Trishna was awarded its first Michelin star last September but to those in the know it’s always been special. Yes, special’s the word, but in a subtle and understated fashion.
This is as far from your old-fashioned stereotypical Indian restaurant as you could imagine. It spans the temperature spectrum for ambiance, being cool in both colour and trend, and warm in hospitality. Trishna has that well-deserved Michelin star, and furthers the cause of having Indian cuisine taken seriously – it’s a classic and stands shoulder to shoulder with French, which has too long held the world in awe of its refined recipes. Look to the subcontinent, mes amis, and find equal gastronomic excellence.
Trishna’s interior was created by B3 Designers. Its clean and minimalist feel is offset by tumbled marble, smoked oak, brickwork and glass. Trishna has an enviable location: a quiet side street in the stylish and vibrant neighbourhood of Marylebone Village. This has become the haunt of those discerning diners who are looking for restaurants offering notable food at reasonable prices, and away from the thronging throngs of Oxford Street, which has never had a reputation for anything other than the iffy and inedible.
Trishna delivers on its Michelin star expectation, and without the culinary trills, decorative fandangos or overtly ethnic chachkies that always shout ‘You might not recognise from our food whence hails our chef, so here is the Taj Mahal’. Trishna is confident in its excellent coastal cuisine and its subtle embrace.
This isn’t a cavernous space but more a bijou restaurant that has a total capacity of 60 people, with a few sitting on outside tables. That’s the advantage of this quiet side street – one can enjoy some al fresco dining sans too many fuming cars. The basement features a private dining area for a dozen.
The menu at Trishna is broad and enticing, and having dined here a couple of times I can attest to the quality of both dishes and presentation. Patron Karam Sethi has gathered some of the best of the capital’s Indian chefs so there is never that nagging worry that tonight the chef might be ‘off’. Every night offers the same expectation of a memorable meal and a sommelier who will complement your choices with some striking wines.
Trishna lists mouth-watering and vibrant meat dishes, and the Guinea Fowl Tikka should not be missed, but this restaurant has its focus on the sea. Karam and his team treat fish and shellfish with tender respect adding spices to enhance rather than overwhelm the delicate natural flavours. Hariyali Bream must be a signature dish and illustrates the sense of that Michelin star.
There is a myth that one can’t eat Indian food for lunch. One therefore wonders what the population of, say, Delhi, does for those noon hours! In truth they are eating lunch just like the rest of the world. Trishna offers a Lunch Bites Menu – light meals that can be accompanied by a wine flight to turn that midday repast into an occasion of outstanding value.
London is blessed with some of the finest restaurants in the world. Indian chefs are at last gaining recognition for their skills and culinary sensitivity. Trishna is deserving of its place in Michelin’s firmament and does much to change the image of Indian food in general. It’s just right in every regard.
Opening hours:
Monday – Saturday
Lunch: 12 noon – 14.45
Dinner: 18.00 – 22.45
Sunday
Lunch: 12 noon – 15.15
Dinner: 18.30 – 21.45
15 -17 Blandford Street
Marylebone Village
London
W1U 3DG
Phone: 020 7935 5624
Fax: 020 7935 9259
Email: info@trishnalondon.com
Visit Trishna here
Restaurant review by Chrissie Walker © 2018