On Colonel Saab's menu it says "At Home With Colonel Saab." It is certainly true that these culinary creations by Chef Sohan Bhandari celebrate traditional Indian food, but everything on the menu has been elevated with a haute cuisine touch. On this occasion, we decided to try the updated Memsaab's Tasting Menu which consists of five courses and a palate cleanser before the curry course. To begin, my companion and I chose a selection of three types of poppadum with two interesting chutneys. We enjoyed these with lassis, the traditional Indian yogurt drink. The mango lassi had the right balance between sweetness and flavour, and my partner declared that the rosewater flavoured lassi was "perfect." The first menu course was a vegetarian South Indian tomato and lentil rasam served with mini idli and puffed pastry bites. The rasam was a rich and satisfying way to begin, and it had a lovely spiciness which gradually built. As always, the presentation was simply stunning with the little potato idli on a skewer over the cup of soup and a hint of the traditional banana leaf beneath it. Next up was Marwad's Raj Kachori. This course was an appetising pastry ball stuffed with spiced chick peas and potato. It was great fun cracking open the ball and savouring the treasures within. This special treat came with a trio sauces: pomegranate seed boondi, herbal jam, and black lime chaat masala. For the third course, I chose the Anglo-Indian Chicken Chop which was a pulled chicken cutlet served with salad and tomato raisin relish. My companion chose the vegetarian Kandhari Paneer Tikka which was a cottage cheese dish stuffed with prunes and pomegranate in tomato, with garlic mustard salsa. Both dishes proved to be winners and the attention to detail in plating was remarkable. The vegan mango sorbet which came next was a lovely pause in the proceedings and fulfilled its mission perfectly: refreshing but not overly sweet. There was a choice of three options for the curry: lamb; fish or kofta. I chose the Sunday Lamb Curry and my companion selected the vegan Falahari Kofta Curry. Both dishes were served with steamed rice and naan. I was delighted by the cumin potatoes and smoky dal makhani that accompanied the lamb, and the kofta curry was complemented with beans poriyal and a dal tadka which were much appreciated. The portions hitherto had all been quite generous, and at this point, we were both surprised that we still had room for dessert. I opted for the Mishti Doi Cheesecake and my friend had the Raspberry, Pistachio & Coconut Tart. Both proved a lovely way to end our meal, and we left our experience at Colonel Saab's feeling both spoilt and satiated.
Rated: ★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Image: Marwad's Raj Kachori – Spiced chick peas and potato, trio sauce, pomegranate seed boondi, savoury crisp, herbal jam, and black lime chaat masala
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