My travels through northern India over the years have left me with fond memories, especially the food, of a region hemmed by the crescent-shaped Himalayas mountain range that passes several Asian countries. So I was intrigued by the prospect of tasting the cuisine at the newly opened Vatavaran Indian restaurant in Beauchamp Place in Knightsbridge.
Michelin-starred chef Rohit Ghai (of Kutir in Chelsea, and the iconic Manthan in Mayfair fame), has shaped Vatavaran restaurant around the Himalaya theme and offers whispers of the Himalayas through his dishes and interior architecture.
Vatavaran, they tell me, means “atmosphere” in Sanskrit, and this restaurant has several to offer over four floors that spiral upwards in the way a (Himalayan?) mountain might.
There’s a rather stylish bar on the ground floor. A winding staircase reaches the Orangery on the first floor “ridge” with an impressive atrium, where the colour scheme is hues of blues, and continues to wind up to the Meadow restaurant where the design is more intimate with green leather chairs.
Bar
Orangery on the Ridge
Meadow
Shikar bar
On the top floor is Shikar, a lavish drinking room serving fine whiskies and cocktails. Imbibe a few and enjoy the velvet walls depicting abstract art with nude women in a surreal landscape, upholstered red velvet chairs and a ceiling of battered brass. It’s all very boudoir.
We took our seats in the Orangery where an open-flame kitchen frames a scene of chefs creating their dishes. Soon, a duet of crooners took up their places in a corner, starting their set and setting the mood with “Fly Me to the Moon” and the waiter brought me my Rubini, a cocktail of cherry, Champagne and Martini Rosso and a glass of wine for my partner. The evening had begun.
There’s plenty of options from grills – wild prawns, coconut seabas – and dishes from the tandoor. such as paneer and salmon tikka and plenty of vegetarian dishes too. So it took time for us to finally make our choices.
The poppadoms arrived – a selection of lentil and banana chips with three sauces. We started with a soup of spicy dal (lentils) and bati (hard wheat rolls) with more than a dash of ghee. It was a tasty, nutritious and hearty dish with its origins in the northern part of the Himalayas offering a gush of sweet and sour flavours – the kind mum would make for the family.
We were greedy and ordered three starters. A plate of two deliciously crispy balls of potato Aloo Tiki stuffed with rice and spices as well as Aubergine bisi belle with its sprinkling of pomegranates were sensational bites.
For the main course, I ordered the Butter chicken. Always a favourite of mine, and this smooth, silky number made with Kashmiri chilli and yoghurt did not disappoint.
My partner chose the slow-cooked Lamb Barbat, a very soft, melt-in-the-mouth, boneless meat that had been well marinated in burnt spices in a dark red curry and cooked with garlic.
Butter chicken and lamb Barbat
The accompaniments were rice and a variety of nan breads. By now we had our fill so we didn’t stay for dessert. But, we did squeeze in and enjoy a rose lassi and a mango lassi, both sweet enough to round off the flavours superbly.
Verdict: I enjoyed the Vatavaran experience, the relaxed atmosphere, a sort of other-worldly (perhaps Himalayan) atmosphere, in concert with crooner music and fine food offered a lovely gastronomic night out in London town.
Address: 14-15 Beauchamp Place, SW3 1NQ, vatavaran.uk