I went out on the town again! I know look at me being social and all that, I do try. How could I resist when I’m invited to go to Manthan Mayfair for an excellent dinner with the amazing Editor Lady Charlotte Lynham.
I must say as I walked down Maddox Street it brought me back to my first years in London and completely pulled at my heartstrings. It’s one of those roads that is not filled with shop fronts but you will find many hidden gems such as Manthan Mayfair for Indian cuisine, that just seemed to pop up like a gorgeous mirage, except it’s really there.
A meal most excellent
The outside tells you that the inside is going to be a treat indeed. As we enter we are met by a narrow floorspace, but not so much so that you feel like you might hear the gossip of the table next to you. The first thing on your left is a lush aqua couch that really brings your first taste of colour, the ceiling is a vintage pink adorned with water lilies in brassy gold. The tables in marble are joined by pink seats topped off with stunning gold buttons, all the while seated next to a vintage style mirror allowing you to feel the depth of the space. At the end is the bar styled with a row of lamps that again gives that vintage flair.
We started out by toasting to Lady Charlotte’s new shoes with a glass of champagne, they were very much worthy of a toast! Our server that also happened to be the Assistant Manager, Kais, was lovely and super easy going. He took us through the menu and helped us choose the perfect dishes to allow us to experience the food and the flavours of Manthan to the fullest.
For starters we had the Shami Kebab, made with goat, bone marrow sauce, black cardamom and paratha which is a nice piece of bread. The paratha was perfect to scoop the Shami Kebab up with, also allowing the flavours to mix perfectly. Spicy yet soft on the palate all at once. We also had the Chicken Buttermilk with pink peppercorn, ginger and curry leaf. This was a perfect size starter, small bite size pieces holding a lot of flavour, boneless and tender, definitely one of my favourites.
For our main dishes we had Black Pepper Fish, an amazingly soft salmon with Malabar peppercorn and lovely pachadi. I really liked the mix of flavours with the salmon and the pachadi, so fresh. On the side of our salmon we had Sri Lankan Pol Roti which is an excellent rustic flatbread and Makhani Sauce.
We also had the Methi Murgh which is a boneless chicken thigh, with fenugreek and whole spices, with Makhani Sauce on the side, it was just an entire journey of flavours and spices but not overpowering and such tender chicken. I loved that all the flavours complemented each other and nothing was too overpowering allowing the meat and ingredients all shine equally.
For our wine we were recommended the Not Your Grandma’s Riesling, from New Zealand, not only is the name excellent but it was truly the perfect choice. It literally transformed with each dish, it went from smooth to spicy, floral and fruity but not sweet. Such a perfect match for all dishes completing the flavours and textures.
The dishes were all stunning but Manthan have taken it one step further in the way it is all presented. The plates are all vintage golden, the cutlery had an excellent pattern giving a lovely grip. The spoon for the sugar bowl was in the shape of a guitar! I mean, when have you ever seen that? I loved all these touches to detail that some may overlook but my eye for style was lapping it all up and loving it.
Of course it didn’t end there, we were debating whether or not we wanted dessert, I ordered a latte, loving my coffee and all that, Lady Charlotte ordered a Camomile Tea, then Kais came over with a treat in the shape of the Classical Trio; it’s basically three treats in one, similar to cheesecake with gorgeous Laddoo and Gulab Jamun balls hidden inside. This went so nice with my latte, my goodness what an end to an excellent meal.
Before leaving I needed to powder my nose before my train journey back west and the restroom was an oasis of its own. The details; the faucet was a swan and the water came out of its beak. The door handle was a branch with a resting bird, a whales tail fin to hang your coat on, all just lovely.
This is the place to go if you want to enjoy excellent traditional food, some dishes might be on the bone so if you don’t like that sort of thing look at the rest of the menu I’m sure you’ll find something to your liking. Manthan was truly a treat for both the palate and the eyes and I cannot wait to return.
Manthan
49 Maddox Street
London
W1S 2PQ
United Kingdom
