Indian Seasoning Review

Best for: Indian summer dining, traditional feasts, Jeera chicken, and desserts.

Great: clay oven cooked dishes, Indian inspired cocktails, value for money, and attentive service.

I’m starting a campaign for an Indian summer. I’m not talking about the lack of summer we’ve had this year, nor am I talking about extending this so-called-summer into September, although that would be nice. I’m talking about an Indian-food-filled summer.

Those words are rarely seen together. On a scorching hot afternoon with the sun beaming down, it’s unusual to head to your local curry house for a spicy vindaloo, but why? I’m initiating the crusade after a visit to Indian Seasoning restaurant in Fulham on a hot summers evening.

The sun was shining down on the restaurant but not one other table was there to share the evening of delights with us. We could have sat outside on the decked terrace but, despite the sunshine, we opted for the cool, modern and bright dining room. No flocked wallpaper here, but funky perspex chairs, crisp white tablecloths, beautiful artwork and comfy banquette seating.

Drinks to start, thus helping us decide what to order from the vast menu. There was more than beer to wash the curry down at this restaurant, so I opted for an ice-cold cocktail while my fellow activist had a mango lassi yoghurt drink known for its temperature-reducing qualities.

During the summer it’s normal for us Brits to gravitate towards cool food and drink, but in the land where the chilli pepper grows and is eaten in abundance, and where the temperature soars to 40°c, it’s the norm to dig in to a steaming hot chicken jalfrezi and you know what, they’ve got something on us! It’s said that hot and spicy foods actually cool you down by increasing blood circulation and allowing you to perspire and if I listened to my science teacher correctly, sweating allows the body to release heat. So if spicy food cools you down, why aren’t we eating more of it during the summer months?

This question stayed with us throughout the meal and our real campaigning began. The clay oven was put to good use for our starters. No British BBQ here. The Indian oven is on heat all year round. Tender tilapia tikka, nuggets of walnut kebab with vegetables and herbs, and paneer shashlik had all graced the clay oven before gracing our table. Each morsel was tender and screaming with a rainbow of beautiful Indian spices. I confess our campaign had already started to falter as the spicing was delicate but the selection of accompanying sauces had enough kick to get the sweat beads forming.

In keeping with Indian tradition, we went with a menu similar to that of a typical family. It is a cultural belief that the amount you eat is considered an indication of your enjoyment of the meal, so, not to appear rude, the two of us took on a family-sized meal of epic proportions and hard-hitting campaign spiciness.

A punchy lamb and spinach saag gosht looked like a bowl of Glastonbury after heavy rainfall but tasted like all the colours of Diwali. Chicken jeera, a curry packed with cumin, was my fellow supporter’s favourite. She described the feeling of the strong spicy flavours like a heavy blanket on a cold day: comforting and warm. An aubergine dish of bhaigan bharta with tomato and onion was fresh and had a lovely smoky flavour.

Our campaign was reaching climax. I’m unsure whether our profuse sweating was courtesy of the heat in our dinner or the sheer amount of delectable dishes that we had devoured. Ever the troopers, we kept to the rules. It is common practice in the Indian home for the host to entice guests in to having just a little more and it is also considered rude if you refuse. We didn’t need any persuasion, we practically mopped the bowls clean without a fuss.

Side orders of spicy, stimulating ginger rice, creamy daal, soft, pillowy naan breads and more of those fiery sauces completed the meal and almost completed us too. After dinner we headed out in to the muggy night feeling cool, calm and collected.

It is true what they say, Indian spices do cool you down. So here’s my petition. Why keep Indian restaurants until the winter months? Why not relish in the authentic origins of the chilli? Sod the boring summer BBQ that will probably get rained off anyway. Head for a taste of the exotic. Don’t leave great restaurants like Indian Seasoning empty. Let’s fill them up. Even if you can’t bear to be inside, head to the terrace and soak up the sun. Let’s have a feast together. Let’s have an Indian summer....read more

Rebecca Brett 06 Aug 2012

Indian Seasoning Description

A new and exciting 100 cover Indian restaurant has opened next to Earls Court by expert caterer Salil Bhatia, with an additional downstairs function suite catering for up to another 100 covers. Seasoning Restaurant & Lounge stays faithful to its origins and this is why it has created a menu that provides a tantalising mix of ethnic culinary styles, prepared by highly skilled chefs from India.

Seasoning Restaurant & Lounge offers a diverse set of dishes, ranging from the exotic mughlai to the simple homely cooking styles of the northern regions of India, with each dish ensuring authentic taste and flavour. They also include a few Chinese dishes on their fusion menu such as Indo-Chinese style medium hot diced lamb cooked with spices and tossed with a choice of ginger, peppers or cashew nuts, or Chinese King Prawn in Pepper sauce or Oyster sauce. Just as Indian is traditionally the most popular cuisine for us Brits, Chinese is similarly the most popular choice for Northern Indians, so they wanted the menu be the first to reflect this cultural transfusion here in the UK.

The menu is both extensive and great value, starters such as Tandoori Paneer Shashlick (£3.75), marinated Indian cheese grilled in a clay oven and Prawn Puri (£3.75), Prawns cooked with herbs and spices, served on deep fried flat bread. Whilst mains such as the Seasoning Khazana Platter (£12.95), an assortment of Chicken Zafrani Tikka, Mussaki Kebab, Piazi Sheekh Kebab and Mumbai King Prawns is an ideal sharing option. Most non-vegetarian mains are priced at £5.95, whilst vegetarian dishes are also excellent value at £3.95 each. Desserts include Kulfi (£2.95), a traditional Indian ice cream and Gulab Jamun (£2.95), hot fried dumplings immersed in syrup.

White walls and white leather benches create a calm and serene atmosphere in stark contrast to a traditional Indian restaurant. The chic and modern clear perspex chairs add a touch of glamour to the décor, together with a purpose built feature wall of bottled wine. Seasoning Restaurant & Lounge also has a superb veranda with open bay windows to enjoy their exquisite cuisine in the summer months.

The restaurant also has a versatile function suite, complete with bar, modern lounge and DJ booth, which can hold up to 100 people for dinner. The private dining room is perfect for birthdays, weddings and corporate functions with a large and varied selection of delicious menus to choose from.

With a history of offering unrivalled catering to businesses and private individuals for over 10 years, Salil continues to provide outside catering to the highest level. Seasoning Restaurant & Lounge has extensive links to the very best venues in and around the UK, from five star hotels such as the Sheraton Parklane to the White Hall Banqueting House and has recently signed a deal with Hilton hotels as an approved caterer....read more

Customer Reviews for Indian Seasoning

Average (based on 2 votes): 2 Atmosphere: Value: Quality:

The following customer reviews are not endorsed by Fluid London and are simply those of users who wish to publish their independent experiences of Indian Seasoning.

“I recently had dinner at Indian Seasoning in Fulham. I had a really great experience, but the place was really very quiet, so I thought I would write a few words in the hope that people might be encouraged to give it a try. Granted, I was there mid week so you woudln't necessarily expect the place to be packed, but I thought that the food and the people were so nice that it deserves to busy every day of the week. Staff were really friendly, and attentive, and had a great knowledge of the dishes which ranged from traditional to more modern adaptations of Indian cuisine. I had the fish Tikka to start, which was delicately spiced, and i had a try of the vegetarian walnut kebab that my friend ordered, which was really unusual, and one of the nicest vegetarian dishes I have tried. For main I had Jeera chicken, along with pilau rice and garlic naan. I am a big fan of cumin, and this meal didn't didn't disappoint. This may be the dish I come back for time after time. All in all, great food, great people and defintiely somewhere I will be going back to.”
Atmosphere: Value: Quality:
Orla Barron, London (10 months 6 days ago)

“The restaurant staff at Indian Seasoning are so lovely and welcoming, we really enjoyed our visit to the restaurant last Saturday night. The cocktails are really good, especially the seaoning royale and the quality of food is outstanding, really enjoyed the lamb dhansak and the fried sponge cake dessert”
Atmosphere: Value: Quality:
June, Balham (10 months 13 days ago)

Additional Information

• Cuisine Type: Indian
• Average Price: £20.00
• Dress Code: Smart Casual
• Group: (Independent/Freehouse)