This weekend I took my mum and her sister to Veeraswamy for Mother’s Day lunch. It’s the UK’s oldest Indian restaurant, having opened in 1926, and was awarded a Michelin star this year. Despite its long tenure, I had never visited before although I’d heard from a couple of friends how good the food was, so I couldn’t wait to see for myself and hoped that my mum and aunty would approve (spoiler alert: they did).
The entrance to Veeraswamy is on Swallow Street, just off Regent Street, a short walk from Piccadilly Circus tube station. We were greeted downstairs, confirmed our reservation and our coats were taken, after which we were shown to a lift which takes you to the dining room on the first floor.
It was a beautiful sunny day, and the dining room was bright and inviting, sunlight pouring in through floor to ceiling windows that run along one wall. Although this is a fairly big restaurant, there are three distinct dining areas, so it feels quite intimate. The décor is elegant, the furniture comfortable and tables nicely spaced.
Once sat down we ordered our drinks – a mango lassi, a rose lemonade and a Wild Hibiscus Royale (prosecco and wild hibiscus cocktail) for my mum, aunty and me respectively. All three were a big hit, particularly the rose lemonade.
On a Sunday, Veeraswamy offers two courses for £31 or three courses for £35 from their a la carte menu. Neither my mum or aunty are very big eaters, so we ordered a Raj Kachori (which a friend had told me I had to try) and Kheema Parida Pav for the three of us to share. For main course, my aunty ordered the Kashmiri Rogan Josh and my mum and I both went for the Kerala Prawn Curry.
Raj Kachori is described in Veeraswamy’s menu as being “regal street food,” and it definitely looked regal when it arrived. It’s a large poori “filled with goodies” and covered in yoghurt, tamarind and pomegranate. It was so beautifully presented it seemed a shame to stop taking photos of it and actually cut into it, but cut into it we did and it tasted every bit as good as it looked.
The Kheema Parida Pav is a dish of parsi style minced lamb with egg, served with warm buttered bread. While perhaps not as photogenic as the Raj Kachori, it was a pleasure to eat. The finely minced lamb was nicely spiced with just a hint of heat and the bread was delicious.
By the time the starters were finished, I’d also finished my drink and the waitress came over to ask if I wanted anything else. I asked what white wines they served by the glass and she said it would be easier to bring over the wine list as they serve quite a few. “Quite a few” turned out to be an extensive range of wines, all available by the glass. It was a pleasant surprise not to be limited to a handful of wines, and so I went for a gewürztraminer, which I recently discovered thanks to a friend, and has become a firm favourite.
Our mains arrived next accompanied by basmati rice and naan bread. The Kerala Prawn Curry was gorgeous, the prawns were large and juicy and the coconut balanced the other spices really well. The Kashmiri Rogan Josh was also excellent – a bit on the spicy side, with tender lamb that easily came off the bone.
Both my mum and aunty enjoyed it all, which was a massive relief, although they were too full to go for a third course. Happily, I still had room, and had been eyeing up the Rose Kulfi since I first saw the menu.
The Rose Kulfi was another beauty – two pieces of pink kulfi cut with perfectly clean edges, one piece half-balanced on the other, two swirls of rose coulis and a garnish of strawberry, raspberry and blueberry, all served on a pink, rectangular plate. It was just as gorgeous to eat and I loved every mouthful.
Before we left, I had an Assam tea and my aunty had a filter coffee, both of which were very nice. We were able to spend time over our drinks and didn’t once feel rushed by staff.
The bill came to £155, including service charge of 12.5%, which is distributed between kitchen and serving staff. We were served by Nephelie, Vytautas and Cyprian, all of whom were brilliant, very helpful and delivered great service.
We had a lovely lunch here, with delicious and imaginative food, fantastic service and good value for money. Definitely the perfect place for a special occasion and treating the ones you love.
Albatine x
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