Khanage Indian Kitchen

Khanage Indian Kitchen has been open for seven months and is the concept of the owners, Anwar and his partner Sonia, who designed this light and airy restaurant.

‘We decided to break with the usual tradition of Indian restaurants,’ Sonia told me. ‘We went for light grey and an altogether modern ambiance, which reflects the food we serve which is traditional Lahore in style and originates in the Punjab in northern Pakistan.’ The restaurant has only recently acquired a drinks licence so I was particularly interested in the wine that was on offer. As usual I asked for the house red which was Malbec which, in the terms of the trade, was quaffable and mellow, if a little on the cold side which was probably due to the fact that it was a cold February evening and about to snow.

My guest for the evening was the Rev Andrew Wakefield, a man wellknown to the business community of Merton as he is the Chair - and enthusiastic supporter - of Merton Chamber of Commerce. Andrew believes that the church should be involved in every aspect of daily life – and in particular the business world, in which he is active. Andrew is vicar of St Andrews, Wimbledon and is responsible mostly for the Dundonald ward. He has lived in the locality for 30 years.

Anwar presented us with the menu and guided us through the vast selection that it offered. For starters Andrew and I chose a mixed meat grill, which featured a variety of meats and sausage in a jus. This seemed to me to be an entirely original dish, which gave one the feeling of an indoor barbeque.

So how did Andrew get involved in Merton Chamber? ‘I met Diana Sterck, the Chief Executive, when she was working for Aztac. The chamber was struggling, so together we set about changing it into something that was more than a business networking organisation. We listened to what businesses wanted and as a result decided to offer practical business support as part of the service to all small and medium businesses in the area. Wimbledon is well known for its number of small businesses, and we have become the most successful chamber in south west London, largely due to the variety of services we offer.’

As we talked, Andrew became interested in the app that was being trialled on the next table by Sonia. Anwar explained that customers could not only order the dishes they wanted by mobile but they could also pay for it. The result went straight to the kitchen ready for the customer when they arrived or as a takeaway. Andrew immediately arranged for Anwar to show this device to the next meeting of the chamber, as he saw it as an original and creative use of business technology.

By this time our main course had arrived. I had ordered ninhari - lamb shank in a gravy prepared with chilli, coriander and ginger (‘much favoured by the rulers of North India,’ Anwar explained). We also had lamb pasadee, presented in a thick onion sauce. This is quite hot but, when eaten with the daal makhini, the flavours combined to a quite delicate, smooth taste. I especially liked the daal makhini which is slow cooked in butter and is a combination of lentils and peppers in a smooth sauce that blends with the rice to give an overall special experience of Indian cuisine. It’s a favourite Indian dish.

I asked Andrew what his impression of Khanage Indian Kitchen was. ‘Excellent! High quality food, well presented. I love the style of the place - light and modern,’ he enthused. I had to agree. It is certainly a place that I will have on my ‘must return to’ list; a most enjoyable and hospitable evening.

29 London Road Morden SM4 5T 020 8648 7044 www.khanage.com. Free parking opposite the restaurant after 6pm