Cinnamon Bazaar Review
We recently stayed at the Nadler Covent Garden Hotel, and as Cinnamon Bazaar is one of their partner restaurants… we were offered the opportunity to come review the menu.
The restaurant is located on Covent Garden’s Maiden Lane, and inspired by the hustle and bustle of ancient and modern bazaars from around the world and is part of The Cinnamon Collection.
A lot of the food and drink at Cinnamon Bazaar embodies the concept of fusion cooking, as the menu incorporates some British flair with traditional Indian cooking. To get the most of this, we decided on the Tasting Menu. This is priced at £38 per person, so definitely at the more pricier end of the set meal scale. Though there is a lot of food provided in the menu.
To start with there are a number of Appetisers to share. We thoroughly enjoyed the Chana Masala Hummus, Papdi Chaat and the Kadhai Spiced ‘Bullet’ Chillies. Apart from the hummus, I loved that they weren’t dishes I would normally order so it gave me a chance to expand my tastebuds. The Chillies were exceptionally good and not to be missed.
In terms of starters, my plus one and I both chose the Double-cooked Pork Belly with ‘Koorg’ style with curried yoghurt . This was definitely the best thing on the menu and I wish I’d skipped the tasting menu and just ordered it main sized. The flavours all exploded in my mouth with each bite and the tenderness of the pork… I could wax lyrical poetry about.
The mains and desserts though is where the Tasting Menu didn’t compete with the appetisers and starters. In comparison the mains were a bit bland and we were a little disappointed. I had the Tandoori Grilled King Prawns and this was a dish I was looking forward to as I’ve had it in some of the other Cinnamon Collection Restaurants, here though it didn’t live up to my other experiences.
My plus one was allowed to go off menu and chose the Shepherd’s Pie. Given the fusion element of the rest of the menu, this was a dish we thought would showcase how well British and Indian Food work well together. While she did enjoy it, it wasn’t as rememberable as it could have been.
In terms of dessert, the only option is the Carrot and Ginger Toffee Pudding with clove flavored iced double cream. I felt bad, but I didn’t enjoy this at all. I love toffee pudding but sometimes simpler is better.
As mentioned before, the drink menu also incorporates a fusion influence. The cocktail list has been developed by award-winning mixologist, Ryan Chetiyawardana,aka Mr Lyan, best known for the famed White Lyan bar and the reputable Dandelyan. We loved the flavours of the cocktails but the Gin Julep, mixed with amchoor green mango and black cardamom was the standout cocktail for us.
We did have a lovely time at Cinnamon Bazaar and will be back to try some of the other dishes not on the Tasting Menu… the cheesecake sounds amazing. So if you’re ready to take your taste buds on a journey through the Old World and discover something new at Cinnamon Bazaar visit their website for more information.
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday: 10:00am – midnight Sunday: 10:00am – 11:30pm
Cinnamon Bazaar
28 Maiden Lane
Covent Garden
WC2E 7JS
http://www.cinnamon-bazaar.com
T: @Cinnamon_Bazaar | F: cinnamonbazaarrestaurants | I: thecinnamoncollection
