Namaaste Kitchen Review
Wandering down Parkway in Camden, you may have walked past Namaaste Kitchen a dozen times and never really noticed it. An unassuming exterior, it pretty much looks like your typical Indian restaurant, but as soon as you walk through the door you know that it’s a step up from the norm. When you enter, you are immediately greeted by smiling staff and a quirky bar right at the front of the room. The place is pretty well decked out, with soft lighting in unusual ceiling hanging lights, and feature piece walls of exposed brick. Shown to our seats we were handed our menu’s and asked if we would like to start with a cocktail.
I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever ordered a cocktail from a curry house, but having been told that cocktails here weren’t to be missed, I decided to give it a go. We started with the waitress’s suggestions. kiwi and cucumber martini; (Absolut vodka, cucumber, fresh kiwi, elderflower, lime) and Spiced Walk JW (Black Label, lime juice , cinnamon syrup, simple syrup apple juice). Served in unusual vintage style glasses, these really looked better than the creations I’d seen in high end cocktail bars. If they looked good they tasted divine. The mojito so light and refreshing with a expertly shaken foam top, the Spiced Walk sweet with a cinnamon bite, they were like Asian revamps of classic British drinks.
An extensive food menu with ample vegetarian options, after much deliberation we chose the best of worlds, selecting some of our old time favourites as well as the more created options available on the menu. Beginning with Gobhi Matar Samosa’s And Chatpati Tokri Chaat, the presentation of both was exceptional. The samosas were a far cry from the usual flat triangles you would expect to receive but rather little pyramids, growing upwards from the plate, served with a pea and mint sauce and a splodge of beetroot puree. The Chatpati Tokri Chaat; crispy potato basket, chickpeas, lentil dumplings, cucumber, pomegranate, yogurt, tamarind & green chutney looked so unusual and well presented, finished with red garnishing to give it a real visual flare. Both tasted wonderful, full of flavour with the perfect level of spice, a great start to the meal.
Whilst perusing the menu for our mains, we took the chance to order another cocktail off their menu, this time going for the Summer in Paris (Ciroc, Cointreau, elderflower and lychee juice), the lychee juice really gave this sweet summery cocktail an exotic twist, complimenting the spice of the meal we were working our way through. A creature of habit, I usually opt for the same paneer curry mains, which I do love, but with a few more unusual options on the menu we chose to opt for a bit of a mix of traditional and more contemporary dishes. Moru Kachiath; sweet mango and green banana cooked in yoghurt with green chillies, ginger and fresh curry, Zardaloo Kofte; potato & apricot dumplings cooked in creamy gravy with chefs special spices, and saag paneer; spinach with cottage cheese. It’s a hard choice but out of the three, I’d have to say the Moru Kachaith was our favourite. I can be cynical of putting fruit in savory food but it totally worked, with the super fresh, sweet mango balanced by the creamy yogurt curry The kofte was pretty tasty but the Saag Paneer was definitely the runner up, served with huge chunks of paneer cheese, just the way I like it.
Although we were extremely tempted, there was no way of us fitting in dessert and ended up with a Cointreau instead (because, why the hell not?). Before being walked out by our hospitable waitress, we stopped by the bar area to tell the bartender how truly epic his cocktails were, and to thank the rest of the staff for what really was a lovely night with truly amazing food.
Leaps and bounds above your average Indian restaurant, the Namaaste kitchen offers an extensive menu of top notch Asian cooking. With a clear focus on quality and presentation, both it’s food and drink offering are sure to impress.
Website: www.namaastekitchen.co.uk
Address; 64 Parkway, Camden Town, London NW1 7AH
Written by Jordan Crowley
