Lotus, a fine Indian cuisine dining restaurant situated at 17 Charing Cross, London, WC2H 0EP, which makes its location perfect for a dinner & show or casino or any other activity or outing you could do in central London.
With a perfect location, we had to ask ourselves, whether the food was perfect too or was it just a farce. In London you can find Indian cuisine as easily as you can find a kebab or fish and chip shop. However. Lotus isn’t just your average Indian cuisine. No not even close.
If you’re looking for a standard curry, you’ve come to the wrong place.
The main thing that got us talking about Lotus was the menu. Lotus uses locally sourced produce, yet they use the traditional Asian cooking techniques to produce a spectacular tasting bonanza. If you’re looking for a standard curry, you’ve come to the wrong place. Every dish we tasted had it very own authentic taste. Nothing like we’ve tasted before, which is great if you like to try new tastes but not so good if all you wanted was a plain old bog standard curry.
The delightful starters
Before we started we were greeted with an assortment of Poppadums with Chutneys and then came our first orders which was Rabbit Kheema, Green Pepper corns, Missi Roti and Pigeon Masala Dosa, Coconut Chutney and Crispy White Bait, Whiting, Mackerel (there was 3 of us dinning that night). We all tasted each others dishes and shared our starters. This was fun and gave us all a taste of something we may not have usually opted for. Everything was cooked to perfection and the presentation was beautiful.
On the Kebabs section of the menu
Meat eaters and seafood lovers alike, its time to rejoice as this is where the menu gets uber exciting. On offer is prawns or red snapper but we opted for the Lamb Chops and Rump with Garlic Pickle, Indian Onion and Chilli salad and the Duck Seekh with Pickled Onion, Orange Dates and Chilly dip, Im salivating at the nostalgic memory as I type.
We wash this down with a glass of ‘Heritage Reserve’ Zinfandel, De Loach, California, 2013, and as stated on the menu, it’s a perfect match. On your visit be sure to ask for the Sommelier, Debbie Henriques, she is lovely and know her wine like a bee knows it honey. Debbie can offer you a vast selection of wines to match whichever meal you decide to try.
The stunning mains
We simply had to try the blinged out 23 Karat Gold Lamb Shanks Khorma. Yep 23 Karat’s, which was accompanied with Roast Potato Mash, Papaya pickle, Spices, Green Cardamom and Cashew. It’s the type of food that will make even the most hardened none picture-taking person, whip our their phone and start snapping away. You will want to show this meal to your friends and family. The lamb was divine, soft and fall of the bone tender.
Soft Shell Crabs Cafreal served with Hand cut potato chips and pickled Turmeric plus Lobster tails and Queenie served with Ginger, Curry leaf and Coconut Curry. I did mention earlier that this isn’t your standard curry house. The lobster has already been removed from the tail, making it easily accessible to eat and share and the soft shell crab was great too.
Out of the 3 dishes, I would say the soft shell crab was our least favourite and believe me, in general we all love soft shell crab, but the fried crab dish compared to the scrumptious lobster just cannot compete. On the other hand the piece de resistance for us was the 23 karat gold lamb shank. No, not because its wrapped is gold, but because it was beautifully cooked and tasted divine. YOU MUST TRY THIS DISH.
Desert
With barely any space left, we managed to squeeze in a couple of deserts to share. Almond Kheer Gold Dust, Beetroot Halwa Money Bags and Dates Jaggery and also the Mango Shrikhand Fruit Salad, Jaggery and Coconut cream. If you live Indian deserts, then you will love this and even if you don’t you will still love these. Perfect for sharing and ended the evening.
You can visit www.lotus.london for more info and if you are off to the theatre for the evening then why not try the theatre menu?
A: 17 Charing Cross, London WC2H 0EP
T: +44 (0) 207 839 8797
OPENING HOURS.
Monday to Sunday
12noon – 2.30pm
5pm – 10.30pm