Ryanair Shortlists Tamarai for Glamorous Night Out in London

Ryanair Shortlists Tamarai for Glamorous Night Out

Not many restaurants in London that double as a late night bar, club, gallery and screening room give priority to the food – but this fashionably beautiful party venue in London is an exception. We are blown away by the vivacious flavours of the pan – Asian dishes, like sweet chill lotus root with coriander and chives, and baby rice cakes with cashew nuts and spices. The bar is also renovated for its wine and cocktail list and DJ and VJ sets.

167 Drury Lane, Tel +44(0)207831 9399, www.tamarai.co.uk

Sitaaray Best Indian Restaurants in London

London has a been quite a haven for food lovers with a plethora of restaurants serving Indian cuisine. Amongst them is Sitaaray at London’s theatre land Covent garden.The prestigious London Restaurant Awards 2008  recognised Sitaaray – India’s Grill amongst the top 6 London restaurants in the Evening Standard ’60 Under £60’ Award.

Sitaaray (meaning stars in Hindi) is an authentic North Indian Grill set against a stunning cinematic background celebrating 75 years of Indian cinema. An interesting concept combines the two greatest Indian exports – its cinema and its cuisine to create an unforgettable dining experience.

It serves a wide selection of grills and North Indian dishes. A frequently changing menu offers a wide choice of lesser-known meat, fish and vegetarian kababs, some of which are rarely ever served in the UK. An unlimited, all you can eat menu priced at £22.95 per person for dinner includes nine different kababs, three curries and breads all brought hot to the table. Lunch and pre/post theatre meals are priced between £14.50 and £16.50.

Sitaaray, 167 Drury Lane, London WC2, Tel. 020 7269 6422 www.sitaaray.com

Chor Bizarre Indian Restaurant in London

Located on Albemarle Street, opposite Browns Hotel, Chor Bizarre – India’s Restaurant encapsulates the spirit of the Chor Bazaar or ‘thieves market’ and is dedicated to serving authentic Indian cuisine in a unique atmosphere. The head chef Manpreet Singh Ahuja, has collated a unique collection of recipes from different parts of India for his new menu. Amongst the variety of cuisines from which the menu draws, a unique one for London restaurants is Kashmiri. Chor Bizarre is the only restaurant outside the Kashmir Valley that has access to the secrets of the ‘Wazwan’ – the legendary ceremonial feast of 36 courses.

Chef Manpreet’s new dishes showcase the abundance of flavours present in different regions of India. Acclaimed wine expert Charles Metcalfe has worked with Manpreet to produce at least two wine suggestions for each dish, allowing diners to experiment and find something that suits their own taste. All of the wines list suggested for food pairings are available by the glass.

Chor Bizarre, 16 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London W1S4HW, Tel. 020 7629 9802, www.chorbizarre.com

New summer menu and wine list for 2009 in London

March 2009 saw the launch of chef Manish Mehrotra’s new summer menu along with renowned wine consultant Charles Metcalfe’s first wine list for the glamorous pan Asian restaurant in Covent Garden. Both menu and wine list demonstrate how thoughtfully Tamarai, which opened in September 2006, continues to innovate. It is this creativity combined with a determination to meet challenging economic circumstances head-on which keep the bar and restaurant buzzing with guests.

“The new Tamarai list spans the globe, from the heart of classical Europe to the further fringes of the New World with grapes from Albariño to Zinfandel. The wines have been chosen to partner chef Manish’s creative menu of pan-Asian dishes, with an eye to current economic circumstances as well. So there are more crisp aromatic whites than blockbuster reds, and plenty of reasonably-priced wines to help guests enjoy their evening without worrying too much about the financial aftermath. And if they want to celebrate, we’ve plenty of excellent champagnes (don’t ignore the pink English fizz either!)” says Charles Metcalfe.

Tamarai’s summer 2009 menu introduces new dishes such as a tangy mango and green papaya salad with banana blossom and pandana dressing as well as dishes which have been created for recently opened sibling restaurant Indian Accent. Masala morels with water chestnuts and herb lemon rice will appear on Manish Mehrotra’s menus for both restaurants. At the same time the Tamarai menu retains the dishes which Chef Manish considers to be all time favourites such as sweet chilli lotus root, with chives and fresh coriander. Chef Manish has always made sure that his pan-Asian menus contain a wealth of vegetarian dishes and his summer 2009 selection is no exception.

Not to be overlooked, the Tamarai bar is one of the stand-out bars in London. Fun and fabulous, its cocktails are exceptional. And it’s not just their press agent that says so either – Tamarai currently reigns as the UK’s Best Late Night Bar (Theme Bar Awards 2008). In celebration of the opening of New Delhi sibling Indian Accent, Tamarai’s head barman has been exercising his creative muscles too, creating a sweet and warmly spiced new cocktail – the Tamarai Elettaria – redolent with cardamom and topped with champagne.

Coming for summer 2009 in London

• Tamarai’s chef’s tasting menu with 9 exquisite dishes by chef Manish and 5 half glasses of wine expertly matched by Charles Metcalfe. Cost £69 (without wine £52.00 per head)
• A calendar of wine & food dinners hosted by Charles Metcalfe

Chef Manish & Charles Metcalfe’s latest endeavour is Indian Accent, the new restaurant at The Manor hotel in New Delhi, India. The overwhelming response from the press following its opening at the beginning of March has tempted Rohit Khattar of Old World Hospitality to kick off a search for the perfect location for an Indian Accent in London.

Here is Indian food like never before… when executed with supple and nimble mastery – magic happens and it is happening here. I find that course after course chef Mehrotra coaxes the most amazing flavours out of vegetables, cooks meats unerringly and pairs them with intuitive brilliance. And serves them with flair… Presiding over this marriage procession of food and wine is UK’s wine expert Charles Metcalfe… Rohit Khattar and his team are all set to raise the Bar here. by Rashmi Uday Singh, The Times Of India

Head Chef of Tamarai Restaurant in London – Manish Mehrotra

Chef Manish Mehrotra is a graduate from the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Mumbai (1996). He joined Thai Pavilion restaurant at Taj President, Mumbai and trained under the expert guidance of master chefs from Thailand. During his tenure of 5 years with the Taj group, Manish organised various Thai Food Festivals at different properties of the group. He also won several medals at various competitions organised by the Culinary Associations of India.

His last position was with Old World Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. (OWH) New Delhi, where he headed the oriental cuisine kitchens at Habitat World, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. His responsibilities included the creation of creative pan Asian recipes for India’s largest banquet facility (over 5000 meals served daily) but his full time presence was usually at the fine dining restaurant Oriental Octopus. Known to be the city’s top power lunch destination, the restaurant serves the who’s who of the capital. With a branch in Noida too, Oriental Octopus is regarded as one of the best pan Asian restaurants in the country. At OWH, he has been on various culinary expeditions including training stints at top restaurants in the East.

Manish’s moved with OWH as Head Chef of Tamarai, London. Within a short span, Manish has earned rave reviews from diners and critics for his cuisine and is well on his way in establishing Tamarai as a premier fine dining restaurant in London.

Try out his delicious recipe for CARAMEL PEPPER PRAWNS, GOLDEN GARLIC