The horribly retro décor of this Michelin-starred spot in Westminster has been replaced with something a little more swish - and a little more suited to the restaurant’s contemporary take on south-west Indian cuisine.

The Venue
The faded mural, the wicker chairs and the dated ‘80s look that used to beset this place are thankfully no more, gone in favour of a simple but reassuringly modern refurb restrained enough to let the food do the talking. A sleek little bar leads up a couple of steps into a moodily lit dining area, with various shades of tan working well with immaculate napery, an undulating corrugated ceiling and some impressive decorative columns playing host to a few fake fossils in geometric circles. The décor offers a definite nod to the kind of restaurant you might find on the Malabar coast, but the hints are hidden enough to leave you under no illusions that this is anything other than a very modern, very London fine dining restaurant.

The Atmosphere
The new design certainly adds a certain gravitas, with the restaurant previously having to rely wholly on the food to raise it above the average curry house. The slick new look seems to bring with it some slick new diners, with a few sharp suits, skinny ladies quaffing bottles of bubbly and more than a few daters with pounds in their pockets. Staff are perfectly pleasant and seem to know their stuff as they work their way around a room that welcomes the well-to-do in their droves, even early in the week.

The Food
With Michelin having doffed their beret and pinned a star to Quilon’s lapel for the fifth year running, it’s clear that chef Sriram Aylur knows how to bring delicacy to what can be an unrefined cuisine. The seafood options are particularly good and showcase the menu’s lean toward lighter dishes, of which a salad of pink grapefruit, roasted beetroot, patty pan and salad leaves in a goji berry and honey dressing is a good example. There’s obvious sophistication throughout, even if some dishes don’t quite reach the mark you might expect from somewhere given the thumbs up from those folks at Michelin.

The best way to experience the range of the menu is to go for a surprisingly reasonable tasting menu (£42.50) that kicks off with a very impressive drumstick and lentil galette that sounds a lot heavier than it is, with a side of coriander chutney offering a well-judged dose of sweet, almost floral spice. Tilapia, which can be a bland bit of fish, is brilliant here, marinated in a variety of spices before being given the perfect fresh herb crust thanks to some expert handling in the kitchen. A drizzle of mustard sauce offers a very complementary bit of acidity to complete a really very good dish indeed.

Grilled tiger prawn is well charred and perfectly cooked, but the red onion and mango relish with which it is served does threaten to overpower the delicate sweetness of the big and juicy prawn. The coriander chicken has obviously been well marinated, and is cooked perfectly on a skillet for almost unfeasibly soft and tender cubes that taste perfectly fine without wowing, or showing the kind of deftness that peppers much of the menu so impressively. The Malabar paratha served on the side is superb though, with hints of crisp and the perfect suggestion of sweetness from a finish on the skillet with plenty of ghee.

The lamb biryani is full of fragrance and home to some very soft bits of lamb but again, it feels more like a solid representation of a classic dish rather than anything to get too excited about. Similarly, a little salad of flat and broad bean with split peas tossed in spiced tomato onion masala is very nice, but little else. Surprisingly, perhaps, dessert is excellent, with a traditional Goan bibinca (light and sweet with hints of coconut and nutmeg) served alongside some very good homemade vanilla ice cream.

The Drink
With a wine list compiled by Master of Wine, Peter McCombie, it’s obvious Quilon takes its wine every bit as seriously as its food. Everything’s pretty well categorised but many of the selections offer plenty of versatility, so you shouldn’t miss the mark too far but if you’re worried, staff seem happy to recommend. There’s plenty of variety, and although there aren’t too many inexpensive options there’s a raft available in the 20s and 30s, with a fair few available by the glass. Whites are perhaps the best way to go, given the slant of the menu, with an excellent example of a Gavi di Gavi from La Giustiniana (£39) a definite winner, and worth every penny. If you’re after something similarly fresh and fragrant then a 2010 Elephant Hill Viognier from New Zealand (£42) is a good shout but you’ll also be well catered for if you fancy something more elegant, with a Louis Latour Chablis representing decent value at £41.

The Last Word
Its Michelin star brings with it certain expectations, even if faith in the rating is waning for many. And despite the odd underwhelming dish Quilon meets those expectations with ease, and doesn’t charge through the nose to do so.

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