Tamarind Kitchen is an upmarket Indian restaurant in Soho, which has a parent restaurant with a Michelin star (Tamarind in Mayfair), though I didn’t know that when we walked up to the door; nor did I realise it had only opened a few months back. It’s spread over two levels, with the downstairs being a fairly dark cellar which doubles as a cocktail bar. 

Cellar, Tamarind Kitchen, Soho

That darkness is the reason most of my pics are rubbish, I’m afraid. Anyway, you might not be able to tell, but it is a nice place, despite a few curry cliches (maybe because of, as I quite enjoy a cheesy decor). The staff were really good, though the food and the drinks took a little while to arrive.

Poppadums, Tamarind Kitchen, Soho

Poppadums aren’t normally worth mentioning but these came with a tasty tomato and garlic sauce, a really odd mint and tamarind sauce which I am still not sure if I loved or didn’t, and a good mango chutney.

Chicken, Tamarind Kitchen, Soho

Fiancée had the mint sauce, plus a corn chutney, with her starter trio of chicken – the three being chilli, cheese, and slightly sweet pickle. Her favourite was the cheese, which she said was rich and creamy with a hint of spice.

Patties, Tamarind Kitchen, Soho

I went for the rajma tikki, which were fried red kidney bean patties served with a pineapple chutney. The latter was a very good mix of sweet and sour; I enjoyed the patties but have made better myself. 

Chana, Tamarind Kitchen, Soho

For the main I had chosen another dish similar to one I like to make; here called pindi chana, it is chick peas in a tomato curry. They did this one better than me though! It tasted of ginger and cardamom, and was very good. 

Prawns, Tamarind Kitchen, Soho

The malabar prawns were also at a similar level, according to fiancée – buttery and savoury with a bit of a kick.

Naans, Tamarind Kitchen, Soho

Cheese naan had a lot of cheese and was pretty good; truffle naan was a bit disappointing as although the texture was light, it had virtually no flavour.

Mango drink, Tamarind Kitchen, Soho

Our drinks were also good enough to be worth highlighting: mango mirchi was a vodka and lime with chilli and mango, which narrowly beat the tamarind reserve, which was like a dark and stormy with added tang. At the end of the meal, they brought some petit fours: a tasty mint chocolate shell with whipped cream and a nice fruit jelly.

Sweets, Tamarind Kitchen, Soho

At £80 for two, it isn’t cheap for what were quite small dishes, but it isn’t too extravagant either. Definitely worth a go if you enjoy Indian food and are in the Soho area.
Address: 167 Wardour Street, London W1F8WR

Telephone: 02072874243

Website: http://tamarindkitchen.co.uk