The Cinnamon Club
Maybe it’s just me, but when I heard about the Cinnamon Club I had visions of one of the many London Clubs that exist in our fair capital or a secret society like the ‘Riot Club’, rather than a fine dining Indian restaurant serving high quality dishes a stones throw from the Houses of Parliament, but a fine dining restaurant it is. The Cinnamon Club is the venture of Iqbal Wahab and executive chef Vivek Singh, with a vision to bring sophisticated Indian food to London.
The Cinnamon Club is conveniently located near to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster tube station, (although when I visited I didn’t see any politicians of any party or lobbyists, but I am sure this is a favourite), on the site of the old Westminster library. Be warned, if you are not eagle eyed as you will almost certainly miss the entrance, as the only external evidence of the pleasures to come was a small plaque by the door.
The red bricked exterior bristling with Victoriana gives way to a compact entrance hall where you choose to go downstairs to the contemporary bar, or right into the main library, sorry dining room! The bar is a real contrast to the Grade II listed building and is minimalistic whilst boosting a unique glass projection screen which runs the whole length of the back wall, and it is here you can relax sipping a Lychee Bellini or Dehli Mule, setting the scene for the main course in the main restaurant above. Despite the lure of the bar, my companion and I decided to go to our table and on entering the main dining room I was struck by the light and airy feel. With its high ceilings, parquet floors and the high brown leather seating around the edges, this could have come straight from an English club in India in the 1920’s, although there is still a slight hint of library as the upper balcony is lined with books, and I suspect it was this that encouraged me to whisper and look behind me for the strict librarian to tell me to 'shush'.
Indian cuisine encompasses a wide variety of regional cuisines which vary significantly given the range of diversity in soil type, climate and the availability of the locally available spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits, and the Cinnamon Club chefs use all their expertise to take the best of all, even if it is in the heart of London rather than the best part of four thousand miles away.
If you hadn't realised by now that this is not your usual Indian restaurant, a quick glance at the menu will convince you. Here there are no onion bahjis or chicken tikka for your appetisers, instead your taste buds are treated to the perfectly spiced Bombay style vegetables with cumin pao pickled red onion (£8), or Green spiced Norfolk free ranged chicken breast with tandoori chicken rillettes (£9.50), or my personal favourite, and the stand out dish on the whole menu, is the Spice Crusted Kentish Lamb Fillet with smoked paprika raita and coriander chutney (£10). The lamb is exquisite and literally melts in your mouth and the lightly spiced raita provides the perfect foil.
The main courses continue the ‘around India theme’ with the Goan Sorpotel of Iberico pork presa with Goan spiced pork dumplings (£35), which was accompanied not by the usual sanna (a spongy white and slightly sweet steamed rice and coconut bread), but a steamed wine rice cake which had a similar texture, although the pork was cooked to perfection, the vinegar taste was a little too overpowering for this critic's taste buds, so be warned. Other dishes worthy of noting are the Spice Crusted Halibut with tomato tamarind sauce, ginger jaggery pickle (£25) where the tamarind provided just enough sweet-sour tang to the dense and firm texture of the halibut, and the Tandoori Wild Spencer Gulf King Prawns with malai curry sauce, dried shrimp rice (£20). All of these were accompanied by Pilau rice (£3), and a selection of breads (£7.50), which includes naan, paratha and roti.
What I also like about Indian food is that it caters well for the vegetarian and The Cinnamon Club doesn’t disappoint here. A pan seared aubergine steak (£16) or the tandoori paneer with padron pepper and root vegetables (£17), were innovative and certainly not afterthoughts like many vegetarian dishes seem to be.
Dessert is also a treat, and we selected the Gulab jamun and passion fruit tart with lime and mint sorbet (£7.50), and the Original Beans milk chocolate and pecan nut pudding, bitter chocolate mousse and thandai ice cream (£9.00), both fine ends to a lovely meal.
The wine list is extensive and will cater for all tastes and pockets, and is cleverly chosen to truly accompany the delicate flavours of the food, but there is also a wide variety of beers for those who prefer. The Cinnamon Club has already passed its tenth year in London, and that is true testament to the quality of the food and service, which ensures that it continues to be a firm favourite with diners after all this time. Another reason is that the menu continues to change and evolve which keeps the restaurant's dishes fresh and contemporary, as it continues to use the freshest ingredients available season by season.
The Cinnamon Club 30-32 Great Smith Street, London, SW1P 3BU
Telephone: 020 7222 2555