Cinnamon Kitchen – Vivek Singh Spicing Things Up at Battersea Power Station

Name: Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea

Where: Battersea Power Station, 4 Arches Lane, SW11 8AB, http://www.cinnamon-kitchen.com/battersea/

Cost: A 3-course meal here will cost on average £45pp excluding drinks or service. Starters cost from £6.50 to £17.50, mains are priced from £14 to £29 while desserts from £2 to £8.

About: Readers of The London Foodie will know that we are fans of Vivek Singh’s vibrant Indian cooking – I have written about his restaurants on a number of occasions – his small-eats, casual Cinnamon Bazaar (reviewed here), or the flagship, more upmarket Cinnamon Club (reviewed here), and more recently at Taste of London when I had a most fantastic Chaat at the Cinnamon Kitchen stand (see here).

For the best Indian cooking at @tasteoflondon head to @chefviveksingh of @cinnamonrestaurants - I had a number of Indian dishes that got me scraping my plates: . My top recommendation is his Chamiya’s Chaat, this was heavenly - a mix of sweet, spicy, salt and sour flavours - with cured watermelon, pomegranate seeds, spicy coriander chutney, yoghurt, chickpeas and herbs, among other things - it was fresh and so good, a personal favourite. . Coorgi Double Cooked Pork Belly - was very tender and served with Kokum berries and curried yoghurt. . Kolkata Open Blue Cobia - grilled white Black King fish fillets, was buttery and dense, with a super zingy mustard and coconut curry sauce. . Lamb Galouti Kebab - lamb patty over a fried roti served with pomegranate seeds, yoghurt and spicy coriander chutney. . @chefviveksingh’s cooking was vibrant, fresh and full of flavour - his signature dishes at Taste are some of the best of the festival, but hurry it all ends tomorrow! 😩 . 🇮🇳 🍛🇮🇳🍛🇮🇳🍛🇮🇳🍛🇮🇳🍛🇮🇳🍛🇮🇳🍛

A post shared by Luiz Hara (@thelondonfoodie) on Jun 16, 2018 at 10:14am PDT

Following his 10th anniversary at Cinnamon Kitchen Devonshire Square, I was intrigued to hear of Vivek Singh’s new venture South of the River. Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea is part of the multi-million regeneration project of the Grade-II listed Battersea Power Station (so long overdue).

Situated in Circus Village West, Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea has a minimalist industrial décor with railway arch façade, exposed brick walls and an expansive open-plan kitchen.

It is a large restaurant, modern and sleek, serving Vivek’s contemporary Indian dishes paired with cocktails by mixologist Tony Conigliaro of 69 Colebrooke Row, one of my favourite cocktail bars in London, also reviewed here. And so we headed south to check it out.

What We Ate: The menu is divided into Appetisers, which include a section on Grills, then Mains, Sides, Breads and Desserts. The recommendation is of 2 appetisers/grills plus a main dish and a dessert per person.

Vivek Singh - working through the food orders at Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea

With that in mind, we kicked off with banana leaf wrapped sea bass with chilli, tomato and kokum crust (£9) from the Grill section – not much of a looker, what it lacked in presentation, it more than made up in flavour – spicy, well seasoned and fresh. Served with a mildly curried sour cream and a carrot and chilli cream, this was a good start to the meal.

The Keema Litti rustic lamb dough ball with anchovy chutney (£6.75), also from the Grill section, was intensely flavoursome wrapped around freshly-baked pastry and served with a vibrant mint and anchovy sauce.

Bombay street food (Vada Pao) – was a toasted bun (Pão is bread in Portuguese) with a chickpea burger (Vada) and coriander cream, tapioca cake and chilli paneer - this looked like cubes of prime beef, but slicing into it revealed the creamy white, surprisingly firm flesh of the curd cheese (£8.50).

Wild African prawn (£17.50), came with a coriander and garlic crust, it was butterflied but cleverly served in its own shell – it was wonderfully aromatic and succulent from having been grilled in the shell, and easy to eat without any of hassle factor.

For mains, we went for the clove smoked lamb rump (£24), served with fennel and nutmeg sauce and saffron rice. The lamb was tender and medium rare as requested, the spice level was just right - rich, exotic and warming without blowing your head off, and with some delicious cardamom and clove spices.

King prawns in Bengali turmeric curry (£25), came with a deliciously rich ghee rice and spinach poriyal. We enjoyed this but felt it was a weaker option compared to the lamb or the magnificent African grilled prawn.

Despite being on the Sides section, the biryani was a main course in its own right and we could not resist but order it – Lucknow-Style Chicken Biryani (£15) with a Burhani Raita was one of the highlights of our meal - flavoured with lemon and cumin, the rice was perfectly cooked and the chicken meltingly tender.

With our biryani and mains we ordered a delectable Dal Trio (£7) of - yellow, black lentils and chickpeas.

The Peshwari naan (£5.50) was freshly made, it was rich with sweet sultana, burnt coconut and ghee flavours.

For dessert, the Himalayan Queen (£7.50) was a trio of pistachio kulfi, mango and thandai ice cream covered with spiced meringue and flamed with rum.

Finished off at the table, this was Vivek’s Indian reinterpretation of the 70s classic Baked Alaska.

Lassi panna cotta (£6.50) came with a mango mint salad, fresh mango and mango purée, crisp dehydrated raspberries and edible nasturtium flowers, it was fresh and a light dessert to end a fabulous meal.

What We Drank: All cocktails, created by award-winning mixologist Tony Conigliaro specifically for the Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea, are priced between £9 and £12.50.

Coconut Kir was a refreshing cocktail with champagne, toasted coconut, coconut liqueur, and Wyborowa vodka (£12.50). Equally good, if somewhat stronger, was the Assam Manhattan (£8.50) made with black assam infused buffalo gin, vermouth, maraschino, black cardamom - spicy and delicious.

Entry-level wines, both priced at £22.50 from El Muro, Carinena, Spain, were a Macabeo White and a Tempranillo/Garnacha red. We shared a bottle of Sangiovese 2013 from Fico Grande Romagna DOC £30 that worked well with most of the dishes we tried on the evening, particularly the lamb ones.

Likes: the Lucknow-Style Chicken Biryani, the Wild African Prawn and the Peshwari Naan, as well as the cocktails were the highlight of our visit. The food was well seasoned, vibrant and fresh and I could not fault it.

Dislikes: it is nearly impossible to find a suitable/free parking space anywhere near the restaurant.

Verdict: Vivek Singh’s Indian cooking is full of flavour, zingy and fresh. His latest venture, Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea is a very welcome addition to the regeneration of the Power Plant and elevates Battersea’s restaurant scene as a whole. Highly recommended.

Gaylord's Golden Anniversary - Fifty Years On and Still One of the Top Indian Restaurants in London

Name: Gaylord Restaurant

Where: 79 Mortimer Street, London, W1W 7SJ, http://www.gaylordlondon.com/

Cost: Average cost is £40 per person, not including drinks or service. From the à la carte menu, starters are priced from £7.50 to £12, tandoori dishes from £12 to £16.50, and mains from £15 to £20. Biryanis of king prawn, lamb or chicken are priced at £18.50 to £21.  There are two, three-course set menus: the Maharaja Feast (£30) and the vegetarian Maharani Feast  (£27).

About: The Gaylord Restaurant in London opened in 1966, and in 2016 celebrated its 50th anniversary.  Said to have the first tandoor (charcoal clay oven) in London, it still serves the same fragrant fresh breads and kebabs, Indian and Punjabi fare it did at the height of the Swinging Sixties. Photographs of George Harrison and Peter Sellers posing with restaurant staff in 1966 are on proud display in the restaurant’s entrance. 

The 1966 menu is still available for diners to see, and it was a shock to see that portions of chicken tikka masala were priced at 30p, and lamb rogan josh at 40p!

The Gaylord Restaurant is an elegant establishment in the heart of Central London, serving both traditional and modern Indian cooking to a varied clientele of locals, shoppers, families and tourists. The mid-week evening we were there, the restaurant was nearly completely full.

What We Ate: We started with a few delicious golgappa shots (£6.50) – fresh and spicy little pani puri, these are round, hollow puri fried crispy pastry shells, filled with a mixture of flavoured water and fillings like tamarind chutney, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion and chickpeas. At Gaylord, they are served over shot glasses of chilled herbal infusion.

The murg gilafi seekh (£8.50), fragrant portions of minced smoked chicken topped with bell-peppers and chargrilled on skewers, were delectable. 

Tandoori tiger prawns (£10) were jumbo-sized and succulent, having been marinated with saffron and Indian spices, then grilled in a clay oven. 

In a departure from the original 1966 menu, Gaylord now offers Mexican tacos with an Indian twist. We had the spicy rajma (kidney bean) taco (£7.50) – jauntily served (recalling the colours of the Indian flag) on a gold, green and red toy wire car. 

Still on the starter menu, we were tempted by the pao bhaji (£10) - soft buttered buns with mashed potato, vegetable curry, chopped onion and coriander, capsicum. Served in a fondue pot, these were delectable.  

Crab cake dakshini (£11) came with a generous amount of meat, deliciously flavoured with curry leaves, aromatic Indian spices and mustard cress. 

The lamb chops Anardana (£11), served on a sizzling plate, had been marinated in spices and pomegranate juice, then charcoal grilled to give an irresistible smoky flavour and aroma. 

The Makhani Paneer (£11.50), dating right back to 1966, combined cubes of fresh cheese made on the premises, simmered in a creamy tomato sauce.  I could see why this had lasted the duration – simple, good quality ingredients, delicately cooked and well presented.

Equally good was the soft shell baby crab (£7), in light batter with spicy Goan masala. This came with slices of toasted coconut (a combination I thoroughly enjoyed) beautifully served in a large seashell.

Gaylord’s butter chicken (£16) was a lip-smacking classic - a deboned tandoori chicken, cooked in a tomato-based sauce enriched with butter and double cream, flavoured with aromatic herbs and spices, including one of my favourites, fenugreek. 

Lamb shank (£19), came meltingly tender, delicately spiced and served with a subtle onion and tomato curry.

The fish tak-a-tak (at seasonal price) was a whole grilled fish, filleted (tilapia on the day we were there) and spiced with mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chilli and caraway seeds, served in a tin-lined copper pan. 

To accompany, we had a paratha (£4), a piazi kulcha (leavened bread stuffed with onion and coriander, £4.25), and basmati rice (£6), cooked with lemon, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Best of all though was the house speciality of dal bukhara (£9.70). This had black lentils slow-cooked for 8 hours over charcoal, and was deliciously rich and creamy. 

For dessert, the carrot pudding - gajar ka halwa (£5.50) blended a hot, sweet carrot pudding with pistachio slivers. The gulab jamun (£9) had fresh cheese spheres, deep-fried and served with a delectable sugar syrup laced with spiced dark rum, flambéed. 

What We Drank: Cocktails are priced at £9 to £12. The entry level wines, both white and red, are Beaujolais from George Duboeuf, Le Bouquet de George, priced at £19.90. Indian Kingfisher and Cobra beers are also available. 

We were keen to explore the range of Indian wines which Gaylord has just launched under their own label, all from Akluj in Maharashtra.  The house sparkling white wine, a Fratelli Grand Cuvée Brut NV, Chenin Blanc (£35) was very well made - bone dry, with refreshing citrus acidity and minerality. 

The Gaylord Sangiovesi Bianci (£36.50) was palatable and off-dry, but for my palate lacked complexity. 

Better was the Gaylord Fratelli Sangiovesi red wine (£36.50) - fruity and well made, when enjoyed with the restaurant’s spicy food, the cherry fruit and sweetness were accentuated. 

Likes: There were so many highlights in this meal – the tandoori lamb and prawns, the paneer, the whole tilapia, the meltingly tender lamb shank and the carrot dessert were all excellent. 

Dislikes: None

Verdict: With a 50-year history, there are few restaurants in London that have stood the test of time as well as Gaylords. But this is no surprise - the classic Indian dishes are hard to fault, while service is friendly and well informed. I would love to return to Gaylord soon. Highly recommended. 

Cinnamon Bazaar – The New Indian ‘Small-Eats’ Restaurant by Vivek Singh

Name: Cinnamon Bazaar

Where: 28 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, http://cinnamon-bazaar.com/

Cost: Small eats cost from £4.50 to £16 with sides of greens, dal or naans from £2.80 to £4. Dishes are designed to be shared, and the average cost is around £30 to £40 per person (not including drinks).

There are set menus including lunch at £14 for two courses, or £16 for three. The pre- and post-theatre dinner menu is served from 5.30pm to 6.30pm and from 9.30pm onwards, and offers a two-course menu at £18 and three courses for £20. 

About: Cinnamon Bazaar is the latest addition to the Cinnamon Collection, a group of Indian restaurants run by Vivek Singh, restauranteur and a celebrity chef regular on a number of television cookery shows such as BBC’s Saturday Kitchen. 

Vivek first made his name with his flagship restaurant Cinnamon Club by championing a brand of modern, innovative Indian cooking. His contemporary approach has further translated into his other restaurants: Cinnamon Soho, Cinnamon Star and now, Cinnamon Bazaar. 

As the name suggests Cinnamon Bazaar plays on the idea of a “bazaar”, a central marketplace where for centuries ideas and ingredients were exchanged, and cultures converged to come together to create one big melting pot. The fusion concept translates well at Cinnamon Bazaar with the restaurant’s menu drawing inspiration from countries dotted along the trading routes of old. 

The design of the restaurant also plays on the theme of a bazaar, offering a laid back environment where diners can relax and share a varied selection of dishes and drinks. Laid over two floors, Cinnamon Bazaar is richly decorated in vibrant colours such as deep blues and fresh greens. 

The restaurant has made use of organic, natural materials which reflect the history of India. Finally, Illuminated lanterns and hanging ceiling drapes complete the eclectic bazaar ambience.

What We Ate: There are three main sections to the menu - snacks, chaat and bazaar plates made for sharing. There is a small dessert menu too. From the snack menu, we had the Crab bonda (£5.90) - this deep fried Calcutta snack blended spiced crab with scarlet coloured beetroot in chickpea batter, and served with salad and a chilli and coriander relish. 

The tapioca or cassava chips (£4.50) came with a deliciously zingy green chilli mayonnaise.

Moving on to the Chaat menu, we had the aloo tikki chaat (£4.50) – this was a spiced potato cake with curried chickpeas. I enjoyed this tangy dish with just enough spice, and a scattering of fresh pomegranate seeds. 

From the small eats section of the menu, we had 4 different dishes to share. The double cooked pork belly 'Koorg' style, with curried yoghurt (£7) was undoubtedly the best dish the meal - made with black vinegar known as Kachampuli or Coorgi vinegar, the pork was tender and unctuous, served with a cooling spiced yoghurt, and a chilli and coriander sauce.

Also excellent was the vindaloo of ox cheek, masala potato mash and pickled radish (£14.50) with just the right spicy levels for me and with meat you could cut with a spoon!

The Luknow-style chicken biryani with burhani raita (£14.50) was fragrant with cardamom, cumin, clove and saffron. This was a deliciously light, fresh dish with different layers of flavour and aroma.

Equally good was the Rajasthani lamb and corn curry with stir-fried greens (£12) – a mild curry, with tender sweet lamb and myriad spices.

For dessert, we chose the cardamom kheer creme brûlée (£4.50), a creamy, fragrant rice pudding dish, served with a soft shortbread biscuit.

The carrot halwa roll (£5), one of Vivek’s signature dishes, was served warm, with an intensely clove-flavoured iced double cream.

What We Drank: The wine list is compact (15 reds and 15 whites), but offers a range of interesting options, starting with a white Pinot Bianco / Garganega blend at £19, and the entry-level red is a Merlot-Corvina blend (£21), both from the Veneto, Italy. There are some interesting options like a native Armenian Areni Noir, and a Slovenian Malvasia. 

The cocktail list is the result of of a collaboration between chef Vivek Singh and mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana. Cocktails range from £8.50 to £11. 

We started with a Bazaar Old Fashioned (£10.50) made from coconut-washed Indian Scotch, coconut sugar and burnt cinnamon. We also tried the Gin Julep (£10), served in a polished copper mug, blended Star of Bombay gin, mint, amchoor green mango and black cardamom.

We chose a bottle of Rioja Reserva, Isadi, 2012 (£45) to accompany our meal. Made from Tempranillo from the Alavesa area of Rioja, this was a straightforward wine with a good balance of red berry fruit and spice.

Likes: that double cooked Koorg pork curry was nothing short of sensational and warrants a return visit in its own right! It was great to see Vivek actually in the kitchen of his new restaurant Cinnamon Bazaar.

Dislikes: due to the location (Covent Garden) the restaurant does not make for a quiet night out.

Verdict: For well made, beautifully balanced Indian cooking at reasonable prices, very few places can beat the new Cinnamon Bazaar. Recommended.