Modern Indian dining with a botanical themed menu

I am always intrigued by the concept of modern Indian and was drawn to this restaurant because of its unique menu. The restaurant is named after and their theme derived from a book titled Flora Indica by two botanists Joseph Hooker and Thomas Thomson. Located a short walk from Earls court station on Old Brompton Road, this stylish venue is fitting of its splendid surroundings.

I graduated with a degree in Lifesciences and have a natural interest in Botany and thanks to my Indian roots, I have a keen interest in Indian cuisine particularly the regional diversity. This is why I am always interested to see how traditional Indian food is interpreted either based on a theme such as this – Botanical and using British ingredients or fusion.

At first glance, the bold blue at the entrance and the prominently placed nameplate tend to draw people into this airy space. The huge lifesize blue telephone box immediately reminded me of The Tardis in Doctor Who and I think I was probably as excited as young Billy Piper was whooshing away into galaxies unknown!

Time travel to the Victorian era

The heavy metalwork and a large collection of objects ranging from botanicals stored in pretty glass jars to gas masks and an intricate network of copper and zinc pipes are a creative nod to the Victorian period. Imagine the excitement of the Scottish botanists as they journeyed through India all those years ago discovering exotic flora and fauna. Probably not in The Tardis though but just as exciting am sure.

The restaurant is very spacious with a seating of 30 on the ground floor and 70 in the plush downstairs area which is equally quirky in terms of decor.

As I made a wild dash to meet my friend, I had worked up a proper appetite by then, I found her seated sipping on an interesting herbal mocktail called Flavours of Indica. She described this mixture of pomegranate juice with coconut water, citrus and a homemade spice rub , as very refreshing. I picked a gin cocktail from their very unique cocktail menu. They have an extensive gin menu keeping in line with the botanical theme. Why not have a browse through her interesting blog post about her visit to a fine dining restaurant at Mayfair.

We decided to share some of the modern Indian small plates from the A la carte menu. The yellowfin tuna and baby leek dish were dressed in black and white sesame and chilli caviar – we both agreed that it was delicious.

The next dish, however, was our favourite – a soft shell crab coated in batter, Amritsari fish style and served with tadka mayo on a bed of mash made with King Edward potatoes.

The chef surprised us with an off-menu delight – crab cakes. Curried crab meat coated in a crunchy batter served with a tasty chilli tadka mayo.

For mains we shared a lovely selection of dishes, each one picking one curry dish. The rogan josh was perfectly cooked soft meat from a suffolk lamb shoulder, slowly braised to release all it’s juices into the flavourful gravy sauce.

The corn-fed bergamot lemon chicken tikka was a very well-made dish. The creamy and makhani sauce demanded not to be left behind in the dish so we had to order some chilli garlic naan to mop it all up.

The beautifully presented basmati rice topped with pistachio and flavoured with fragrant kaffir lime leaf was very comforting, a great accompaniment to the curry dishes.

The sauteed curly kale and shredded Hispi cabbage side was a fabulous mix of flavours. Crunchy with strong undertones of ginger, enough to convert even the most determined kale sceptics.

Surprising how small plates tend to fill you up though, I do like this concept especially because it helps you monitor portion size.

Who can resist an offer for dessert and some much-needed dose of caffeine, especially in the later afternoon period? We succumbed to the tempting offer of kulfi semi-freddo and shahi tudka. The shahi tudka looked and was as regal as it’s name sounds

The crunch of the brioche smothered in a saffron sauce made with heavy cream, is balanced by the citrusy grilled pineapple. A very indulgent dessert this – I would always pick this one over a cold dessert, probably just how my palate has been trained over the years.

The kulfi semi Fredo is a nod to the popular Indian falooda, this version is basically a falooda deconstructed. The malai kulfi was fabulous and I could have poured a gallon more of the clove spiced chocolate sauce on top, given a choice!

We sipped on some lovely herbal infusion teas and then were given a tour of the downstairs area. Prepare to be dazzled by the bright interiors.

Massive floral shaped light fixtures adorn the walls and Harris tweed lined upholstery softens the tone.

This spacious downstairs area too is available for private hire, events, gin tastings, cookery demos and more.

An average spend of £60 to £65 per person will include one cocktail, two starters, a main curry dish and one rice or naan and a side and one dessert. Though the menu leans towards the higher price bracket, the food is well worth it.

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*With thanks to my friend Le Binh and Flora Indica for the invite. All opinions expressed and photographs used are, as always, my own. No monetary compensation was provided for a positive review.

Isleworth’s local Indian restaurant

Travelling in from Twickenham station on a chilly November evening, I arrive at Cinnamon Lounge just before evening opening time.

Chef- Patron Shameem Ahmed shares his journey from training at India’s famed Oberoi Hotel Group to owning and heading Cinnamon Lounge. Multi-award winning Chef Shameem is well known in the industry and is professionally trained with a degree in Hotel Management. Before venturing out on his own he has successfully headed at popular restaurants in Richmond and Brentford.

The whole restaurant has a very festive vibe going with the Christmas decorations up. As I settle in, being greeted by a very cheery member of their team, I decided to sample the Virgin Pinacolada. Creamy coconut goodness bursting with citrusy tropical flavours, sunshine in a glass this drink.

New Menu launch to celebrate a milestone

Chef-Patron Shameem has recently introduced a new menu which continues to offer authentic Indian dishes well-loved by their regulars but with some exciting Indo-Chinese offerings.

Delicious Starters

The best part of enjoying a meal with my fellow bloggers is the opportunity to sample varied dishes which really gives me a better understanding of the various dishes offered at the restaurant.

For meat and seafood starters, Heidi and I sampled a really mouth-watering selection. The Cinnamon Fish is one of their signature dishes, the white fish is lightly battered and fried with garlic and onions and garnished with nuts and mint

The crispy fried prawns are made with fresh prawns coated in a mix of spices and a thick batter. Though the prawns tasted fresh and had taken up the flavour of spices, I personally found the batter a bit thick.

Another signature non-veg starter we relished was the Chicken Mongolian, this Indo-Chinese dish is a favourite with the regulars and a dish that one must try. The chicken is marinated in a unique blend of spices with fenugreek and peanut. But for me, the Dry Vegetrain Manchurian dish was way more tempting than the chicken starter! Vegetable dumplings tossed ina soy-based sauce definitely hit the spot – they have just the right kind mix of spicy, tangy, crunchy notes that I love and enjoy and have grown to expect from any good Indo- Chinese Veg Manchurian. This starter definitely took me back to my days in Bombay

The start from the non-veg starters was, without doubt, the fabulous Kalmi Kebab – delicious whole legs of chicken marinated in a rich mix of spices and yoghurt ad chargrilled to give the perfect balance of smoky, juicy, tender meat which fell of the bone very easily. Best enjoyed with a generous drizzle of lime juice and a large dollop of green coriander chutney with scooped up for every mouthful 😉

We also sampled the some vegetarian starters, chosen by Nayna, which included the fabulous Dry Veg Manchurian along with the Punjabi samosas, Chilly Garlic Cauliflower ( which can be ordered as chilly garlic mushrooms or even mogo – which I think is brilliant!), Palak chat – which is nice twist to the traditional street food Bhel and last but definitely not the least – Bhindi Karari

The Bhindi karari should be awarded as the best dish of the evening, this is a great accompaniment to drinks or fabulous just sprinkled over plain rice and daal tadka.

Though the Jhinga Kalonji (Hindi- English – Jhinga – Prawn, Kalonji – Nigella), is part of the mains menu we enjoyed this dish as part of our starter spread. These delicately spiced, chargrilled prawns are juicy and impossible to resist.

It would be unfair not to mention the fried papad (popaddums) platter that was served with a selection of dips and chutneys – always a welcome crunchy snack to navigate the waiting period before starters arrive or after the mains to wash down with drinks.

Main course and sides

This was a real feast as we ate our way around a huge selection of amazing meat and vegetarian dishes all mopped up with beautifully fresh Naans from the breadbasket and a variety of rice dishes including a fragrant Pulav rice and fluffy perfectly cooked plain rice.

For our meaty mains, we relished -Dum ka Murgh – another signature dish this Hyderabadi speciality is cooked in a rich sauce of almonds and cashews inside a sealed pot giving the dish a fabulous texture and making the chicken almost disapper as it hits the palate. Gosht Kalimirchi, yet another signature dish which the chef recommends pairing with a buttery naan. Succulent pieces of soft-cooked lamb are flavoured in a rich pepper sauce. Butter chicken was done well and is a very popular dish which ranks high in my list of flavourful comfort foods, highly recommended for those who love Indian food but cannot handle the heat from strong spices. The Saag Gosht was a beautiful dish, perfectly cooked chunks of lamb cooked in a thick spinach gravy – great with a garlic naan and plain rice.

The lamb biryani had a generous amount of delicious lamb pieces and was served in a beautiful earthen pot, which of course all us instantly fell in love with.

A rich Daal Makhani, a smoky Baingan Bharta (Baingan – Aubergine) and a fresh off the tandoor Peshawari naan side completed the main course spread.

Indulging my sweet tooth

Dessert to share included warm gajar halwa – a popular Indian dessert made from grated carrot, delicious warm gulab-jamuns served with vanilla ice-cream (but served separately for our table as I cannot stand to mix the fabulously syrupy gulab-jamuns with a frozen scoop of ice-cream), thick kheer – which was very homely and came sprinkled with pistachios and we also tasted a portion of pista kulfi.

The food at Cinnamon Lounge is prepared by a skilled team which reflects in the consistent delivery of authentic Indian cuisine that boasts of refinement going hand in hand with traditional dishes.

Excellent neighbourhood Indian restaurant with great service and good food. The menu has a good variety and covers most of the popular North Indian dishes and Indo-Chinese specials.

Average bill size for two adults with drinks, starters, mains and dessert would be approximately £55 – assuming beer is the drink of choice and there are 2 starters, 2 mains, sides and a dessert each.

With its delicious menu and festive specials, this makes for the ideal choice of place for celebrations with plenty of space for large groups. They also have separate areas for lounge, bar and dining.

Cinnamon Lounge is ideally located for Twickenham rail station and the bustling high-street. Twickenham Road has several buses plying from a stop right outside the restaurant towards Twickenham, also there is ample parking space available. And for those days when you simply don’t want to move a muscle, then there is always the option of ordering food online 😉

*With thanks to Cinnamon Lounge for the invite. All opinions expressed and photographs used are, as always, my own. No monetary compensation was provided for a positive review.