quilon

quilon isn’t your usual option for indian cuisine, it doesn’t feature any of the usual indian options like chicken tikka masala, korma and naan.  some may be familiar with the traditional south-indian favourites like dosas and idli, but for the majority (including myself), that’s where my knowledge ends.  quilon, with it’s one michelin star, goes even further to extending our indian cuisine knowledge base and is dedicated to the coastal cuisines of south india.  don’t know what that means or where that is? neither do i, but i was in for a treat! to make sure we try a little bit of everything, we go for the tasting menu , an extensive range of items all meant to be shared and dipped into, in true authentic indian style. we start off with a selection of poppadums and dips, but as might be expected, these are a cut above the norm.  small little discs of poppadum, perfectly sized to allow a bite of a dollop of one of the variety of chutneys.

visited twice during my london visit last year in november... good indian food and nice ambiance.. as it is owned by indians and most of the waiters are indian so they understand indian taste and people..good hospitality and verity of indian cuisine are available.. they start with spicy rasam for drink and baby papads ...if you are staying near buckingham gate so you should try this.. really good

quilon is one of two michelin starred restaurants in london that specialises in coastal indian cuisine,  the other being trishna.  it is in the taj hotel and has had a major refurb in the two or three years since i had last been there, which has left it with a nice modern look that is much better than the previous one. poppadoms etc. the poppadoms here were pretty good, they also came with a nice selection of 5 sauces and chutneys, of which two or three were excellent. to start we shared 3 starters, char-grilled scallops with mango chilli relish were very well cooked with subtle spicing that added to the dish. the best dish here was the excellent ‘kothu lamb’ with onion, chilli, ginger and tomatoes, this was very soft and well spiced. herb crusted tilapia with mustard sauce was also nice but not as good as examples that i have had in india. scallops and kothu lamb of the mains that we had the stand out dish was the prawn masala, this co

quilon has to be ranked as one of the finest indian restaurants in london, located in the heart of westminster. not being a big fan of spicy food, i tend to shy away from certain types of cuisines, but my recent visit to quilon with its south-west coastal indian dishes created with style and elegance by michelin star chef sriram aylur has made me think again about indian cuisine.

there are only six michelin star indian restaurants in london right now - a number which i expected to be a lot larger. i guess the main reason for there not being so many is because both service, and decor are sometimes not at the forefront of an indian restaurants mind. some however, like quilon know that indian food deserves this kind of environment and attention to detail. i’d been meaning to try it for some while so we decided to go along one saturday and try out their incredibly good value for money set lunch deal. a piggy bank savings worth of £24 will get you three courses, poppadoms and chutneys, amuse bouche, petit fours and a coffee of your choice. i don't even know how they manage to make any money - by the time we'd left i felt feeling though i had robbed them. head chef sriram aylur grew up on the south-west coastal area of india, a mecca for fragrant seafood dishes. watching his father cooking in the family restaurant as a young boy made sriram fall in love with food whi

there are only six michelin star indian restaurants in london right now - a number which i expected to be a lot larger. i guess the main reason for there not being so many is because both service, and decor are sometimes not at the forefront of an indian restaurants mind. some however, like quilon know that indian food deserves this kind of environment and attention to detail. i’d been meaning to try it for some while so we decided to go along one saturday and try out their incredibly good value for money set lunch deal. a piggy bank savings worth of £24 will get you three courses, poppadoms and chutneys, amuse bouche, petit fours and a coffee of your choice. i don't even know how they manage to make any money - by the time we'd left i felt feeling though i had robbed them.

head chef sriram aylur grew up on the south-west coastal area of india, a mecca for fragrant seafood dishes. watching his father cooking in the family restaurant as a young boy made sriram fall in love with food which eventually left him travelling across the globe cooking in some of the most prestigious restaurants, palaces and private events. it wasn't until 1999 when siram opened quilon and in 2008 gaining its first michelin star - which it has kept hold of ever since.

walking in to quilon was like walking into an oasis, neutral warm colours, no lingering heavy smell of spices but instead a fresh zestiness in the air and not to mention the incredibly friendly staff. we took our seat, ordered our wine and were handed some tiny poppadoms (just the right size to put in your mouth all at once) and an array of chutney, yogurt sauces and chili oil sauce dips - they were the best accompaniments i've had in an indian restaurant to date.

for a set lunch menu there was a huge choice to pick from. first was the pepper shrimps, battered and fried then cooked in what the menu said was a fiery masala. luckily everything here is cooked to a medium spice so not to blow your face off, if you'd like it hotter then just ask. the prawns were large, succulent, covered in a lovely crunchy batter. the light covering of masala sauce was the real winner with a lovely deep flavour and strong chilli flavour - but without the intense heat.

cauliflower chilli fry was again battered and fried with spices, and tossed with yoghurt, green chilli and curry leaves. it was full of flavour, crunchy and juicy at the same time and the level of spice was just perfect - cauliflower chilli fry and good rom-com on the sofa could definitely keep me happy.

hungry? read more - http://www.londonfoodaholic.co.uk/2013/10/review-quilon-buckingham-gate.html

great ambiance. the place has good food and and lovely desserts. the rasam is great and do try mango curry. a meal for 4 should cost around. 100 gbp

went here when i was in london and felt like eating indian. when i went there found out it was a michelin star restaurant, so immediately my hopes went up. i wasn't disappointed! choice of food great, it's taste was great, loved the malabar paratha...and in the starting they serve rasam in a glass which was really nice!
great place to go if you feel like having indian coastal food.

quilon is a michelin starred restaurant attached to the crowne plaza off victoria street. i have some fond memories of both the hotel and the restaurant.

this beautifully decorated restaurant serves specifically kerala and also other pan south indian cuisine. the portions are a bit michelin star, so watch out if you are very hungry!

they do a nice set menu as well. i recommend the lotus root and any of the sea food. lovely for special occasions.

i had a mixed experience at quilon – my starter was really exceptional but my fish curry was poor and the ice cream served with dessert was not well executed. it also loses marks for the quality of service, which was very relaxed but rather slack.

this restaurant is amazing. after i went recently to quilon, i read that only 75% of people voted that they 'liked it' i was appalled. seriously. the food is outstanding, the service is tremendous. the delicate textures and subtle flavours are difficult to replicate. quilon's ability to comprehend what the customer wants is outstanding. the people serving you know exactly what dish is appropriate with the other dishes that you have chosen. but one should take the percentage (75% 'liked it') with a pinch of salt. people who go to the west-end restaurants expect not to pay super-market prices. this south indian restaurant is absolutely perfect.


-----15 dec, 2012-----

after i went recently to quilon, i read that only 75% of people voted that they 'liked it' i was appalled. seriously. the food is outstanding, the service is tremendous. the delicate textures and subtle flavours are difficult to replicate. quilon's ability to comprehend what the customer wants is outstanding. the people serving you know exactly what dish is appropriate with the other dishes that you have chosen. but one should take the percentage (75% 'liked it') with a pinch of salt. people who go to the west-end restaurants expect not to pay super-market prices. this south indian restaurant is absolutely perfect.

the starters were the real highlight of the evening and the selection was an excellent demonstration of the kitchen’s skill with a wide variety of ingredients. i often find scallops to be rather dull, but these scallops were simple yet exquisitely prepared with a mango chilli relish.

my only criticism was that a lot of these canapés were quite repetitive, so i wasn’t entirely sure quilon showcased as much of their talent as they could’ve done, but food was plentiful and enjoyable (if not outstanding), and the drinks were flowing. not bad at all.

a michelin starred south indian restaurant just down the road from me in st james's park…and one i hadn't heard of before. i was really looking forward to visiting. i checked up and discovered that quilon is the sister restaurant of bombay brasserie (even closer to where i live), somewhere i used to visit quite regularly when i had a friend living round the corner from gloucester road tube station. my brother and i found the restaurant very easily. it was busy, but not unpleasantly so. and just a little tired around the edges in terms of décor. but i understand that they are about to close for a refurbishment so i might just go back there in a few months. from that you will perhaps gather we enjoyed our meal. i decided to let the chef decide on what i should eat since i really know very little about south indian food, while my brother chose for himself! to start we were served some mini pappadams with a couple of fresh chutneys (coconut and coriander and a tomato chutney) and a sele

there really is no denying it. the subcontinent of india does have the best food in the world.