LCB

Introduction

South Kensington isn't somewhere I usually spend my Friday evenings, and it wasn't a show at the Royal Albert Hall or a night museum opening that brought me here. 

No, Caroline had come up with the goods again with an invite to Pravaas, a new restaurant from Chef Shilpa Dandekar, the pioneering female chef behind Fulham's Pure Indian Cooking. 

A previous blog visit to Pure Indian Cooking had revealed a refined, if a little safe, and typical upmarket 'British Indian' dining experience. All clean and in order, but not especially exciting. 

Unaware at the start of the meal about this link, I headed into Pravaas with no prejudice, but by the end was pleasantly surprised to have discoevered an altogether more satisfying experience.

Venue

Not far from South Kensington tube, Pravaas means migration, reflective of Chef Shilpa's personal migration from Gujarat to long-term residence in London. 

From the outside, a black awning above the entrance hints at the contemporary interior which houses classy, three-tone - white, grey and turquoise - furnishings.  These include smart leather banquette and booth seating that maximises the use of the cosy space while mirrors and hanging lights give the illusion of more, even if the lighting is a touch too bright. 

A plush foam mural of elephants and foliage on the right wall adds a unique touch (quite literally) and a tidy bar at the back completes the modern yet classic, Indian restaurant look.

8/10

Starters and sides

Papad, Tomato & Mango Chutney

Taste Of Mumbai - Sev Puri, Pani Poori & Ragda Patties

Wasabi Chicken Tikka, Lamb Galouti Kebab & Smoked Beetroot Tikki

Butter Naan

As this was a complimentary meal we were treated to the waiters choice of the restaurants top dishes in a pseudo-tasting menu. We missed out on the scallop and red snapper as a result but leaving things up to our man in grey meant we still tried a whole host of delights.

Round one was a poppadom selection with a range of sev based snacks to sample from including a puffed rice, bubbly looking number and a special Gujarati variant. These came with two smooth tomato and mango chutnies, that were good if a little plain - we'd have liked the tomato chutney to have a bit more oomph to it.

Next came the 'Taste of Mumbai'. A set of appetizers consisting of two sev puri, two pani poori, and two ragda patties. The pani poori were some of the best with with spicy mint water poured in first for a palate cleansing burst. Similarly, the puri with yoghurt and chickpea provided a lovely heat quenching bite, while the ragda patties were lovely mashed potato balls topped with crunch sev strands.

For the last of the starters, came a plate with three further samples. The most memorable was the lamb galouti, a melt in the mouth kebab on a small bellini whose warming heat left a lasting impression. Conversely, the wasabi chicken was not as punchy as expected, but it was a nice tender chicken tikka thigh nonetheless.  Finally, the smoked beetroot tikki offered something a little different but the strong goat's cheese was a little dominating.

All in all though, an excellent showing from the Starters & Sides at Pravaas, with a wide range and high quality on offer.

8/10

Curry

Venison Dalcha (?)

Dal Makhani

Lasooni Palak

Stone Bass (?)

The rounds kept coming, with four further main dishes for us to sample. The stand out was a venison chop that came in a pool of superb chilli sauce superb, providing just the right level of heat to go with an accompanying barley and rice kedigree.

Equally great was the dal makhani, far better than the Dishoom variant everyone overrates, but a slight skin forming on the top suggested it had been sat on the side a little while. Unfortunately, the spinach lassoni palak was also a bit meh and the stone bass wasn't the best fish, with some bones still present. However, it was elevated slightly by a tasty currant chutney, but not enough to raise scores above a 7/10.

7/10

Service

As comped guests we got the full VIP treatment so our experience may have been above the norm, but we can't mark it down as a result. 

The service from our waiter was excellent. He was very friendly, educated on all the dishes, and passionate to boot. Not since Hoppers have we awarded a 9 for Service, but Pravaas gets its just desserts.

...and speaking of desserts we finished our meal with two delicate little numbers - an 'ooof!'-inducing gulab jamun apple pie type desert with ice cream and a jackfruit creme brulee with a lovely sugary sweet edge and raspberry balls on top. A great tasting menu experience all-round.

9/10

Value for money

As our meal was fully comped we have to judge value based on the menu pricing. At £17-24 for meat mains, and £11 for vegetarian, Pravaas isn't on the cheap side, but the quality of the dishes is high. We'd have hoped for a little bit more bang for our buck from the mains, but the overall service and experience was excellent and the starters were great. So it's a healthy 7/10 despite the high price tags.

7/10

Summary

Given it's location, I'm unlikely to be rushing back, but would recommend Pravaas to anyone looking for a nice meal out after a day at the museums with visitors. It will also suit the 'traditional British curry restaurant' brigade not as equipped to deal with the trendier or more rough and ready options elsewhere in the capital.

It's also a step up from Chef Shilpa's Pure Indian Cooking in Fulham, and sits towards the top of our leaderboard as a result. The challenge is the price point sitting somewhere between fancier places in Mayfair and all round better value and located offerings. However, the prices suit the locale and it's likely to do well with the tourist trade passing through South Ken station. And as always, am grateful for the invite, and glad I visited.

39/50

Please now check our reviews for Pure Indian Cooking