Kanishka Review

I’ve walked past Kanishka by Atul Kochar in Mayfair a few times, but never had the opportunity to visit; so I jumped to say yes when we were kindly invited in to review one Sunday evening.

The first thing that struck me was the decor of the restaurant, which wasn’t at all what I expected from the outside. The main dining area has a black and white theme, and is decorated with local Indian artwork, with bright but warm lighting; creating a really inviting atmosphere.

We were served by the Assistant General Manager, Clive, and both he and his full team could not have been more welcoming. They made a real effort to talk to every guest by name and get to know why we were visiting, what our interests were etc, and were really attentive to any needs and questions we had.

And then came the food…

To start, we ordered the Jal Tarang (Scallops with crispy chicken skin and hazelnut podi with chicken jus) and Hariyali Paneer Tikka (Basil marinated paneer tikka served with a pastry crust and a chia seed and lemon dressing). We were also highly recommended the Chicken Tikka Pie, Atul Kochar’s signature pie, which was served with a berry chutney – and I’m so pleased Clive recommended it to us, it was delicious!

For mains, we opted for a classic and rich Purani Dilli Ka Butter Chicken (Chicken Tikka in Tomato Sauce), Batak Salan (Slow cooked duck breast, apricot, confit leg samosa, peanut and coconut sauce) with Saffron rice, Chilli Cheese Naan (yum) and the Signature Black Dal.

I thought I didn’t have any space left for dessert, but it would be rude not to try at least one…We ended up sharing the traditional Pistachio Kulfi with Chocolate Mousse and the Coconut Crème Brulee, plus I had mine washed down with a Baileys on ice.

Whilst we ordered from the A La Carte menu, Kanishka also serve a weekend brunch, express lunch menu and seasonal menus (such as Mother’s Day) and has two private rooms for hire for up to 18 people – perfect for special occasions.

The food and service were both truly exceptional and I’m already looking forward to going back for more…