pace of the city behind and retreat to the vibrant Ginger Garden at Café Spice Namasté, at Tower Hill.

A chilled beer or lassi in hand, relax and enjoy executive chef Cyrus Todiwala’s delicacies such as chargrilled Tandoori Tiger prawns with spicy potato wedges and vegetable samosas. You could be forgiven for forgetting the time amid the lush green plants and colourful Parsee murals.

If you do, don’t worry as you can turn your enjoyable day at the garden into a lively evening. The exciting Ginger Garden offers all the great food of Café Spice Namasté in a vivid outdoor setting. Owner Cyrus Todiwala MBE has a tandoor in the garden that he loves to experiment with to create unique, healthy and exciting new dishes such as the fiery Goan peri peri chicken or the paneer and mixed vegetable shashlik marinated in classic tandoori spices and strained yoghurt.

A great space for private and corporate parties and cocktail evenings, the Ginger Garden, located at the back of the restaurant and with its own private entrance, is open throughout the summer as long as the sunshine lasts and weather permits. Opening times are as the restaurant from 12-3pm and 6:30-10pm,

Café Spice Namasté, 16 Prescot St, London E1 8AZ
Tel. 0207 488 9242

Seasoning Restaurant & Lounge - New Indian Restaurant, Fulham

A new and exciting 100 cover Indian restaurant has opened next to Earls Court by expert caterers Nitin Munglani and Salil Bhatia, with an additional downstairs function suite catering for up to another 100 covers.  Seasoning Restaurant & Lounge stays faithful to its origins and this is why it has created a menu that provides a tantalising mix of ethnic culinary styles, prepared by highly skilled chefs from India.

Seasoning Restaurant & Lounge offers a diverse set of dishes, ranging from the exotic mughlai to the simple homely cooking styles of the northern regions of India, with each dish ensuring authentic taste and flavour. They also include a few Chinese dishes on their fusion menu such as Indo-Chinese style medium hot diced lamb cooked with spices and tossed with a choice of ginger, peppers or cashew nuts, or Chinese King Prawn in Pepper sauce or Oyster sauce. Just as Indian is traditionally the most popular cuisine for us Brits, Chinese is similarly the most popular choice for Northern Indians, so they wanted the menu be the first to reflect this cultural transfusion here in the UK.

The menu is both extensive and great value, starters such as Tandoori Paneer Shashlick (£3.75), marinated Indian cheese grilled in a clay oven and Prawn Puri (£3.75), Prawns cooked with herbs and spices, served on deep fried flat bread. Whilst mains such as the Seasoning Khazana Platter (£12.95), an assortment of Chicken Zafrani Tikka, Mussaki Kebab, Piazi Sheekh Kebab and Mumbai King Prawns is an ideal sharing option. Most non-vegetarian mains are priced at £5.95, whilst vegetarian dishes are also excellent value at £3.95 each. Desserts include Kulfi (£2.95), a traditional Indian ice cream and Gulab Jamun (£2.95), hot fried dumplings immersed in syrup.

White walls and white leather benches create a calm and serene atmosphere in stark contrast to a traditional Indian restaurant. The chic and modern clear perspex chairs add a touch of glamour to the décor, together with a purpose built feature wall of bottled wine. Seasoning Restaurant & Lounge also has a superb veranda with open bay windows to enjoy their exquisite cuisine in the summer months.
The restaurant also has a versatile function suite, complete with bar, modern lounge and DJ booth, which can hold up to 100 people for dinner. The private dining room is perfect for birthdays, weddings and corporate functions with a large and varied selection of delicious menus to choose from.
With a history of offering unrivalled catering to businesses and private individuals for over 10 years, Nitin and Salil continue to provide outside catering to the highest level. Seasoning Restaurant & Lounge has extensive links to the very best venues in and around the UK, from five star hotels such as the Sheraton Parklane to the White Hall Banqueting House and has recently signed a deal with Hilton hotels as an approved caterer.

June Special Offers:
•    Dine and Wine Lunch Special: 2 Courses & Glass of Wine/Soft drink for £10.
•    Sunday Buffet: £7.95 (continuous)

Telephone: 020 7386 0303

Email: info@seasoning-restaurant.co.uk
Website: www.seasoning-restaurant.co.uk

Covers: Restaurant 100, Function Suite 100

Cuisine: Indo-chinese. (Indian Chinese cuisine is the adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to Indian tastes. It is said to have been developed by the tiny Chinese community that has lived in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) for over a century. Immensely popular with Indians, it is widespread in major Indian metropolitan cites such as Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata. Indeed, in a curious twist, Indian Chinese has followed the mainstream Indian expatriate community as they have spread across the world, providing expatriate Indians with a taste of authentic Indian Chinese).
Opening Times: Open seven days a week. Lunch 11.30am - 3.00pm. Dinner 6.00pm -12am.

Address: 84D-86 Lillie Rd, Fulham, London, SW6 1TL

Breakfast at The Cinnamon Club

I met a friend for a very civilised breakfast at the very civilised Cinnamon Club, a rather nice Indian restaurant situated within The Old Westminster Library, close to Westminster Abbey.

By night, this is a very smart Indian restaurant, with prices to match.  By day, you would never know it did breakfast and apart from us, there was only one other table - politicians  breakfasting at the taxpayers expense no doubt.

Atmosphere aside (it's deathly quiet), The Cinnamon Club is actually a good breakfast venue if you want good service and reasonable prices.

There is a choice of traditional English breakfast options and traditional Indian breakfast options.  I went for the ham omlette, cooked with three eggs to perfection and a side of whole tomato and flat mushrooms.  It was delicious and only £6.

With zesty frehsly squeezed orange juice and a cup of coffee, a filling breakfast (toast is free) in a lovely setting can be had for sub £15 per head.

Recommended!

The Cinnamon Club
The Old Westminster Library
30-32 Great Smith St
SW1P 3BU

t: 020 7 222 2555
e: info@cinnamonclub.com
w: www.cinnamonclub.com

Café Spice Namasté launches ‘The Twisted Brit’ Fire starter May 09

Vindaloo bangers are the order of the day at Café Spice Namasté
Are you in the mood for something totally different, yet oddly familiar?

Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala seem to think so, as they launch their new menu ‘The Twisted Brit’ at their landmark restaurant, Cafe Spice Namasté near the City. Chef Cyrus gamely reinvents some of the nation’s favourite comfort foods, carefully folding in Indian flavours and spices to give traditional British fare a stylish, Indian twist. There are some happy originals too: dare you try a ‘Monty’s Challenge,’ a chicken-tikka salute to the Field Marshal’s love affair with hot mustard?

The one-of-a-kind ‘Twisted Brit’ menu is Cafe Spice Namasté’s tribute to a rich and glorious cultural heritage. Start the meal with ‘Masala Fried Fish and Chips’ or take advantage of the rare chance of tucking into ‘Vindaloo Bangers and Mash’ made of spiced wild boar sausages in a classic Vindaloo gravy and chilli mash. The wide choice of main courses includes ‘Bombay Fish Pie’, light, flaky pastry filled with fresh, seasonal and sustainable fish, rounded off with a light curry sauce to give a truly creative twist to this traditional dish.

As always, Cafe Spice Namasté makes use of fresh, seasonal ingredients and sustainable produce, wherever possible. Guests are invited to enjoy the ‘Twisted Brit’ menu – throughout May for lunch, 12-3 p.m., and early dinner, 6:15-7:30 p.m. Starters cost £5.25 each and any one main course is £14.50. Guests can enjoy a starter and a main course for a special price of £16.95.*

Café Spice Namasté, 16 Prescot St, London E1 8AZ
Tel. 0207 488 9242

* Please note this offer is not available in conjunction with any special offers or discounts. A discretionary 12.5 % service charge will be added to your final bill for your convenience.

Roz Ana Indian Restaurant - special offers

Roz Ana, the popular Indian restaurant in Kingston is running a 2 for 1 offer on main courses from the a la carte - applies Sun - Thursday from 6:30 - 10:30.  Parties of up to 10.  Offer ends End of June.

About Roz Ana

London’s West End-Style Indian Dining Comes to Kingston upon Thames, Surrey

Anyone who thought that the suburban enclave of Kingston, Surrey, was nothing but a culinary desert, had better think again.

The launch of Roz ana, a modern 70-seater Indian restaurant, brasserie and lounge bar, has got everyone talking about its quality cooking and buzzing ambience, describing the establishment as “London West End quality, locally!”

At the helm of Roz ana’s refined pan-Indian menu is Executive Chef Deepinder Singh Sondhi, who trained in Delhi, India, and whose skills have previously graced the kitchens of such well-regarded London restaurants as Chor Bizarre and Sitaaray.

Sondhi’s repertoire features dishes which are traditional yet given a contemporary flourish, exemplifying Roz ana’s blend of the old and the new, with cooking which is subtle, full of flavour and with a lightness of hand that doesn’t leave you feeling bloated.

Amongst Sondhi’s signature starters are Coconut Soft Shell Crab (soft shell crab tossed with toasted coconut and accompanied by pickled tomato and shrimp dip); and melt-in-the-mouth Venison Shikampuri Kebab (finely ground roe deer meat patties stuffed with foie gras). Notable starters from the a la carte menu include Spinach, Onion and Paneer Pakoda (light fritters made of Indian cheese, spinach and onion, spiced with crushed coriander seeds and ginger); and Amritsari Fish (crispy fried fish infused with carom seeds and served with a mint and lime dip).

Highlights amongst the signature mains include Grilled Sea Bass (grilled sea bass fillets served on a cumin scented melange of peas and potatoes); Lamb Nalli (tender lamb shank, slowly pot roasted in a sauce of cardamom, cloves and cinnamon); and Chicken Tikka Laphroaig Masala (the nation’s favourite dish given a smokey twist by being flambéed with single malt Laphroaig whiskey).

Flavoursome vegetarian items such as the deliciously tangy Bagar e Baingan (aubergine chunks in a peanut, sesame and coconut sauce) have not been overlooked, while the home-made Darjeeling Brulee is one of several uplifting desserts. Sunday roasts and Chef’s Specials such as Pork Belly Vindaloo add to the dining pleasure.

The wine list is well-chosen with en eye to wines that not only compliment Roz ana’s fine cooking but are also affordable. Cocktails marry a selection of classics and vibrant house creations which are already proving to be firm favourites with clientele.

Roz ana’s interior boasts relaxing environs, with a lounge bar by the entrance serving drinks and tasty bites, while the adjoining brasserie gives a spacious and up-tempo feel to watch the world go by. The upstairs restaurant offers a more formal though no less attractive surroundings and decor, with a restrained colonial theme running through as demonstrated by the cream hues, wall panels with decorative wallpaper, chandeliers and ceiling fans.

It provides the perfect backdrop to an establishment which is at once breezy and rarefied, with a dining experience which leaves everyone coming back for more!

Visit the website at www.roz-ana.com

Dishes from the Royal Courts of India

The Cinnamon Club, London’s finest contemporary Indian restaurant in the heart of Westminster, is honoring the Royal Courts of India this April in a celebration of the country’s culinary past. Before India’s independence in 1947, each of the princely states was as diverse in its cuisine as it was in its culture.

Stirring the passion of his kitchen brigade with recipes that time has almost forgotten, Executive Chef Vivek Singh has created six exciting dishes that are influenced by a collection of Royal Courts that include the Mughals in the North, Nawabs in Lucknow, Nizams in the South, Marathas in central India and the Marwars in Rajasthan.

Singh spent many years working in Calcutta specialising in the cuisine of the Royal Courts, using ancient recipes dating back as far as the 16th century. Dishes include Awadh Raan, an elaborate dish whose style of cooking tends to be very slow, the richness of Awadh cuisine lies in the variety of ingredients used like mutton, paneer, and rich spices including cardamom and saffron. While Rajasthani cooking was influenced by the war-like lifestyles of its inhabitants and the necessity to hunt. Singh combines his expertise with traditional cooking methods, using only the finest ingredients, to recreate some of the grandest dishes that have helped shape India’s cuisine.

 

Zameen Doz Machili

Baked whole wild bass with spices

Murg Mussalam

Whole roasted pair of poussin filled with apricots, chilli, nuts and saffron

Khad Khargosh

Loin of rabbit baked in a pit with mustard and garlic, served with chickpea bread

Hyderabadi Salan

Roast duck breast with sesame and tamarind, served with haleem in fat chilli and spiced duck liver

Awadhi Raan

Whole roasted Pyrenean milk fed lamb leg with royal cumin and cheese

Bharwan Gucchi

Morels stuffed with cottage cheese and figs with rich onion sauce and gold leaf

 

Singh’s Royal Court Menu provides an insight into dishes that time has almost forgotten.Enjoy the Royal Court Menu throughout April at The Cinnamon Club 2009. Dishes start from £30.

The Cinnamon Club, The Old Westminster Library, 30-32 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BU

www.cinnamonclub.com
t.020 7222 2555