Gordon Ramsay Restaurant wasn't the only Michelin restaurant we had visited while we were in London. Quilon Restaurant which specializes in authentic Indian cuisine was also a place that we had decided to visit while we were in London. This restaurant is located near Buckingham Palace which makes it very easy for one to get to.
Although we did not have reservations to this restaurant, they were able to offer us a table for the four of us. Once inside, there is a bar to the left of the restaurant, a larger party room in the back and individual tables on the right. We were greeted by not one but two servers who took the time to explain to us everything on the menu. Since we were not familiar with Indian food, we actually had the waiter pick out some of their best dishes for us. The waiter decided we should go with the Manglorean Chicken, Prawn Masala, Fish Curry, Mamabar Paratha and Chickpeas Masala and Crispy Okra.
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| Complimentary Popadoms |
Prior to the arrival of our entrees, we were given some complimentary popadoms as appetizers. There were three dips to choose from. I am not entirely sure what the first two were but the last one was definitely a hot jalapeno dip. The popadoms were fresh and crispy and were a great appetizer to start off with.
Before the food arrived, we were given 4 fresh pieces of Mamabar Paratha. These pieces of bread were very thin and delicate yet they were strong enough to hold its own. Dipped into the curry that was brought before us, the bread and the curry would melt so nicely in one's mouth. Truthfully, even without the curry, the bread alone was mouth watering and smelled as if it had come straight out of the oven.
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| Mangalorean Chicken |
The four dishes all arrived more or less the same time. The Manglorean Chicken was immersed in a red colored curry. The chicken meat despite being in the pot was very soft, not over cooked and was able to absorb all the curry sauce in its meat. The chicken was absolutely tasty and the curry was one of the best curries I have ever tasted. The curry itself was mildly spicy which was perfect as to not to numb one's tongue completely so that one can enjoy the tastes of the rest of their meal.
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| Fish Curry |
Next I tried the fish curry and this too was pretty good. There were 4 pieces of fish inside the curry. The curry was lighter and more orangy than the Mongalorean Chicken curry which I assume was because they used some sort of a mango based sauce. Again, like the previous curry, it was not all that spicy but just mildly spicy enough that one could enjoy the beautiful creation of this curry.
The Chickpeas Masala was a little beany and starchy if there were words to describe it. Taste wise the chickpeas were very good. I found the chickpeas to be a little starchy and sticky for the throat but again this could be just me. No one else at the table had any problems with it so I will leave it at that. If you are a fan of chickpeas then this is a probably a very good dish for one to have.
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| Chickpeas Masala |
The Crispy Okra was pretty good however having had this dish in Toronto before, I would say it was comparable to the ones served here in Toronto. The okras were lightly breaded and although it looked spicy on appearance, the dish was hardly spicy at all.
The Prawn Masala (not shown in photos) was the last thing I tried and it was probably best that I did. It was probably the most spiciest of the dishes that we had ordered that night One recommendation is that by eating this last, the unfortunate part was that the shrimp had cooled down a little bit so if you can, make sure you eat this first however be prepared to be a little bit numb in the tongue afterwards as there is a slight kick of spiciness to it. Still it was very good, the shrimp was fresh and tender and the dish was well worth the price.
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| Crispy Okra |
I would have to say the curries were what set this place apart from all other Indian restaurants that I have been to. The aroma of the curries were undeniably incredible and the curries were mouth savoring , so much so that we actually ordered two extra bowls of white rice just so that we could finish every last drop of the curries. The only disappointment of the night and the only reason why this author is choosing to take a quarter point off from the final tally was that they had run out of the Baked Black Cod which was their signature dish here at this restaurant. You may wonder why but in our case the waiter had recommended and offered it to us and even mentioned that this was the one dish that one must have when people came to their restaurant however we were given the disappointing news soon afterwards in that they had run out of stock. Other wise everything else was stellar here and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves good authentic Indian food. Price wise it was fairly reasonable with the final tally roughly about thirty-five dollars CDN per person. If I go back to London in the future, I will certainly seek this restaurant out again and hopefully have their Baked Black Cod. Overall I would give this place a 4.75 out of 5.
Quilon Michelin Star Restaurant
41 Buckingham Gate
London England
SW1E 8AF
+44 (0) 20 7821 1899
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