Chutney Mary
535 King’s Road
London SW10 0SZ
Tel: 020 7351 3113

Louise Elgin Reviews….

Chutney Mary, Kings Road, London

To eat delicious food is always a pleasure but to dine in a gorgeous setting makes the pleasure a double delight. Situated in a modern development, the restaurant (although located in a basement) is flooded with natural light. A glass atrium, with a large living tree dominates the room together with numerous lush green potted plants giving the feeling of an exotic garden. This is definitely somewhere I would recommend for a special date as the whole ambiance with its low lighting, comfy seating, well-spaced tables and mood music is just perfect for romance. As you might have guessed this is definitely not your run of the mill Indian restaurant but somewhere very grown up and sophisticated and the prices reflect this. In the kitchen is the very talented and extremely youthful looking Head Chef Siddherth Krishna. Siddherth, has cooked all over the Indian sub-continent before coming to London to head up the talented culinary team.

Throughout the evening I drank the most delightful South African Sauvignon Blanc Elgin 2009 which was totally crisp and refreshing and so easy to drink with the spicy flavours on the palate. Apparently the wine list was created by renowned wine writer Matthew Jukes who has chosen a selection from across the globe with only minimal mark ups to encourage experimentation.

There are several menus to choose between including a tasting menu with matching paired wines and a set menu if you are sticking to a budget. We choose from the a la carte beginning with three contrasting starters. Tarka Chaat, a straw potato basket filled with a sublime mixture of fillings, soft lentil dumplings, spicy potato cakes, velvety chick peas and spinach fritters all dressed in a piquant mint tamarind chutney and sweet yoghurt dressing. Lamb chops cooked in the tan door oven and marinated in a coriander and green chilli paste came served with a densely flavoured plum chutney, and sea bass, sautéed with black pepper, lime and crushed coriander seeds accompanied by a pleasantly piquant tomato chutney. For our main course we tried a couple of signature dishes, a Goan chicken curry with a good green chilli and coconut kick and the lamb shank shanknti which had been slow roasted with 21 spices and served with a coriander mash. The lamb was beautifully cooked and fell off the bone although this was the one dish I felt did not live up to its billing as a star performer. With this we had several side orders of enticing vegetables, including spicy aubergines, okra stir-fried with onions and spinach infused with cherry tomatoes.

From the eight desserts that included both Indian and European in their selection we chose a Gulab Jamum, a deep-fried milk dumpling with a rose flavoured sugar syrup and richly infused rhubarb and buttermilk ice-cream. We also tried a intensely rich fresh fig kulfi with caramelised pistachios and rose syrup. Although I had eaten a large variety of spiced dishes I felt well-fed not at all over-eaten which is always a sign of good cooking.

Chutney Mary, London, Restaurant Review

Louise Elgin. September 2010.
A meal for two with wine and water is around £60 a head.