Shilpa
206 King St
W6 0RA
Hammersmith
020 8741 3127
No, this isn't the start of Shilpa Shetty's chain of restaurants. The Keralan Group of Restaurants, which includes the popular restaurant, Radha Krishna Bhavan in Tooting has now expanded. Like all south Indian restaurants,Shilpa follows the no-frills furnishings policy and lets its food do the talking.
Upcoming Special Events
Get the best of London delivered to your mailbox
The restaurant places its accent on seafood and spicy coconut masalas. It has a narrow functional space with 1970s-style posters across walls. (The obsession with Bollywood in UK makes me flinch).
The food is unsurpassed. The sea bass fillets wrapped in banana leaves were grilled to perfection. The tomato-and-shallot sauce, spiked with mustard seeds and green chillies is to die for. a must to try is the flaky Keralan paratha Mango pachadi was a let down - its supposed to be bitter ant overly sweet.
Prices are easy on the pocket. The set lunches are under a fiver. The service friendly and the cooking is traditional Malabar.
Urban Turban 98 Westbourne Grove, Tel 020 7243 4200 Price £43.00
This new modern Indian restaurant comes courtesy of Vineet Bhatia. Here's oversized chairs, aubergine walls & dim lighting, a more affordable & accessible menu & less frilly food. The menu is divided between ‘desi tapas’ (two of which constitute a starter) followed by ‘large helpings’ though the large helpings are not quite so generous as might be hoped. Tapas dishes include new potatoes in a tangy tamarind sauce, chunks of tender lamb in curry sauce livened up with lime & coconut, & grilled ‘gunpowder’ prawns served with a mint chutney. Main courses continue the high standards with a fragrant chicken tikka makhni & smoked aubergine . Most gratifying of all is the price. Small dishes cost £6 each, the most expensive £12. You could easily eat for £15 a head, which is the best value.
This narrow diner, with its inner courtyard, is fashionably scuffed around the edges, much like many of the creative professionals & arty types who use it as their HQ. But the lack of gloss on the surface doesn’t mean the modern British fare is dull. Working from a refreshingly short, daily-changing menu, the kitchen dishes out some very tasty grub, making even unfashionable options like chicken livers look good. Welsh rarebit, faggots, fish & chips & pork with apple sauce typify the retro selection, while pine nut & frangipane tart highlights the Med in Medcalf. The place gets very busy, so it’s best to book, particularly towards the end of the week.
The Champagne Bar at St Pancras Address St Pancras International Station, NW1 2QP Tel 020 3006 1550 Price £40.00Opening Hours Mon-Sun 8am-11pm
Celebrate the new Eurostar route from St Pancras with a glass of bubbly at the world’s longest Champagne bar. Located within the magnificently restored station, the actual bar alone seats 110 with a dozen leather-clad banquettes as well as several smaller tables & ample standing room. The impressive range of Champagnes, showcasing up to 70 bins, starts at £39.95 rising to £2,500; 11 are available by the glass. Food from a menu designed to complement the fizz includes things such as smoked salmon & scrambled eggs for breakfast, fishcakes & potted shrimps for lunch & langoustines for dinner. Best of all, bubbly flows practically all day.
