LCB

Summary

A Couple of Gaylords...

The tooting curry blog were invited out by our good friends at Zomato to catch up, swap notes, have a drink and take down a lovely bit of curry, and what better setting to do it than Gaylords.

One of London's oldest and most elegant Indian restaurant's its a far cry form some of the more 'authentic' establishments we are used to in SW17, but with the lure of a tasting menu and welcome bellinis, we were keen to get stuck into Gaylord's North-Indian fare.

The restaurant itself is very well presented, the ivory interior and artwork which adorns the wall gives the place a feel of the British Raj, although it has to be said it did lack the character that we have come to love from many traditional Indian establishments in London.

As mentioned we were served the tasting menu, which was not only fantastic on the taste buds, it also brought a sense of theater to proceedings. Gaylords focus on traditional Indian street food but elevate it far beyond anything I ever tasted on the streets of Jaipur.

We started with golgappa shots, whereby you pour mint flavored water into a crisp puri sphere containing a little potato and chickpea, add a dash of tamarind chutney, then down the hatch. followed with a little cone of bhel puri. The courses kept flowing, delicious saffron prawns, fresh from the tandoor, chicken kebabs and some of the best lamb chops ever tasted! 'Succulent' doesn't do it justice.

Throughout the courses wine and breads were selected to match, the courses, something I think other establishments could take note on ( naan specific) Among the plethora of mains the butter chicken stood out - a dish which they are famous for and certainly one whihc certainly stood out.

The waiters were very good and the front of house in particularly added to the experience. We had an explanation to go with each course which we always appreciate, although for one or two courses we missed it, but that can be forgiven as it was busy and they kept our glasses topped up.

the finale was a kulfi sprinkled with pistachios and gulab jamun flambeed with dark rum, the latter being the highlight, moist, boozy and rich, all the things you look for in the perfect desert.

Gaylords is not quite at the level of gastronomy as say a Rasoi, but it does provide a fun approach to Indian food, with dishes that make you smile, before and after eating it! Well done guys, keep up the work