sunday jazz brunch at chutney mary

my friends and colleagues often ask me for indian restaurant recommendations in london. chutney mary in chelsea is always on top of my list. i've been there thrice now and each time has been more memorable than the previous one.

h and i treated my mother (who is visiting from bombay) to a jazz brunch at chutney mary on sunday. amma was totally awed by the ambience from the minute we stepped and were greeted by a very elegant and cheerful cane sofa with lots of silk cushions. it wasn't long till we were shown to our table in the conservatory downstairs but it was just enough time to admire the interiors and set high expectations of the meal to follow.

we opted for a simple three course lunch menu for just £20 each which i thought was such great value, especially for such a high end establishment.

aaloo tikki with sprouts and tamarind chutney was the starter:



this was followed by a hearty vegetarian platter consisting of paneer makhani, dal tadka, saag and baingan curry. this was accompanied by black dal, naan with raisins and almonds, cheese naan and steamed basmati rice:



for dessert, you had to choose between mango panacotta, mango sorbet and green apple sorbet:



we listened to live jazz all through lunch and watched the rain heavily pelting down on the glass windows of the conservatory. what a perfect (and dry) way to spend an otherwise cold, wet and grey london afternoon.

ps - i'm getting a bit depressed by the london weather. any suggestions for cheering up?