A recent trip to London, and a meal at Trishna. This is the sister restaurant to Gymkhana, and holds one star.
The atmosphere was very lovely, fairly compact dining room. It was a Friday night, and it felt like any Friday in an Indian restaurant in the UK.
I opted for their 5 course tasting menu at £120, they also do a 4 course and a la carte. Both tasting menus give you options per course, and seemed to have different courses on each.
Poppadoms and trio of chutneys
The first was a shrimp chutney, something I'd not had before. Briney, full flavoured and slightly spicy
The one in the middle was very herbal and fresh, with a whopping chilli kick at the end, really got the taste buds going
The end one is a classic mango chutney, but a really good one. Not just sweet and jammy as some can be, this had depth and also a hint of spice
Course 1
Coconut scallops, vermicelli, coconut chutney, squid ink tuile
Beautiful plump sweet scallops, not overshadowed by the spice. The noodles had a heat that built, and the chutney completed both well
Course 2
Tandoori venison, venison chutney, venison bonda
A nice piece of venison, well cooked and nicely spiced. Chutney was interesting and cut through the rich meat. Bonda was a nice addition, along with a vibrant green sauce
Course 3
Tandoori lamb chop, mustard mooli pickle
Inch thick lamb chop, great tandoori flavour, with a good char yet still pink tender and juicy. The mooli added a nice texture and cut through the richness. One of the best lamb chops I've had, a standout dish
Course 4
Dorset crab curry, basmati rice, garlic and herb naan, bean thoran, Dal panchmel
The Dal and thoran were good examples, well made and balanced. Rice and bread were fairly standard, albeit the naan was well flavoured.
The crab curry was devine. Sweet crab, plenty of texture still from the crab meat, creamy sweet spiced sauce, built and built without overshadowing the crab at all. What a dish, another of the standouts for me.
Course 5
Alphonso Mango Malai
Perfect dish to end on. Mango lassi sauce calmed the palate, sweet juicy mango thought. A top tier dessert
Petit fours
Rose and coconut
Chocolate truffle
Two nice petit fours to round off the meal, delicate flavour in both
This was interesting to compare to my only other Michelin Indian experience, Opheem in Birmingham. Trishna is very much more a traditional UK curry experience, elevated to a high level. All of the dishes were good, I was expecting more from the rice and bread.
by TheYorkshireSaint