Tamarind: Posh Indian Food In Mayfair

Whilst we were in London, I was on a mission to try Indian food. Alongside fish and chips, chicken tikka masala has become a British staple and to be honest, I've always enjoyed the Indian food that I have sampled in England.

Before our trip, I had done some research and made note of some places that I wanted to try. Whilst we were in London, we asked friends for suggestions. The choice was hard, but we decided to try "Tamarind" in Mayfair. This uber posh Indian restaurant was the first to receive a Michelin star for Indian cuisine. With a reputation like that, it has to be fantastic…right? 

The dining room

When we arrived, the seating hostess was very cheerful and led us downstairs, to the dining room. The decor was pretty smart, a little dark, but quite nice. As soon as we were seated, we received papadams and a selection of sauces and chutney.  We also ordered a selection of cocktails. All of them were tasty and pretty unique/exotic. 

The menu was very interesting. I'll admit, I am not a connoisseur of Indian cuisine to begin with, but I have a sense of what I like and don't like. When I decided I wanted to have Indian food in London, I was hoping for some samosas, onion bhajis, and several curries to share. (My apologies to those of you who are familiar with Indian cuisine and may find my choices juvenile). Like I said, I don't know a lot, but I'm always eager to try new things. That said, I thought the menu at Tamarind was a bit too posh for my taste.

We started the meal with an order of the "Gilafi Reshmi" (skewered kabob of ground chicken, with ginger, green chillies, cheese, spices, and mixed peppers) and the "seafood salad." I wasn't too impressed with the seafood salad, in fact I was underwhelmed, but I enjoyed the Gilafi Reshmi. It was very flavorful and the meat didn't totally disintegrate when you bit into it.

For dinner, we shared a couple curries and a side of naan. We decided to try the "Murgh Makhni" (chicken tikka, fresh tomato sauce with fresh ginger and dried fenugreek leaves), the "Hyderabadi Shank" (slow cooked lamb shank with turmeric, yoghurt, and freshly ground spices), and the "Bhindi do pyoza" (okra tossed with ginger, red onions, cumin, and coriander). Everything was delicious! Good choices all around.

We ended the meal with various desserts. "Strawberry, cream, and meringue", "shrikhand" (Hung yogurt, passion fruit gel, Indian mango, papaya, and khaja puri), and "Gajjar Halwa" (carrot fudge with raisins, heritage carrot cake, and vanilla ice-cream). I was particularly pleased with the Gajjar Halwa. It was essentially carrot cake and it had just the right amount of sweetness. Yum!

Extra goodies

I want to say that we had a fabulous time at Tamarind, and try to focus on the positives of the restaurant, but on this occasion, I have to speak up. The food was fantastic, I have no criticisms there. Tamarind certainly deserves it's Michelin stars and it seems to be doing a good job living up to the reputation. My beef with Tamarind lies with the front of house. 

When we were seated at the table, we were blatantly ignored by staff for nearly 15 minutes. No matter how much I waved or tried to get someone's attention, I was ignored --- and the restaurant wasn't even THAT busy. Furthermore, when someone finally DID come to the table, they were incredibly rude and terse with us. I found him incredibly patronizing and he spoke to us rather resentfully. His attitude screamed, "How dare you talk to me and waste my time." Well, I have two words for that kind of behavior… This individual's attitude really put a damper on the mood and our Tamarind experience.

Finally, I thought the meal was a little overpriced. Again, I get it, the place is Michelin starred and the food was excellent, but it cost nearly $500! Ridiculous. We order about that much food + drinks (if not more) in Manhattan, and it costs us half that price. We were totally shocked by how much we were being charged. Funny, when it came time to pay, that rude individual who gave us attitude in the beginning wasn't quite as unpleasant, but he struck me as a bit smug --- which only annoyed me more.

Overall, I don't think I'll be going back to Tamarind, which is a shame since the food wasn't terrible. For me, I am deterred by the exorbitant prices and the less that friendly and attentive front of house. I guess I should be a bit more fair in my judgement. It wasn't the whole front of house, but one of the manager types who circled the dining room --- they are the main offender. 

Dine at Tamarind only if you have A LOT of money to spend and you don't mind being ignored.