Is there a Michelin Indian Restaurant in London?

Question

I believe there may be a Michelin Indian restaurant in London England. If so where is it? How much is the average and is it good.

Are there any other good Indain restaurants recomended

Answer 1

I suspect the restaurant you're thinking of is Tamarind:

http://www.tamarindrestaurant.com/

For Indian restaurants and very accurate reviews try:

http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/...

Answer 2

YES AND LOTS.

Answer 3

Foghorn....for a chef you talk rubbish...Anthony Worral Thompson...a chef....c'mon.  You seem to be stuck somewhere between the mid 90's and 2000 things have moved on a bit...especially indian restaurants....Did you see

Atul Kochhar on Great British Menu...a Michelin starred Chef...didn't seem very French to me...

Answer 4

Yes there is, it's called Benares http://www.benaresrestaurant.com/

Address:

12a Berkeley Square House

Berkeley Square

London, W1J 6BS, UK

Tel. [phone]

Fax. [phone]

Other recommendations, I would say, are Veeraswamy on Regent Street, or Amaya on Motcomb Street:).

Answer 5

Hmmmmm tricky....check the michelin list.

Answer 6

You could try the Bombay Brasserie in Courtfield road SW7, The Red Fort in Frith Street and Khan's in Westbourne Grove. I don't know if they're starred but I have it on good authority that they are some of the best in London.

Good luck :-)

Answer 7

Yes I know of at least one - Benares. It is run by a chef called Atul Kulcher and was the first Indian restaurant to gain a Michelin Star. Ther are others that are of very high quality and Tamerind is one of them though I am unsure as to whether that has a Michelin Star or  not.

Have a look at this website for more info - http://www.toptable.co.uk/?lid=453

Answer 8

yes!

Answer 9

As Michelin are famous for making tyres, and as most rubber comes from the far East, I should hope that there is a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant somewhere!

To be honest, I do not know. Michelin has a tendency to promote French 'Haute Cuisine', a style of cooking that is being challenged by many established and up-and-coming chefs. Antony Worrall-Thompson, a leading British chef, put the kybosh on ever getting a Michelin star many years ago by arguing that the Michelin system was so biased towards orthodox 'Haute Cuisine' that any chef who did not cook in that manner has little chance of gaining an award. I tend to agree with him.

Indian/Pakistani/Persian cooking has a style and complexity that rivals French Haute Cuisine and introduces elements of spontaneity into the cooking equation that French cooking has never had. As a non-Asian cook who has specialised in the cooking of the Indian sub-continent, I find that I have to adjust my spicing minutely for each dish that I cook, depending upon the vagaries and quality of the meat or veg that I am cooking. The amount of liquid in which the dish will be served also varies second by second in the cooking process. Meats have to be scrutinised in depth before deciding upon the composition of the marinade - to wit, is the meat fatty, non-fatty, intermediate, old, new, young, mature. How are the potentially gelatinious strands deposited within the meat? In Kashmiri and Moghul cooking, in which garlic and onions are eschewed, these considerations are vital.

Indian/Pak/Persian restaurants vary much in quality in the UK. There are a lot of retaurants that still cook 'English curry', like the infamous Chicken Tikka Masala, that is no more Indian than Popeye. Some High Street Tandooris operate  a dual system - eat before 10pm and you will get a good meal, eat after10 pm, when the p**s-artists start to arrive from the pubs, and you may get a cook-chill Phal or Vindaloo of bog-standard quality. As I am a dedicated admirer of Indian/Pak/Persian cooking, and moreso of their restaurants, culture and service, I cannot blame them for this dichotomy in service. As Billy Connolly said "nine pints of Guiness and a vindaloo" - the nine pints are not a good recipe for the appreciation of the finer points of Asian cuisine.

There are an increasing number of Asian restaurants that are selling Asian food that is authentic. They are both priced and policed with the policy of keeping the phall-seeking pisshead out - a damned good thing, in my opinion. If Michelin cannot star these restaurants, then the Asian Caterers, or perhaps Caterer and Hotelier magazine, or the Institute of Hospitality, should create their own system of awards. Britain is becoming increasingly appreciative of Asian Cuisine, and Asian restaurants should thus be awarded the commendations that are their due. The Cuisine, and the chefs, deserve it.

EDIT

A fair point, Known'owt, inasmuch as cooking for civilian weekend warriors is not likely to put me into the Michelin orbit, and, as I am about the same age as you, my chances of getting such an award are on the minus side of nil. Worrall-Thompson made his critique of Michelin, as you rightly say, between 1990 and 2000, but I take my toque off to him - it is a daring move for an up and coming chef, as AWT was in those days, to risk his future by being outspoken against the major pillar of the cooking establishment.

If Michelin have moved on, and are starring Asian restaurants, then I make my humblest apologies - Michelin stars are not likely to be granted to chefs at my level of the craft, even though we work oor pine-nuts off to provide pesto to the petulant.

I've added you to my contacts list. I may not agree with you, but I do like people who speak their minds. If you are ever in the area between Felixstowe and Walton on the Naze, I'll invite you to dinner at my place, and you can judge whether I cook rubbish as well as speak it.