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Madhu's Brasserie Richmond review

Madhu’s Brasserie Richmond review

Madhu’s Brasserie Richmond review

High-end Indian with a casual concept…

Madhu’s has been wowing London – including the royal family – for many years. The caterers and restaurateurs recently launched a popular restaurant in partnership with Madhu’s Brasserie in Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge, and it’s now come to Richmond with a floor-to-ceiling glass windowed corner site on Sheen Road.

A 10-minute brisk stroll out of the town centre brings you to this leafy residential locale with a bustling pub and a handful of takeaway joints. The new brasserie has just a smattering of booths to dine in and a long countertop from where you can perch and watch the chefs in action. On the menu, you’ll find signature wraps such as tandoori naan with marinated paneer alongside more substantial dishes.

The star of the show is a robata on which dishes including spiced lamb chops are grilled. Then there’s a short selection of curries and the all-encompassing thalis, including one for vegans.

We sat at the counter and took in the surrounds. The premise may be casual dining but the decor is opulent, with leather stools, art deco style wallpaper and dark woods. It all looks elegant.

To start, we had to try the signature dish of lamb chops from the robata. They were indeed delicious – perfectly cooked and spiced, as was the murgh tikka. For mains, we went for the prawn moilee curry – a favourite of mine, and this certainly didn’t disappoint with giant plump prawns and a sauce which balanced well the cream, spices and piquancy. A dish of karai lamb was good, with tender meat. The bread, straight from the tandoor, was also excellent. And we enjoyed a gajar ka halva to finish – a very sweet dish made from caramel and carrots.

The wine list is brief with just seven choices – a Verdejo was rather on the warm side and quite bland. It’s not so much the brevity of the list but the prices – the Verdejo is £7 a glass, the next one up is a Spatlese at £15.50, then a Pouilly Fume at £20.50. A delicious glass of Laurent Perrier Rose for £15 seemed like the better value and made for a delicious aperitif.

The pricing on the food menu also needs some thought – you could really rack up a considerable bill here with the curries coming in at between £18.50 and £25. However, you could opt for a thali for a reasonable £27 – a neighbouring diner had one and it looked generous and interesting. The wraps are £9. It was all quite confusing – is it a destination restaurant or a casual night out?

Also, with the kitchen on display, you really do see the inner workings, including the cleaning and the prep, as well as the staff being on display – at times they didn’t seem all that comfortable being that much on show but it is early days.

Overall, the food is delicious, and stunningly presented, and the ambience is fun.

https://madhusbrasserie.com

Images: Anton Rodrigues

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