64 Parkway,
Camden,
London,
NW1 7AH
(020) 7485 5977
The ViewLondon Review
This unassuming little restaurant on Parkway bridges the gap between a good curry house and the Michelin finesse of somewhere like Benares - and it doesn't charge the earth to do so.
The Venue
Halfway between Camden Town and Regent’s Park, this offshoot of the popular Salaam Namaste over by Russell Square offers something a little more refined than your average Indian; a refinement that’s reflected as much in its looks as it is by the food. It’s certainly pretty sleek, with swooping lightshades, a few red leather booths, a splash or two of cream and – come night time – some soft neon lighting just about quiet enough to avoid veering into the gaudy. Pride of place goes to a grill that hugs one wall, where some very accomplished hands fill the restaurant with painfully appetising scents of spice and sizzle.
The Atmosphere
Such is the restaurant’s reputation you can expect it to be nice and busy and bustling, but even when it’s quiet earlier in the week it’s still perfectly pleasant, even if you’ll probably be met with service so keen that it borders on appearing a tad paranoid. It’s obviously well-meaning though, and you’ll certainly be looked after a lot better than other venues less interested in repeat custom. Your fellow diners are likely to be a mixed bunch - especially as it straddles Primrose Hill and Camden – but at least you’ll know they should all have some modicum of taste, as the food here really is good.
The Food
Given the relatively impressive prices, the hands in the kitchen and on the grill are dab indeed, with an admirable ability to marry finesse with the big and bold flavours of Indian and Pakistani cuisine. Pretty much everything is presented beautifully too, so expect delicate dishes, even when there’s more than a mere smear of sauce.
An a la carte option is available, with starters rarely bobbing above the £5 mark and mains only really veering toward the pricey when lobster is involved; everything else is around a tenner, more or less. If you’re struggling to make your mind up (which might be understandable) opt for the tasting menu, served at a very reasonable £24 without wine, £34 with.
On this menu, pan seared scallops kick things off pretty well, with spot-on cooking and a charred tomato salsa boasting a lovely smokiness that works really well with the sweetness of the three big and bouncy scallops. A tandoori Portobello mushroom is even better, filled with a rich combination of figs, cashew nuts, raisins, chilli and cheese, with a curry leaf dressing bringing it all together.
Coriander lime chicken tikka is comparatively dull (even if the cooking is impeccable) and a Rajasthan laal maas (lamb with roasted red chillis) isn’t as hot as perhaps it should be, but even if both were perfect they would probably pale into insignificance when compared to the quite brilliant Goan sea bass. The generous stack of sliced fish is fried to perfection, with flaking flesh held in place by thin, crisp edges. The fish itself is incredibly sweet, and perfectly offset by an ever-so-slightly-sour coconut, mustard seed and curry leaf sauce - it really is a very god dish indeed. Unfortunately it’s so good that it renders the passion fruit cheesecake and a faithful rasmala entirely forgettable, which is a shame as both are perfectly fine.
The Drink
If you do choose to match the wines with your food then they will, for the most part, work relatively well, but you might be best served by ordering a bottle from a decent, international wine list that isn’t afraid to do something a little different - in this case recognising the burgeoning wineries of Lebanon. And the prices certainly allow for experimentation, starting with a cheap and cheerful but perfectly reasonable Malbec at £13.50, and rising through plenty of affordable alternatives up to a suspiciously inexpensive premier cru Chablis at £32.50. A Chateauneuf du Pape tops the whites at £42.50 but if you really want to splash out then there are a few bubblies, including a 2000 Dom Perignon at a cool £175.
The Last Word
A very good restaurant that occasionally hits some very impressive heights, Namaaste Kitchen is the kind of venue other restaurants of this ilk should aspire to.
Namaaste Kitchen has been reviewed by 9 users