Travels for Taste

Tales of travel and food with a touch of spice

  • Home
  • About
    • In the Press, Published Work and Interviews
    • PR and Disclosure Policy
  • Food
    • Recipe Index
      • Indian
        • C.K.P recipes
        • Curry – Meat, Seafood
        • Curry – Vegetarian
        • Sides
        • Chutneys
      • Healthy
        • Soups
        • Salads
      • Quick and Easy
      • Baking
        • Desserts
      • Meat
      • Seafood
      • Vegetarian
        • Salads
      • Vegan
    • Product Reviews
    • Events
  • Travel
    • UK
    • India
    • Around the World
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Kitchen
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • Miscellaneous
  • Giveaways
  • Work with me
    • Meet interesting foodie entrepreneurs here

Amani – Fine Dining, Indian Style at Chelsea Harbour – Review (Permanently closed)

June 2, 2014 by manjirichitnis 4 Comments

Who can resist an invitation to dine at a fine dining restaurant that faces Chelsea Harbour, make that Indian cuisine and its a double whammy.So come Thursday evening and hubster and me made our way to Chelsea Harbour, just one stop on the train from West Brompton it was a very quick journey for me from home.Bonus – time saved on commute is time spent sipping more wine 😉

We were seated at a table in the corner but still with a fairly good view of the harbour ,thanks to the weather playing spoil sport on us we couldn’t sit the balcony and risk our popadum’s flying out of the plate like little flying saucers could we? !

The friendly Manager Azad got us settled in with some white wine and our huge mixed meat and seafood platter.Hardly had we started with working our way through it that we had another platter on our table – the Bombay Street Food Platter with Paani Puri, Samsosa Chaat and Aloo patties . This mixed chaat -very Mumbai street food style platter certainly got us smiling.Its been ages since I had good, tasty pani puri and sadly not many places in London can get anywhere remotely close to the mouth watering taste of typical pani puri dripping and heaving with loads of mashed potato bits and spices floating around in ice cold spicy ,tangy flavoured liquid watery taste heaven …ummm Elco Pani Puri how I miss thee!

1-2014-05-22 19.11.55 (Copy)

This is the first time ever I have tasted this hybrid version of Pani puri, with no spiced watery chutney ,which is the norm but they were still tasty, I could have done with more pani puri on that platter and done without the samosa and papri chaat altogether but then that would destroy the purpose of a tasting platter wouldn’t it?

The mixed meat and seafood platter was superb with the lamb chops totally stealing the show but the galouti kebabs were equally good , only I haven’t had them before in London…even better .These minced red meat kebabs in a complex mix of spices that is great dipped in the tamarind chutney.

1-2014-05-22 19.09.48 (Copy)

R- L : Fish Cakes in batter deep fried,Tandoori King Prawns in a rich cheesy,creamy yoghurt marinade,fresh green spiced chicken,spicy red grilled chicken from the tandoor,Lamb Chops in a marinade which has seeped deep into the meat not charred but done just perfect – smoky,spicy,soft – basically perfect,Galouti Kebabs served with a side of cucumber and yoghurt dip, green mint coriander chutney and tamarind chutney.

The chef really did go a bit overboard and spoilt us royally, this spread of mains is proof that he was all set to impress us , all guns blazing. But honestly after I sunk my teeth into those lamb chops I didn’t need any more convincing that they know their spices and how to work them just right.

So spicy portuguese lamb curry,butter chicken ,dal makhani , fish curry with steamed rice, pulav and butter naan in full portions arrived at our table. In fact there was so much suddenly that we had to move and occupy 2 large tables! Ha!

Now for me faced with fish curry and steamed rice which is a meal that makes me blind to anything else I had to taste the lamb curry for as you who read me regularly have learnt by now, is a huge weakness- really huge . Humm Catch 22 situation? Yup!

So had to tear myself away from the hot fish curry sending invisible hands towards me to draw me in, I served us some dal makhni and butter chicken with the naan. I dread ordering naan in London because it is absolutely disgusting having to chew hard naam that is thick and lumpy but this naan was so light with papery layers and melt in your mouth delicious! How do you do it guys? want to let me in on the recipe? Think Not!

The butter chicken had loads of kasoori methi or dried fenugreek leaves ( much more than say Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipe would ask you to add into your butter chicken),which cleverly balance the otherwise sweet gravy, this is almost how old Delhi style butter chicken is supposed to be , except its really easy to get it terribly wrong and an overtly sweet version means either leftovers have been given mew life by adding an onion puree or the chef tried some experiment that well umm went wrong. This butter chicken is great with the pulav we ate ,the pulav had a generous topping of freshly fried thin slender slices of onion sitting temptingly on the top and it was not an oily heavy pulav which is again a really good sign.

The dal makhani (black lentils in a thick gravy with loads of fresh cream) was very fresh and had a distinct twist to it, the deep fried garlic and onion gave an alternating crunchy and delicious punch as we worked our way through it with ease mopping large mouthfuls with the soft and layered  naan, the thick gravy hiding in the folds of the naan just about as close to a moment of sheer foodgasm.

May 2014 Samsung Galaxy S3 (Copy)

R- L : Spicy n Hot Portuguese Lamb Curry, Dal Makhani – which you see in the centre, Butter Chicken ,Fish Curry,Butter Naan.

Unfortunately by the time we got to the fish curry we were quite full but we couldn’t just let it sit there staring at us begging to be eaten! Now the creamy coconut thick gravy and the fresh fish which itself was perfectly cooked and tasty in itself was much sweeter than we make our curries in Konkan, I need atleast 4 small potently HOT green chillies in one cup of freshly grated coconut and coriander marinade for my curries. This fish curry nevertheless is very satisfying and perfectly paired with steaming hot basmati rice ,I suggest you abandon your spoons ,roll up sleeves and go desi style to truly enjoy this curry and rice. Dont worry if you muck up your wine glass with grubby fingers, Azad and team won’t mind and am sure the guests at neighbouring table will kick themselves for not ordering themselves a portion of this fish curry 😉

We had to stop eating now and I think we had slipped into a coma of carb induced happiness but Azad wasn’t going to let go of us just yet! The mention of hot ,freshly prepared gulab jamuns can make any self respecting foodie go weak in the knees surely? Throw in a rare find – Thandai ice cream and I use my old excuse that ice cream and gulab jamun can find a tiny little space in my full tummy and hide around other morsels of food which have just found their way inside. Hummm – gluttony? Of course! Guilty as charged!

The bang of crushed pepper in the cold Thandai ice cream with the warm gulab jamun is so so good. what is that you just asked? Oh yes – let me tell you what Thandai back home is all about – this dry fruit and saffron flavoured milk  is traditionally prepared as an offering to Lord Shiva during the festival of Mahashivratri. During Holi however a rather notorious concoction is brewed by adding lots of crushed cannabis leaves to make what is called Bhaang – it is infamous for getting people drunk after they drink large glasses one after another thinking that it is nothing but an innocent little milk shake and KABOOM it suddenly hits you like a bolt from the blue and snap! An internal switch gets to repeat and whatever it is that you were doing or worse saying when the switch flipped ,its pretty much what you will continue to do on repeat mode for say the next few hours;) Sounds like fun,no? But relax this Thandai ice cream is all innocent and yumm with no naughty additives – alas 😉

It was good to see many other guests also working their way through the meat platter and the happy clinking of glasses around us. It was wonderful seeing the surrounding buildings with soft yellow lights throwing long dancing shadows on the now dark and beautiful waters of the Harbour. The madness and pace that is London seemed to fade somewhere far away.

If you looking for a fresh new place to get your Indian fix and would like to do it in style then head to Amani at Chelsea Harbour for a relaxing meal ,authentic Indian cuisine with touches of coastal Indian flavours thrown in,and  stunning views of Chelsea Harbour thrown in free!

For those guests put up at The Windermere Hotel,especially this is an absolute treat, just turn a corner and your inside Amani,kills the headache of thinking about transport back to your room and allows you to have more wine – guilt free.

*With thanks to Amani  for the invite and to Azad and his team for a fab evening.No monetary compensation was provided for this post.All views expressed are my own.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: Aloo patties, Amani, batter deep fried, Bhaang, Bombay Street Food Platter with Paani Puri, Butter Chicken, butter naan, charred, Chelsea Harbour, creamy yoghurt marinade, dal makhani, Elco Pani Puri, Fine Dining, Fish Cakes, fish curry with steamed rice, fresh green spiced chicken, Galouti Kebabs, green mint coriander chutney, gulab jamuns, Indian Style, Lamb Chops, Lord Shiva, Mahashivratri, marinade, meat, perfect, Pulav, rich cheesy, Samsosa Chaat, side of cucumber, smoky, soft, spicy, spicy portuguese lamb curry, spicy red grilled chicken, tamarind chutney, Tandoor, Tandoori King Prawns, Thandai ice cream, The Windermere Hotel, yoghurt dip

Review – Gaylords, London (Permanently Closed)

February 17, 2014 by manjirichitnis 22 Comments

Last Wednesday I was invited by Zomato, London to join a bunch of other food blogger who are also on the board of Zomato reviewers to Gaylords in Central London. Going by the weather that day I was not very sure I would reach my destination without being blown away first. At times like this, I have a decided advantage over my featherweight foodie friends, after all, it would a rather strong gust of wind to blow me off my feet 😉

Luckily I made it to the venue alive and without getting drenched! A warm greeting later –  from the ever so thoughtful staff at Gaylord’s who continued to really pamper us all through the evening – it was time for some welcome drink  – a fizzy pink- Passion Bellini and an optional Virgin Tamarind Mohito for those abstaining from alcohol.

1-2014-02-12 18.51.14 (Copy)

For starters we were served – Tandoori Tiger Prawns – succulent and smoked on the tandoor very juicy, Lamb Shammi kebabs – minced lamb patties with a minty yogurt dip -lipsmackin delicious,Murg Malai Tikka – Tandoor roasted mild chicken tikkas – honestly not my fav but heck nothing to complain about either , Amritsari Macchi – very delicious tilapia fillets fried in a gram flour batter seasoned with paprika and carom seeds – one word EXCELLENT!,Tandoori paneer tikka- huge chunks of cottage cheese – chargrilled with onions and peppers in a saffron flavoured marinade,Murg Gilafi Sheekh- minced chicken,smoked ,topped with bell peppers & chargrilled on skewers – all these served with 3 different types of Indian Bread – plain naan, garlic naan and mini onion kulcha.

1-Zomato Bloggers Meet - 12th Feb'14 Wed at Gaylords1

To my absolute delight  we were then served some very authentic in taste Indian street food snacks in a posh and innovative way.

These pani puri or gol gappa shots were utterly glorious and made me wish I was standing outside Elco at Bandra in Mumbai eating their ice cold pani puri .If you ever visit Mumbai then this is the place to go to for the BEST pani puri in town!I loved how they were served in these shot glasses.Boiled chick peas and tiny cubes of boiled potato are stuffed into the tiny puffed savoury puri and a sweet date and jaggery thick sauce is poured into it followed up with a green liquid which is a coriander ,mint and spice mix chutney and this has to be gobbled in one go ! They explode in your mouth enveloping your senses with an unforgettable sensation of taste,spices and aroma leaving your taste buds playing the guessing game.Sigh…double sigh…

2-2014-02-12 19.08.34 (Copy)

Next up – Bhel – or puffed rice spiced with chaat masala,chopped red onion tomato and a sprinkling of yellow sev or fried gram flour savoury and topped off with tamarind chutney and a green mint coriander chutney – bursting with flavour these were !Aloo Papri Chaat – spicy bite sized boiled potatoes in spices mixed with sev and served on a crunchy flat puri base.

1-Zomato Bloggers Meet - 12th Feb'14 Wed at Gaylords2

5 main courses with 5 accompaniments were to follow – by this point I was not very sure I would make it past the front door after this meal. But lucky for us the glasses magically seemed to top up each time and the conversation ,easy banter and laughter flowed almost as smoothly as the wine – leaving no room to ponder over such minor ,seemingly frivolous details or worry about the last tube back home – perfect.

Main Course favourites for me were the creamy coconut flavoured Prawn Curry which I polished off my plate with some Zaafraan Basmati – fluffy long grain basmati rice with saffron and the Chana Peshawari – chick peas cooked in their secret spice mix eaten with a steaming hot bhatura which a massive puri puffed and let me warn you has to be handled with care as it is very very hot. Now all I need to do is figure out a way to get the Gaylords chef to let me in on this secret spice mix – which I am quite sure they will never let go of , and why not , after hasn’t Coca Cola for years led us to believe that their secret ingredient is the one that has generations hooked onto their cola?Sadly, even so Coca Cola is no comparison for this Chana dish – honestly!But guarding the secret spice mix with their lives folks is serious business – after all heads have rolled and hands of artisans chopped off in medieval times to guard secrets of cuisine and architectural wonders alike! ( In her delightful and brilliant book ”Shark’s fin and Sichuan Pepper” author  Fuchsia Dunlop has described how many generations of chefs took brilliant recipes to their grave for various reasons and am sure everyone has heard the myth about one of the 7 wonders of the world – the magnificent and many splendored Taj Mahal in Agra , India – that Emperor Shah Jahan got the hands of his sculptors and architect cut off after they built the Taj Mahal which was dedicated to Mumtaz Mahal – wife of Shah Jahan. It is said he did this so that they would never again be able to build anything quite as splendid as the Taj Mahal!)

5-2014-02-12 21.29.26 (Copy)

The mains also included Butter Chicken – an indulgent and creamy sauce with Tandoori Chicken strips- ummm,Lamb Chops Anardana or Chargrilled Lamp chops in a ginger infused spicy mix with pomegranate seeds,Lamb Rogan Ghosh – tender lamb cubes cooked in a fiery garlic ,tomato and onion masala and of course Palak Paneer – a spinach and cottage cheese combo that would get even Popeye’s nod of approval! All this accompanied by Dal Bukhara – a traditional lentil dish from the northern most state in India – Kashmir served with an assortment of Indian breads puffy and hot off the charcoal oven – mind blowing – advance warning – best eaten by rolling up your sleeves and breaking large chunks of the naan with your hands scooping a shameless quantity of dal from your plate and shovelling into your mouth as if no one is watching – believe NO one is – when surrounded by food so good , what else can one focus on I ask ?!An innocent looking raita or yogurt flavoured with cooling cucumber and pomegranate helps do the balancing act of heat,spice and grease.

1-Zomato Bloggers Meet - 12th Feb'14 Wed at Gaylords3

Now I was supremely satiated and stuffed to the point I could explode but no self respecting foodie can resist a good gulab jamun and if that is flambeed with spiced dark rum , even the best defences shall crumble !To wash away any signs of guilt or gluttony we were served by this charming gentleman a 5 grape south african Red – a fine smooth wine ,delicious and fabulously lush – evidence of a good red I was informed is in the residue left behind in the wine glass – humm I learn new things every day 🙂

1-2014-02-12 22.25.08 (Copy)
Zomato Bloggers Meet - 12th Feb'14 Wed at Gaylords4

This beautiful cocktail is called Saffrontini – a signature mix of saffron gin,cointreau,lime cordial and tonic.

1-2014-02-12 22.18.21 (Copy)

As if this indulgence was not enough we were served with Malai Kulfi – an sweet frozen dessert that cements the most difficult deal and makes the grumpiest of humans grin – smothered in pistachios and cardamom it is definitely what can be described as an Indian Ice cream!

2-2014-02-12 22.13.09 (Copy)

It was great to meet some familiar faces @Le__binh  and @LeyLaLaa , infact I had a blast of an evening chatting up a wonderful bunch of Londoners. Loved meeting new faces – @AnomalousLondon ,@wildscribe ,@inher30s ,@LadylovesCake ,@sshaikh

Now that I think about it , @Gaylord_London  was packed to the gills with hungry guests and the same team that fussed over our table, ensured our wine glasses never ran dry and explained how their chefs had expertly combined the various complex and glorious Indian spices and used them to create the spectacular special menu for the evening, the other guests seemed equally pampered, happy and errr happily tipsy to say the least! How do you do it folks ?! Keep it up! I think this is great ”Hospitality AND Food Karma” and this is very important to me when I dine out – and I suspect is the case with any discerning diner, foodie or not ! Especially since am so far away from Indian and given my regular cravings for authentic tasting Indian cuisine I am always on the hunt for the next best Indian dining experience. I would hate to have that spoilt by a grumpy staff, high handed attitude, over priced sub-standard food, or a menu which is considered fusion food but is basically authentic Indian food murdered by some nutjob who thinks they have created a masterpiece – beware of such places I’d say! All I ask for is a fabulous service and one great course after another dished out in perfect rhythm and harmony  – just splendid food with a smile really.

Lucky for me Gaylords is short journey from home – Lajawab !

Zomato London and Gaylords – you spoilt us – royally! Many thanks to both parties and Of Course I would rather shamelessly like to admit that am very eagerly looking forward to more foodie meets, great food and good company! Cheers!

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: 5 grape south African Red wine, Aloo Papri Chaat, Amritsari Macchi, author, bandra, bell peppers, Bhel, Boiled chick peas, boiled potato, bursting with flavour, Butter Chicken, cardamom, carom seeds, Chana Peshawari, chargrilled, Chargrilled Lamp chops, chick peas, chopped red onion, cooked, coriander, cottage cheese, crunchy flat puri, Dal Bukhara, delicious, elco, Emperor Shah Jahan, flambeed, fluffy long grain basmati rice, fried, fried gram flour savoury, Fuchsia Dunlop, garlic naan, Gaylords Review, gobbled, gram flour batter, green liquid, green mint coriander chutney, gulab jamun, huge chunks, ice cold pani puri, India, Indian Bread, Indian Ice cream, jaggery thick sauce, Lamb Chops Anardana, Lamb Rogan Ghosh, Lamb Shammi kebabs, lipsmackin, London Bloggers Meet, Malai Kulfi, mild chicken, minced chicken, minced lamb patties, mini onion kulcha, mint, minty yogurt dip, Mumbai, Murg Gilafi Sheekh, Murg Malai Tikka, onions, Palak Paneer, paprika, Passion Bellini, peppers, pistachios, plain naan, pomegranate seeds, popeye, poured, Prawn Curry, puffed rice, puffed savoury puri, puri puffed, roasted, saffron, saffron flavoured marinade, seasoned, secret spice mix, Shark's fin and Sichuan Pepper, skewers, smoked, spice mix chutney, spiced dark rum, spiced with chaat masala, spicy bite sized boiled potatoes, spinach, sprinkling of yellow sev, steaming hot bhatura, stuffed, sweet date, sweet frozen dessert, Taj Mahal in Agra, tamarind chutney, Tandoor, Tandoori paneer tikka, Tandoori Tiger Prawns, tender lamb cubes cooked in a fiery garlic, tikkas, tilapia fillets, tiny, tiny cubes, tomato, tomato and onion masala, topped, Virgin Tamarind Mohito, Zaafraan Basmati, Zomato

Food,travel and lifestyle writer. Photographer.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

  • Baking
  • Breads
  • C.K.P recipes
  • Cakes
  • Chutneys
  • Cocktails
  • Curry – Meat, Seafood
  • Curry – Vegetarian
  • Desserts
  • Events
  • Featured Food and Drink
  • Featured Lifestyle
  • Featured Travel Adventures
  • Food
  • Healthy
  • Home
  • India
  • Indian
  • Kitchen
  • Lifestyle
  • London and rest of U.K
  • Meat
  • Miscellaneous
  • Product Reviews
  • Quick and Easy
  • Recipe Index
  • Rest of the World
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • Salads
  • seafood
  • Sides
  • Smoothies
  • Soups
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Featured Blogger on Great British Chefs

GBC_blogger-badge_150x300px    

Need a New Power Blender?

13076814_10154185434898293_7387808474266473605_n

Read Travelfortaste’s interview on Gourmandize UK & Ireland

 Sliceoffme interviewed by Gourmandize UK & Ireland

Travelsfortaste is Featured on Expats Blog

England expat blogs

Read Travelsfortaste reviews on Zomato

View my food journey on Zomato!
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Squaremeal.co.uk - Restaurant Reviews

About me

Writer and Photographer. Food,Travel & Lifestyle, Blogger and Digital Marketer. Read More…

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Easy Spinach and Pea Soup
  • Grenada Chocolate Festival – Festive Giveaway
  • Royal British Legion Centenary Cookbook – Cooking with Heroes
  • The Instagram Foodie Bag – Must have for all Food Photographers
  • Restaurant quality meat – Swaledale Online Butchers – a review

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT