Indian Essence is part of the Atul Kocchar empire, which includes Kanishka, Sindhu, Riwaz in Beaconsfield and Vaasu in Marlow. It opened in 2012 with head chef Ali Mustaq. The a la carte menu was quite short at lunch (£22 for three courses), and is a bit longer in the evening on the a la carte. A tasting menu was available at £59.95, with pescatarian, vegan and vegetarian versions offered as alternatives.
The wine list was organised by style rather than country. Whoever put it together had taken the trouble to do this and also choose some wine styles that go well with spice, such as a Riesling and a Gerwurtztraminer, but couldn’t be bothered to note the vintages of the wine. Is someone really going to pay £290 for a bottle of Dom Perignon without any clue about its vintage? Maybe it is the 2021 (which retails at £181) or maybe you could get lucky and find it was the 2008 at £301 retail? Who would know? There was a Chablis from Fourchame, a Premier Cru site, but the list didn’t specify the grower nor the vintage. There are 105 different growers that could fit that description, their wines priced between £19 and £132 in a shop, so who knows whether the lists’ £58 is a bargain price or a fairly steep markup? This was just sloppy.
The list had 48 labels and ranged in price from £29 to £290, with a median price of £39 and an average markup to retail price of 2.7 times, which is pretty fair. Sample references were Primitivo Rose Tramari Salento at £33 for a bottle that you can find in the high street for £11, Fleurie Domaine J.Devots Jean Loren at £39 compared to its retail price of £23, and Brunello di Montalcino Fossacolle at £78 for a wine that will set you back £60 in the high street. For those with the means there was Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut at £110 compared to its retail price of £64, and Barolo Cannubi Michele Chiarlo at £150 for a wine whose current market value is £95.
Aloo tikki chaat had potato cakes scented with cumin, chickpeas, tamarind chutney, sweet yoghurt and crunchy sev noodles. This was nicely balanced, with the sweet and sour tamarind enlivening the potatoes nicely (14/20). Kadhai chicken was pan-roasted, baked with a little Parmesan, coriander and wild garlic, garnished with samphire fritters and served with kadhai sauce. The word kadhai (or karahi) is a deep flat -bottomed pan with sloped walls. The sauce of that name is a spicy, smoky sauce involving red chillies, cloves, fennel seeds, cardamoms, cinnamon and coriander seeds. This was probably the least convincing dish of the meal. The chicken was cooked fine and the sauce was pleasant and mildly spicy but the fritters were a little soggy, and I am not sure the Parmesan, which was somewhat lost anyway among the spices, really added much (13/20). I also tasted seared sea bream with beetroot and potato mash, sauteed asparagus and moilee sauce, a seafood sauce from kerala made using coconut milk along with shallots, ginger, garlic and lime leaves. The fish was superbly cooked and the sauce was excellent (pushing 15/20 level).
Pulao rice was good and the garlic naan was genuinely top drawer, delivered piping hot, with soft texture, glistening with butter and tasting properly of garlic (easily 15/20 bread). On the side, potato and pea vegetable curry was quite good, the vegetables having retained their texture pretty well (14/20).
For dessert, a mango and saffron bhapa doi was a kind of Indian steamed yoghurt cheesecake, served with an orange tuile and a fruit gel. This was fine, tasting properly of mango and with there being enough fruit not to be overly sweet (13/20). Coffee was from a brand called Zani, an Italian company from Brescia with an importer in Greenwich. It was bitter and disappointing, over-extracted with a dark roast to cover up the moderate quality beans.
Service was reasonably efficient if not especially friendly at this quiet weekday lunch service. The bill came to £45.50 per person with beer to drink. At dinner the bill would be a bit higher, especially if you went for wine instead of beer. Overall, I was quite impressed by Indian Essence, the food being very enjoyable and with the technical skill in the dishes high. The best dishes, such as the sea bream and the garlic naan bread, were very impressive. If you are ever in this area then give Indian Essence a try. Skip coffee.
James B
Went here recently for my Anniversary - had the tasting menu and wines and though it was excellent. You're right about the Parmesan though, though it was odd but the naans were so good I brought the leftovers home. Try the Monkish and the Lamb next time as well.