Kanishka

Here’s a new very fancy Indian restaurant just off Regents Street @kanishka is a modern fine dining restaurant with a traditional Indian menu with some modern twists

I ordered from the A la carte menu

For starters,

I went for a Chicken Tikka pie £19 served with a cumin-scented berry compote. A very uniquely presented dish, with a dome puff pastry middle that housed a chicken tikka filling.

My favourite dish of the night was the Gangtok momos £18. Steamed dumplings filled with quality minced lamb.

I chucked a whole Momo straight in my mouth, which burst the dumpling and released an explosion of flavour like a delicious flavour bomb. Sure, this most likely isn’t the best way to eat at a fine dining restaurant, but I can assure you, it tasted much better to throw one whole in your face rather than eat with some decorum with a knife and fork.

I also got the Tandoori mix grill £24. Which consists of high-quality lake district lamb chop, jumbo King prawn, fresh cornish seabass and corn fed chicken tikka.

The presentation of this dish could definitely be better, the French trimmed lamb chop was cooked well, had decent flavours, but just lacked that real strong deep lamb flavour you get with a nice bit of fat left on. The chicken was just okay, the flavour was mellow and the texture could have been softer for me as it was a bit dry, slightly overcooked thus not juicy. The seabass was actually the best item on the plate.

Mains

I was drawn to a £33 biryani with lamb served with a pastry top cut at the table. The aroma of the fragrant rice was steaming out of the biryani. Everything was cooked perfectly and the pineapple Rita was actually delicious, but at £33 I was expecting a mind-blowing biryani but this was just good and doesn’t reflect the price

Also got the Lake District lamb rump with some kathalu pitika, keema potol, spiced kosha gravy. A very disappointing dish. Whilst the lamb was tasty if was spoilt by an overpowering salty curry sauce that was poured at the table all over my steak. The waiter did notice my dissatisfied face and did try and remove the plate and send it back to the kitchen, but as I was reviewing here as an invited guest I left it (if I was paying I would sent it back) the accompanying sides on the plate also added nothing and didn’t work.

For dessert, I went for the instagramable Chocolate Sphere £13 with Cherry mousse and salted caramel sauce. Now if I actually read the menu and not get something for the likes I’d noticed in the sphere was filled with a bit of cherry mousse..I don’t like cherries.

My smarter friend opted for reading the menu got the Peanut Butter Parfait £13 with Banana cake, caramelized banana and 24-carat gold leaf. This was really good and I got a serious case of food envy; a well-balanced dessert with loads of elements working really well together.

The service was what I normally expect from a restaurant that’s aiming for a Michelin star, waiters were extremely attentive and moved with a stealth-like ability to top up my water without me noticing. The upstairs dining room has an art deco style with jazz playing creating a fine dining environment.

This place would be good for a special occasion or date night. However, if recommended saving some money and trying some of the set menus available for £45 Sunday to Thursday or lunchtime 3 courses for £35 or even a really good 5 plates for £30. Check their website for more info.

Chicken and lamb are halal. The wagyu beef is unfortunately not halal. I was invited here this meal was complimentary.