Turmeric Kitchen

Hidden within a hotel, which is also hidden within those gorgeous terraced houses near Paddington station, is Turmeric Kitchen.

But first, reason 754 why I hate commuting.

Normally my train to London in the morning has 12 carriages. Yet this morning it had 4 carriages. I didn’t even bother attempting sardines.

Of course, the next train was then too busy, and then someone dropped their phone on the tracks to delay the one after.

But my day did get better.

Turmeric Kitchen is an Indian restaurant…but it also sells burgers.

I was offended, even if my Indian colleagues weren’t.

But aside from that, the menu just had far too many options.

How do you even think about what to have?

I saw the word “fiery” under the description for Laal Maas and that was my decision pretty much. The other one I was really tempted by was the Murgh Makhani, or maybe the Lamb Shank, or maybe the Smoked Aubergine, or maybe the…you get the point.

Turmeric Kitchen looks quite upmarket with the walnut furnishings and an open kitchen – though prices are stunningly cheap. The food did take quite a long time to arrive, we did have a large table, but from being sat to being served probably wasn’t far off an hour.

Yes, it’s all really well presented, but even more importantly it was gorgeous.

The lamb was nicely cooked, the gravy was quite fragrant and aromatic and it was nicely spicy – the heat growing somewhat as you went on, but not uncomfortably, at least not for me. Then again, I often complain about a lack of spice.

The naan was superb too. Garlic and coriander, it had bubbled up delightfully in a way that would never happen at home, toasted just the right amount.

The only downsides was that service was a bit slow for a lunchtime escape from the office, I did have to get up and get extra water for the table, and chase our bill. But these are minor quibbles for the exceptional quality of the food.

Easily the best Indian food I’ve had in ages, and easily the best lunch in Paddington so far. Expect this post to be updated with a re-visit soon enough!

Rating of 9.1 out of 10. Whoa.

Alas, then it was time to go back to an office without air conditioning…in a heatwave.

***

So I went back a couple of months later for the Murgh Makhani.

Delightfully presented again, to the point where I smiled inside when I received the meal. Possibly on the outside too.

It wasn’t quite as impressive as the Laal Maas on my previous visit – the most impressive part was the ridiculously creamy sauce, how do you get something so glorious? Also the after-spice was pleasant, in a tingling but moderate way.

The chicken itself felt a little taut – the texture wasn’t quite what I’d hope from chicken thigh.

The roti was good enough but slightly cremated to bottom – I’ve had better roti elsewhere.

Turmeric Kitchen is still my favourite place around here, though I’m lowering the score a tad.

***

Average rating of 8.60.