REVIEW: Lotus, Charing Cross Road

For this week's review, I headed to Lotus, an authentic fine Indian dining restaurant located on Charing Cross Road.  Named for the national flower of India, Lotusmarries tradition with innovation to present a truly gourmet experience, so it was a great place to take my boss and intern for a lovely night out. 

For Lotus Chef-Patron Bhaskar Banerjee has created a collection of signature dishes which combine traditional cooking techniques with imported Indian spices and fresh locally-sourced meat, fish and game including British roe deer, duck and the famous Queenie scallops from the Isle of Man. Sounds tasty right? But that's not the best bit! There is also a unique cocktail menu which was designed to not only be delicious but also have medicinal qualities, aiding digestion and promoting wellbeing. Seriously, a healthful cocktail menu! Who could say no?

Where

Lotus, Charing Cross Road

When

From 7:30pm

What we ate

• Starters:
• Golgappa
• Assortment of Poppadums with Chutneys
• Fried Chicken Wing Tulips, Tomato Chutney
• Potato Chaat With Chickpea, Sev and Yogurt
• Aubergine and Courgette flowers
• Mains:
• Duck Seekh
• Lobster tails and Queenie - Ginger, Curry leaf and Coconut Curry
• 23 Karat Gold Lamb Shanks Khorma - With Roast Potato Mash, Papaya pickle, Spices, Green Cardamom and Cashew

What we drank

• Cava, Garnacha Joven (red), Domaine Saint Hilaire (white), Graciano (red),

Highlights

• Beautiful presentation throughout, from the enticing golgappa to beautiful lamb with 23 Karat gold leaf
• The starters were exemplary examples of Indian cooking. The chicken wing tulips were particularly impressive
• The duck sheek had a very odd appearance but tasted brilliant with loads of spice and flavour.
• The coconut sauce for the lobster was excellent - well spiced without overwhelming the delicate scallops and lobster
• The dahl was not too heavy
• Service throughout was incredibly with perfect wine pairings

Lowlights

• The prices and location really don't match. The tourist trade of Charing Cross/ Trafalgar Square demands lower prices. However the quality of each dish was incredible thus worthy of the price. I feel this restaurant would be better suited in Fitzrovia, Belgravia or South West London.
• The lobster was a tiny bit chewy. Aside from that the food was absolutely beautiful.
• The potato mash which came with the lamb was about the size of a teaspoon. It was actually hilarious.

Overall
It greatly saddened me that Lotus was empty during my visit. I find it particularly sad as I was visiting as press, not a paying customer. The food and wine throughout was absolutely amazing and we had a really lovely time. As I said above, Lotus would be much better suited in a different location where customers are willing to pay a premium for the quality. Would I go back? Yes but if it was somewhere else!

Tweet to @elliemathews1