15-17 Blandford Street,
London,
W1U 3DG
(020) 7935 5624
The ViewLondon Review
Mumbai’s top seafood restaurant has finally arrived in London, bringing modern Indian dining to Marylebone Village.
The Venue
Thousands of miles from its original shores of Mumbai, Trishna opens its doors in Marylebone Village. Situated just off the High Street, the grey, double-fronted exterior is understated and stylish. Inside, the dining area is split into two separate rooms joined by a small bar at the rear offering a more intimate dining experience. The newly painted decor of white-washed open-brick walls and duck egg blue wooden slats give the place an almost rustic, Cornish feel. The stylish light wood furniture and hanging brass lowlights brings it bang up to date in a simple and again, understated fashion.
The Atmosphere
Thanks to its reputation Trishna already has a healthy fan base already. The upmarket clientele is mainly posh foodies and local businessmen keen to show off. Expect the restaurant to be fully booked with a rash of disappointed onlookers looking gloomily through the windows. The staff are friendly and enthusiastic, running the floor efficiently despite the crowd. Chilled out house music can just be heard above the rumble of posh chatter, adding to the modern and ever so slightly hip air of the place.
The Food
Being modern Indian cuisine, the menu leans towards a more tapas-style approach, where you order dishes from each section to share. The menu is divided into pakora, charcoal grill, Trishna dishes and vegetarian with no more than a handful of choices in each. The Isle of Wight plaice (£8) with mushy peas isn’t a dish you would find in the Mumbai restaurant, but Trishna’s coastal seasoning brings this typically English fish to life. The spiced up mushy peas are fresh and zingy and match the light, white fish perfectly. The squid (£7) is equally as tasty, cooked in a light tempura-style rice batter with rings of fresh chilli and lime zest. From the charcoal grill, the diver-caught scallops (£10.50) are again, fresh and fantastic. Huge fat, marshmallow-like discs are perfectly cooked with a light garlic and green chilli oil. The lamb chops (£10.50) served with mustard seed and mooli (an Asian radish) are an absolute must-order. These tender chops of baby lamb, coated in a ginger and Kashmiri chilli marinade, are mild in spice but burst with real tandoor flavour.
The Trishna section offers Londoners some of its Mumbai favourites including the fabulous brown crab with butter, pepper and garlic (£17.50). Fresh from our Cornish shores rather than the Bay of Bengal, a whole crab arrives on a large white dish, part-shelled in a buttery garlic and pepper sauce. This heavenly dish is best accompanied by an Indian bread basket (£4.50), a bamboo steamer filled with mini naan breads are soft, light and perfect for mopping up the crabby butter. Another Trishna speciality is the Isle of Shuna mussels in a coconut and turmeric masala (£10), which is a crock of large, fat-lipped mussels in a creamy yellow soup is almost Thai-like in flavour. A bowl of peas, beans and spinach (£6) is another Trishna signature dish to definitely try, tiny petit pois with baby leaf spinach and lightly spiced beans are generous and flavoursome.
There is limited dessert menu, £5.50 each, including a choice of homemade ice creams in shades only Farrow and Ball could mix. The pistachio is nutty and almost salty in parts, and the dreamy toffee and crunchy peanut are both excellent examples. The carrot cake is also worth saving room for, a warm mound of what seems to be very moist grated carrot, is flavoured with cardoman and sweet spices and served with pistachio ice cream.
The Drink
As beer is generally omnipresent in the majority of Indian dining establishments in the UK, Trishna embraces this by offering rare Indian brews as well as the more exclusive European examples. The wine list has been sensibly compiled by Leo Kiem and complements the highly flavoured food perfectly. There are wines on offer from niche vineyards in both Europe and the New World and around the £25 to £40 mark you can get some excellent examples. For true fans there are a couple of Indian grapes on offer at a very reasonable £17.50 a bottle. The house sauvignon from Touraine (£19.50) is light and fragrant and a perfect match for Indian food. Champagne also works well with spicy food and Trishna offer a short selection by the glass and bottle.
The Last Word
At last London gets a chance to taste some of Mumbai’s finest seafood. Trishna offers fantastic food and sparkling service in a genial yet upmarket atmosphere. Recommended.
Trishna London has been reviewed by 4 users