Chor Bizarre – an Indian restaurant that is lavish and a little kitsch – A review By Louise Elgin

Chor Bizarre
16 Albemarle Street
London W1S 4HW
Tel: 020 7629 9802

If you like your Indian restaurants to be lavish and a little kitsch, try Chor Bizarre.

Nestled in the heart of Mayfair, this cosy dining room is an Aladdin’s cave of artefacts and antiquities from across the Asian continent, perfectly reflecting the restaurant’s name; with jewelled coloured globe lighting, gilded chairs and low level music all adding to the intimate atmosphere. This exquisite new interior has been created, along with a change of Head Chef (Manpreet Singh Ahuja), to mark their ten year anniversary. Manpreet has trained extensively in both Delhi and London and brings fresh ideas and creativity. Re-launching the menu, he has chosen recipes from across the Indian sub-continent, from street markets through to more classic and traditional styles.

We tasted a wide selection of artistically served starters. These included well flavoured crab cakes served with a subtle coconut sauce; succulent, tender scallops with a kick of black pepper and spices; traditional samosas; and pungent and sweet boneless lamb with a pudding like texture served with a mint yoghurt chutney. Our feasting continued with a Tandoori platter, perfumed seekh kebabs, and tender butterfly prawns, along with aromatic salmon and lamb chops marinated with ginger and spices.

After a pause for a refreshing fruit sorbet interlude we moved on to what was the final savoury course. Thali’s, one vegetarian, one meat based, fancily presented on two crescent platters. A Thali, for those of you who may not know is a great way to taste a little of a whole range of dishes and an ideal way to order if you are new to Asian food. Various curries are served in attractive silver pots with accompanying yoghurts, chutneys, rice and Indian breads – nan, puri or roti. To complement the food, the wine list is wide-ranging and reasonably priced, and we chose from Sauvignon Blanc to Merlot’s by the glass.

To finish we shared a Gulabjamun, a milk pudding fried and infused with sweet rose flavoured syrup and served hot. This sent my guest into raptures of delight as he eagerly devoured it with a cup of marsala tea which also had a delicious milky constituency.

My advice would be to visit Chor Bizarre with a good appetite to indulge in some fine feasting, yet one should leave without feeling too overloaded such is the skill in the lightness of the cooking.

Louise Elgin. November 2007

Dinner for two with wine and water is about £120.00

Chor Bizarre
16 Albemarle Street
London W1S 4HW
Tel: 020 7629 9802

Chor Bizarre Indian Restaurant, Albemarle Street, London Restaurant Review