tamarind

tamarind is a good quality indian restaurant, serving well prepared classic dishes such as murgh makhani,lambbiryani and so on.

we had very good starters - grilled jumbo prawns which were packed with spice and a nice grill flavour, and some delicious scallops.

for mains, we went for the classics above and the hyderabadilambshank, which was good (but i've had better). the butter chicken was really very good, though!

the pistachio kulfi was nicely served and very rich and dense.

service was professional and very attentive (sometimes perhaps too attentive, as in rushing to refill our glasses all too often)

this is a relatively good value for money michelin star restaurant: the bill came to £200 including service charge for the three of us (but we didn't have wine).

lovely room, very attentive service.. food ranged from outstanding to just ok. the mincedlambappetizer patties andlambchops (kebobs) were solidly in the former category. lots of food and drinks for three was £200.

tamarind is a fairly decent place around queen street, mayfair .

what i liked - free wifi, delivery and take away options

specialities ::lambcutlets and chops, wine, biryani

the setting in tamarind is exotic and sets the scene for a michelin star indian food experience. poppadoms were brought to the table with a selection of chutneys and it was a great start. poppadom texture was light, crispy and non greasy. the chutneys were based off berries, tomatoes and chillies and i was positively addicted to them.

the waiter was smart to suggest a mixed selection of entrees which were broccoli cakes,lambchops, tiger prawns and grilled chicken. i enjoyed thelambchops as the meat was tender and the tiger prawns still had a little bit of a spring to each mouthful. i wasn't quite a fan of the broccoli cake as i felt it was tasteless and the texture was sticky. we also had the papdi chaat which was somewhat like a deconstructed samosa. i loved the blend of the berries and yoghurt which accompanied this dish, it was refreshing.

as we were already quite full, for mains, we had thelambbriyani. it came in a unique golden pot with a puff pastry/naan top and with the steaming rice inside. not particularly impressed with the puff pastry top but the basmati rice was fluffy and warm, accompanied with a moist curry and tender pieces of lamb. it was flavourful but balanced. i could taste all the spices in the dish but nothing was too overpowering.

overall, it left me with a good impression of how good indian food should taste like but i wouldn't say that it knocked it out of the ballpark.

went for a business dinner. the place looks so plain from the outside but inside is very nicely done.
the staff was very friendly and took great care of the table.
we had grilled chicken andlambchops for starters. the meats were moist and juicy just like i like them.
main we all had different things. i had the hyderabadilambshank which was very good
others seemed to enjoy their selections as well.
sorry no photos at business dinners

...the pudhinalambchops (£14.95) which had a delightfully minty aroma and taste. they were however let down by their cooking; being so overcooked they were actually dry and chewy which was such a shame – they should have been served pink....

one of the best places for indian food in london. although expensive, however worth a visit for special occasions.
went to this place a couple of times in the past few months and the food quality was consistent.
favourite dish:lambchops
thumps up for alfred prasad.

this lovely restaurant is fully deserving of its michelin star.

the service from the start is excellent with staff happily waiting to greet you upstairs before taking you down to the restaurant.

inside, the subdued lighting and atmosphere were perfect and the restaurant was full which is to be expected.

the waiter suggested the dawat tasting menu which at £56 each is very reasonable.

the food was outstanding and to quash any misconceptions, it does taste amazing. the main dishes could be found at any indian restaurant, however each one was cooked and presented perfectly and just seemed more 'refined'. what really impressed me was the tenderness of the meat in both the chicken andlambdishes, yet nothing seemed over cooked.

the service was amazing. the staff were always there if needed, however i didn't feel they were overbearing and we were not rushed in any way.

i would definitely recommend this restaurant to friends.

catching up with sc, we ended up heading to tamarind for dinner. i was looking forward to the meal and we both opted for the tasting menu. a round of various sauces to dip our papadums started us off. spiced chickpeas with mint chutney and sweetened yoghurt topped with tamarind chutney skewered groundlambkebab with ginger, chilli, cheese, paprika and basil the chickpeas had a delicate spiciness which was a great contrast to the coolness of mint and yoghurt. thelambkebab was moist and tasty without a greasy aftertaste. tiger prawns marinated with ginger, yoghurt, paprika, dill leaves and ajwain this wasn't as positively received as the prawn was either frozen, not fresh or overcooked as it had a mushy texture. after the duo of starters, a tray of various bowls with ladened with our mains arrived. monkfish chunks marinated with yoghurt, coriander, mint, mint-leaf, green chilli, roasted gram flour and saffron chicken tikka in sauce of fresh tomatoes, with ginger, red onions, green chi

thelambwas tender and the potato cakes yielded a lovely texture, although the tamarind chutney was a touch too sweet against the potato.lambcutlet

sophisticated indian.. sunday lunch at tamarind, set in a smart & elegant basement space, is exceptional value on the 2 for 1 offer, which can be obtained from their website (£32 for 2). this is refined indian cooking where flavours & spices are balanced & controlled. 3 small starters were offered - we enjoyed the fragrantlambcutlet & ground duck kebab. favourite dish was vegetables, carefully prepared retaining bite, in an unforgettable sauce of tomato, ginger & honey.

mains were king fish & chicken in sauces that were delicate rather than robust. the naan was properly made - light, airy, charred bits & non-greasy. desserts however, was a bit of an after-thought. some sago pearls in a cardamom cream was over in 2 spoonfuls, and a single scoop of strawberry sorbet (in december?) made this felt more like a pre-dessert.

service was relaxed and non-obtrusive. overall, we enjoyed the meal but wouldn't go as far as saying the food was outstanding, bearing in mind it has 1 michelin star... perhaps the wow factor is in the ala carte. for those looking for a buzz, the dining room was only about a third full for sunday lunch, so may lack some excitement.