Chakra – Rising to the Challenge

We had been looking forward to the long Bank Holiday weekend in London for a while, and in particular eating at Chakra and the Indian YMCA in Fitzroy Square (to experience both ends of the market).  Sadly we found the Indian YMCA closed for lunch when we arrived without much hint of an apology despite explicit opening times on their website.

Chakra has a considerable pedigree run by the Vama brothers, Andy and Arjun, who previously owned the award-winning Vama in Chelsea. It is beginning to be regarded as a competitor to other well-known and established Indian restaurants in the capital including Tamarind and Benares.  Since opening on Notting Hill Gate Road it has attracted a considerable following it seems and earlier this year won the Best Restaurant award at the Asian Business Awards.

The restaurant is located close to Notting Hill Gate station and at the end of a row of local shops. It’s an area I’ve enjoyed visiting occasionally with Jamie Oliver’s Recipease nearby.  We got a warm welcome in the middle of the evening and seated immediately in plush beige leather seats and with chandeliers above us.  The restaurant is designed to replicate in food and style Moghul palaces of Lucknow, whose food is beginning to get some interest in the West.  Notably one of the Rick Stein’s India programmes was from Lucknow.

Over course of the evening the restaurant filled up with couples, and Indian families, who were probably local.  There were, we thought, a number of people from India.  Almost as soon as we sat down, and while we were perusing the menu, our first amuse bouche - a well-spiced potato cake - arrived.  Menus are always problematic for us as we have several favourites but we are also keen to try new dishes.  After ordering our food a well-presented plate of poppadoms arrived together with dips and relishes.

Although the garlic scallops were tempting for starters, I chose the ajwaini machli - strips of battered tilapia accompanied by a tomato / mayonnaise sauce with a hint of chilli.  I struggled to finish the plate - the portion too big really for a starter -  trying to save myself for the rest of the dinner.  True to form and with respect to her vegetarian past Sue chose the yam chaat - sweet potatoes with chaat, lemon, cumin and tamarind. It was an interesting restaurant variation on familiar Indian street food flavours.  The portion again was probably too large and Sue felt it could have been halved.

For her main Sue chose the Kerala prawn curry together with saag paneer, one of her and my favourite dishes.  Sue was excited when the saag paneer arrived, hoping for a rival to the saag paneer she had in Delhi (see our blog here).  While the creaminess and texture were promising, Sue felt it probably lacked the subtlety of spicing and flavour of the dish at the Hyatt with slightly too much chilli to allow the other spices to come through.  The prawn curry was decent with well cooked prawns.  My main was the dahi gohst masala - a well spiced lamb curry.  Our mains were accompanied by very well cooked rice (light and fluffy), roti and naan. In addition the raita, which is a must for me to offset hot curries, was probably the best I’ve ever had, decked with jewels of pomegranate, tomato and cucumber.

In other circumstances we would probably have enjoyed our desserts but after filling initial course and another amuse bouche of a sorbet, we were full.  The total bill with wine would have been c£120.

Overall we felt the experience to be of high quality and in some respects matching the more established upmarket Indian restaurants in London. The atmosphere was relaxing with good service and attentiveness.  We felt, however, that the food lacked the subtlety, nuances and depths that we have come to expect from some of its rivals.  Presentation was good, but could be refined.  We learnt that Chakra is due to launch a new menu later in the year and this might be the opportunity to put itself in the top tier of Indian London.

We dined as complimentary guests of the restaurant. We pride ourselves, however, always on the independence of our reviews.