Kama by Vineet | London (UK)
The dishes were not merely modern yet classical.
Spiced so perfectly that the authenticity was just overwhelming. We will be back soon!
Kama by Vineet is situated in the newly opened Dining Hall at the luxury department store, Harrods, on Knightsbridge in London (UK). The only branded restaurant in the beautiful hall, but the 26-seater is the first Indian restaurant within Harrods’ walls in it’s 180 year history,
Vineet Bhatia first arrived in the UK in 1993 and he is the world’s first Indian chef to helm a Michelin-starred restaurant. Kama by Vineet mark’s Bhatia’s first project in the U.K. since 2017, when he closed his flagship Chelsea restaurant, Vineet Bhatia London (VBL), just a week after winning a Michelin star. He rebranded his Michelin-starred restaurant Rasoi into VDL just the autumn before. Rasoi held a Michelin star for 12 years.
Taken from the Sanskrit word for “desire” Kama underpins Bhatia’s own desire to share his interpretation of Indian cuisine with the world. And the international clientele within the iconic building of Harrods is the right audience to showcase it.
The Dining Hall, which has been redesigned by David Collins Studios, is drop-dead gorgeous and there’s plenty of luxe food stuff to be enjoyed here. The centrepiece of the Dining Hall is the Wine Bar with food by Caviar House & Prunier. Around that you’ll find The Sushi bar by Eddie Lim of the Mango Tree group, a Pasta Bar, Fish Bar, The Grill and Kame by Vineet.
Kama by Vineet is open on Monday to Saturday from 11:30 to 21:00 and on Sunday from 11:30 to 18:00. Since last week, it’s possible to book table (see here), which wasn’t the case when we went. Made a remark about that on Instagram, so they probably took my advise! 🙂 It was on a first come first serve basis, so I expected to have to wait in line a while as we arrived around 13:00 on a Saturday two weeks ago, but it took less than 5 minutes to be seated.
The menu at Kama promotes sharing food, and comprises sharing plates and bowls. It offers 11 Sharing Plates (at £9-£26), 6 Sharing Bowls (at £12-£24), 2 Thali, complete meal platers (at £48-£58), 2 Biryani’s (at £36-£48), Bread, rice and sides (at £4-£7) and 4 Desserts (£7-£12).
Loved the steamed sea bass. The banana leaf in which it was wrapped in, not only keeping it beautifully succulent, but also adding flavour. Excellently spiced (like a tikka) with a gently kick of the chilli.. This just screams authenticity. Excellent!
The prawns were cooked perfectly. Nice and juicy, with mustard flavours definitely present. Sharp chilli aioli to go with it. What an absolute joy to eat!
Chicken still very moist, exuberantly spiced with lemon grass coming through nicely. Loved the chutney of red peppers. Almonds work very well too. Great combination of flavours, textures and tastes!
The lamb rogan josh full of authentic flavour again. Chucky braised pieces of lamb, submerged in the perfect rogan josh gravy. Nice, mild level of chilli heat and a great symphony of flavours from cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, garam masala and more.
Perfect naan and saffron rice to accompany the lamb rogan josh. This is not your average takeaway!
Well seasoned lamb, grilled nicely. Mash with a gentle saffron flavour and pomegranate seeds bringing some freshness and crunch. It definitely could have done with more of the mash. Not the right ratio with the lamb. Pistachio crumbs on top of the lamb to finish it off. Good dish.
But having seen the picture on Instagram posted by @harrodsfood, it was still disappointing. Like comparing your Greek hotel room to the picture in the brochure of the travel agent….
Reduced milk ice cream, mango slithers and sauce with a hint of saffron. Very tasty indeed! The ice cream, almost tasting like caramel, was already very nice on it’s own, but the garnishes made it even more interesting.
Vineet Bhatia composed a menu of his favourite, homestyle dishes, rooted in his childhood, showing off traditional Indian food. And that is exactly what you get. The dishes were not merely modern yet classical. They were spiced so perfectly that the authenticity was just overwhelming! I’m sure the South Asians, who were also there in fair numbers, appreciated the delicate flavours and techniques as much as we did.
While tasting the food, you picture yourself in India, in one of those food stands or outside food courts. Until you get the bill that is of course. But then you realise, this is Harrods, which kind of makes the bit of overpricing acceptable. Because there are food courts and food halls and then there is Harrods Dining Hall. I am definitely a fan and I’m afraid we will be back soon!
