Kutir London

Kutir is the revitalisation of the same charming Chelsea townhouse that used to be occupied by Vineet Bhatia’s Rasoi (rebranded to being called Vineet Bhatia in its latter months prior to closing). Rohit Ghai is the new owner and has done, frankly, a very nice job with it. The refurbishment is elegant and cosy at the same time. The atrium allows much light in the back area and its name of Kutir, meaning cottage in Sanskrit, seems appropriate being away from the bustle of the town. The food is clearly in an upper realm of Indian restaurants within the UK and I would be much more inclined to return here than several of the existing Michelin starred Indian restaurants based on this meal. I cannot see why this should not join this tier in the next guide, but then again the same question mark exists in my mind for Indian Accent, so you never know what Michelin are up to sometimes. A definite recommendation for Indian food and unlike any of the others in its Chelsea home-like setting.

The menu at Kutir is mainly North Indian cuisine but also showcases signature dishes from around the country. Menu prices are not vast considering the location, but it is easy to get caught up with several attractive options from under £10 which will obviously add up. For this visit, we tried the stone bass squid, scallops aubergine, truffle mushroom khichadi and I could not resist one on my favourite curries of all time, the duck korma.

The menu at Kutir is mainly North Indian cuisine but also showcases signature dishes from around the country. Menu prices are not vast considering the location, but it is easy to get caught up with several attractive options from under £10 which will obviously add up. For this visit, we tried the stone bass squid, scallops aubergine, truffle mushroom khichadi and I could not resist one on my favourite curries of all time, the duck korma.

Nibbles of breads, crackers and popadoms were the obvious nibbles, but crucially, were done well (not too oily at all) and served with very good chutneys especially the mango and pineapple spiced chutney. The tandoori cooked stone bass came with squid ink and crisps and was marinated in yoghurt, cream cheese and spices making it nice and moist. It included two little squid rings which, separately were very nice as well. The scallops were hand dived and served with aubergine frittas and puree which was pleasing, but the actual sweetness of the scallops was one of the gems of the whole meal.

Quail naan (naan bread with diced quail inside) with scrambled egg and truffle on the top was never going to fail as a combination, but it was a little tricky to eat with hands and actually qualified as a dish in itself when I was mainly after a naan to help mop up the korma. This was duly provided in the form of a plain paratha, kulcha and naan and were all fine in texture (great to have the different kinds of breads on one side plate).

The lamb was another highlight in that it almost didn’t need its supporting cumin (but was delicately handled all the same) as the quality of this lamb was super providing excellent flavour. Truffle khichadi (a form of kedgeree using lentils with rice) was rich and satisfying. The duck korma was very good to have albeit with a korma sauce that I was expecting just a little more kick or excitement from. Certainly not a negative though.

Dessert comprised of chilli chocolate banana mousse. This was heavy but pleasant, along with ginger biscuit & dehydrated banana with creme brûlée using a hard & soya chocolate to accompany along with banana fritas on toffee. This was a superb dessert and would rival a mass of desserts in any Michelin starred restaurant you care to mention and was a lovely finish to show that this ex-Jamavar head chef is still very much operating at a consistently high level and I look forward to returning when I can.

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