Veeraswamy

Poppadom paradise

VEERASWAMY opened in 1929 and is perhaps the oldest Indian restaurant in London. It has recently been refurbished to restore the glamour of the 1920s. It is a vibrant place full of colour with turbans from Indian maharajas displayed on the walls and fabulous lighting. You feel as if you were in an Indian palace.
A large white crystal chandelier presides in the middle of the room with two others on each side made of brightly coloured Indian glass shades (handis) – all suspended at different heights from a centre point in the ceiling.
It is difficult to choose which colour is more beautiful. One of these enhances the entrance leading to the lift that takes you to the mezzanine. If you prefer not to use the lift, they will escort you upstairs from the adjoining staircase.
Charming alcoves, small and large tables and banquettes are all separated by lattice silvered screens – ingenious lighting, which change in colour, shine on them giving a sense of movement to the room. The paintings are from Bengal in the 1920s style.
The tables for four or six are next to the floor to ceiling windows overlooking Regent Street.
A large flower arrangement stands on a pedestal in the middle of these windows – I, myself, would replace them with an antique mirror which would reflect the beauty of the room instead.
The background windows throughout the length of the room provide a spacious feeling to the whole restaurant.
The ceiling is painted in silver and the floor has hand made Mughal-style carpets on dark wood and black Indian granite.
Both the presentation and the quality of the food are spectacular. Traditional dishes are combined with modern ones from all parts of India.
Old recipes from the homes of regional gourmet families are prepared authentically with fresh spices which are ground individually for each dish using stone grinders from India.
They have vegetarian and fish specialities such as Sea Bream Paturi steamed in a banana leaf with a chilli and mustard sauce.
Our waiter Moi was pure charm. He answered all our questions after which we ordered Poppadoms (£3.50) to start. They arrived with three delicious dips – mint, plum, and a spicy chutney. To follow we had the Prawn Travancore (£18.50) – juicy large prawns cooked in a spicy sauce served in a clay pot over a burner; the Hyderabadi lamb Biryani (£18) was one of the best I have had.
As the lamb dish came with rice we chose lentils, and Bombay Daal (£4.50), Stuffed Chilli (£6.50) and the Ajwani Lacha (£2.50). Their house dry white wine Vina Monte (£18.50) was very good and served at the right temperature.
Veeraswamy has a private room which seats 36 and a special Sunday lunch for £20 for a three course meal chosen from the a la carte menu. This is haute Indian cuisine at its best.

VEERASWAMY
99-101 Regent Street, W1
020 7734 1401