Introducing our latest addition to HDYTI – storyteller and photographer Priscilla Adegoke. Providing her distinctive insights on cosmopolitan life, gastronomy, and luxurious journey, Priscilla takes readers on a journey via a culinary sanctuary the place one man’s tribute to his dad and mom’ adventures throughout the Indian subcontinent has reworked into an immersive eating expertise. Priscilla reveals how, beneath glowing chandeliers and surrounded by household images, genuine Indian heritage finds expression via each ambiance and flavour. The expertise culminates in a theatrical culinary efficiency worthy of its West Finish location.
One of many cornerstones of Indian tradition is the collective household system and the worth Indians place on interdependence. To actually admire Colonel Saab’s story, you first want to know the cultural foundations that form its existence.
Drawing on the adventures of Roop’s dad and mom throughout the Indian subcontinent, Colonel Manbeer Choudhary, who served within the Indian Military, and Mrs. Binny Choudhary, Colonel Saab was created as Roop’s tribute to his household and a celebration of India’s wealthy heritage.
From Pub Queue to Palace: The place Rajasthan Meets London’s Beating Coronary heart
As you enter the constructing, you’re abruptly whisked away to a vibrant Rajasthani family—each wall adorned with cherished household images, nice paintings, love letters and genuine preserved furnishings. The ceilings showcase gorgeous handcrafted glass chandeliers that catch your eye at each flip.
A protracted line of keen pubgoers ready outdoors fades from reminiscence as you’re enveloped on this new world – an instance of quintessential London the place cultures can preside in its coronary heart and stay true to their core.
My companion Deborah Kombe and I have been graciously welcomed to a comfy part on the bottom ground of the two-storey restaurant in Trafalgar Sq., their second location after Holborn. After settling in, our drinks order was promptly taken.
Desirous to expertise the total culinary journey forward, I requested our waiter which wine would complement our meal greatest—he beneficial the Argentinean Finca La Colonia Colección Malbec with out hesitation, and so the Malbec it was.
A Tasting Journey That Channels Pixar
On the day we stopped by, Deborah was on Day 4 of her 75-Day Tender problem, so she opted for the ‘Punchu’ – a tropical mocktail mixing ardour fruit, pineapple, and almond flavours. And if actions converse louder than phrases, her repeated order tells me clearly that she loved it… however simply to make sure, I did ask, and she or he nodded with a beaming smile plastered throughout her face.
The eating expertise featured a thoughtfully curated 3-course tasting menu, designed to spotlight the chef’s signature creations. We started with an amuse-bouche of Dahi sev puri introduced atop a mattress of puffed rice combine.
Our server suggested us to eat it instantly in a single chew, to benefit from the optimum texture. The one mouthful delivered an impeccable mix of candy, spicy, and refreshing notes, exploding right into a symphonic rush of flavours that danced throughout my palate – evoking that magical second in Ratatouille when Remy first experiences strawberry and cheese collectively—fireworks of style erupting behind closed eyelids.
The journey continued with a trio of starters – a Kolapuri lamb chop, Kandhari paneer tikka, and Noor mahal hen tikka. The lamb chop stole the highlight for me, coated in a mouth-watering marinade that clung fantastically to every morsel with no feeling of heaviness.
And simply once I thought I’d decoded each observe, a kick of warmth hit me, which utterly elevated your entire expertise as a self-proclaimed ‘spice woman’. Maybe most spectacular? Not a hint of extra fats on the peerlessly tender chop – a uncommon and exquisite factor.
A Feast for the Senses
Our mains featured a shared collection of dishes from varied Indian areas, spanning the North to South, all expertly ready and linked by their origins in cities the place the Colonel had been stationed. The standout was undoubtedly the Malabar paratha – concurrently heat, flaky, doughy, and buttery. It complemented the cumin-infused potatoes, the lamb curry (although I may have dealt with extra spice), and the complicated Dal makhani splendidly. Taking solely transient breaks to return up for air – I knew we hit the jackpot. By then, nonetheless, we have been utterly happy.
From Regional Flavours to Theatrical Desserts: Tracing the Colonel’s Culinary Journey
With just one course to go, we hit pause to catch our breath and eventually absorbed the ambiance round us, noticing inventive touches we’d initially neglected. Then got here the grand finale—our desserts arrived to a hushed restaurant, all eyes drawn to the spectacular theatrics of my plate.
Kotchi’s Coconut Pannacotta hovered mysteriously above a mattress of rocks, dry ice cascading beneath it like morning mist over a hidden lagoon. In the meantime, Deborah’s darkish chocolate silk cake arrived accompanied by a cloud of sweet floss that immediately woke up her internal little one – her eyes glowing with delight.
It was a wonderfully dramatic ending, worthy of its setting in London’s legendary theatre district.
The Journey Continues…
Our night at Colonel Saab was only a warmup for the culinary journey you possibly can anticipate to hitch us on throughout London’s most extraordinary eating institutions and past. Keep tuned as we discover different hidden gems throughout the UK and enterprise past to the sun-drenched coastlines, the place conventional recipes have been perfected over many generations.
Have you ever skilled the grandeur of Colonel Saab or do you’ve gotten solutions for our subsequent eating expertise? Share your ideas within the feedback under. To remain updated on our adventures, subscribe to our publication and comply with us on Instagram the place exclusivity meets expertise – @dipyourtoesin and @priscillaadegoke.
Savour the masterful creations of Colonel Saab, the place conventional culinary heritage meets expertly crafted dishes. To e book, go to https://colonelsaab.co.uk/, or browse the £80 Memsaab Tasting Menu with non-obligatory wine, champagne, or cocktail add-ons.
LOCATIONS:
Trafalgar Sq.: 42 William IV St, London WC2N 4DD | 020 8016 6800
Holborn City Corridor: 193-197 Excessive Holborn, London, WC1V 7BD | 020 8016 6800
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