Wine and Food: October 2004 Archives
Last week while visiting London on business, I had a fabulous Indian dinner at RASOI VINEET BHATIA. The translation is Vineet Bhatia's Kitchen. The restaurant is an easy walk from Sloane Square in a renovated town house at #10 Lincoln Street in Chelsea. The experience was completely unexpected; I had asked my hotel concierge for a recommendation of an Indian restaurant, which they enthusiastically gave me, saying they had an excellent choice. I was unprepared for a completely transcendent experience!
The dinning room was a dimly candle lit choclatey color. As you would expect in a small residence the rooms were small and intimate. I started my meal with a kir. Immediately I was brought a small tasting appetizer of onion fritters. One of my first experiences of Indian food was onion fritters, years ago, also in London, and I will never forget the experience. These small fritter exceeded the tastes firmly embedded in my memory. I knew immediately I was in for an extraordinary meal.
I started with a selection of chutney, each with a subtle differences with sweetness, spice, and heat. The chutney was served in a delicate long white dish about an inch wide with equally delicate spoons. I spooned the chutney onto the dal and delighted in every bite.
I choose the vegetarian menu since I am on a diet and did not want to overeat. The waiter suggested a young, crisp, and delicious Sauvignon Blanc, I had a wild mushroom khichdi.. The creamy khichdi had something in common with an Italian risotto. It had a thin crust but underneath was a pungent rice dish that worked well with the yogurt sauce served along with the entre.
After I returned to my hotel, I looked up reviews of the restaurant on the web and found that Vineet Bhatia was the first Indian chef to receive a Michelin star, an extraordinary honor. Although, pricey this is a restaurant not to be missed.
