A recent opening, Nirvana Kitchen is nestled in a quiet crescent in West London’s Marble Arch and brings to this quiet residential area a unique taste of the East. Traditional recipes are revived and reinterpreted to strike a unique balance between paying rightful homage and offering a fresh perspective on Asian cuisine.
Much like a tightrope walker Head Chef Anirudh Arora steadies himself, pushing and pulling diners in different directions, yet always finding the perfect balance. This compelling harmony is largely owed to the New-Asian concept, which could quite easily teeter and come crashing down. But the chef places one foot in front of the other, swaying slightly, and makes it to the other side in an evocative explosion of heritage, sophistication and intrigue.
The menu is extensive and there is much that grabs our attention, so much so that we enlist the help of our helpful waiter to help us navigate the favourites and signatures; from the small dishes, collectively we decide on Duck Watermelon Salad, mandarin, pomegranate, basil, coriander, cashew and hoisin sauce, Black Cod, marinated with home made ‘Harissa’ and served with Thai som tam dip, Softshell Crab Tempura, truffle ponzu and sour mango dip and Scallop Ceviche, fresh scallops with sweet potato, red onion, crispy sweet corn and citrus chili yuzu. Our intro to the world of Nirvana Kitchen is divine, we especially love the black cod and soft shell crab.
Moving on to the mains, we’ve been intrigued by the Lobster curry pot since we saw it on the menu so order that and are recommended the Chilean Seabass, tamarind glaze pickled cucumber and caramelised cashew ‘Gajak’. Both are beautifully presented and taste delicious, perhaps it’s too much indulgence for a lunch but it’s Friday so we allow it along with the dessert that followed, Chocolate Fondant and Mochi!
The elegantly styled interior suits the restaurant’s food, service and postcode, and an extensive wine and cocktail selection compliments the ambience and fine fare we just sampled.
Nirvana Kitchen, 61 Upper Berkeley Street, London, W1H 7PP, T(0) 20 7958 3222
Facebook
