Jamavar - Mayfair, London

Almost out of nowhere, Indian has become one of the most promising, popular cuisines in London, with a slew of new openings running the gamut from Gunpowder to Hoppers to Kricket. However, the restaurant that first raised the bar, Gymkhana, suddenly has a bullish contender for the Mayfair crown. Jamavar is indubitably a force to be reckoned with. Field tested in India, the original restaurant launched as the flagship in the Leela Palace in Bangalore before quickly finding purchase in Goa, Mumbai and Delhi. For the first international launch, Leela has taken over prime frontage on Mount Street and installed one of London's most able-handed chefs. 

Jamavar is nestled in the site that played host to Inaki Aizipitarte's ill-fated stab at London - Le Chabanais. Designed by Fabled Studio (Connaught Bar), the dining room borrows inspiration from the viceroy's house in New Delhi, with an old world opulence that brings to mind many of the more masculine members' clubs. There's a bar downstairs, but upstairs you'll find Chaturanga tables inspired by ancient Indian boardgames, frosty vintage mirrors, rainforest emperador marble and a plenty of shimmering surfaces to catch a glimpse of the sophisticated Mayfair clientele. 

Rohit Ghai has taken the reins in the kitchen after overseeing Gymkhana, Trishna and Benares. Simply put, he's a maestro. We enjoyed the tasting menu, which showcases his many talents, and there wasn't a misplaced flavour throughout the experience. The greatest hits tour went from strength to strength. A tellicherry pepper and garlic soft shell crab offered a blast of flavour from damson chutney and garlic, which was followed by an excellent lobster idhli sambar which brought us straight back to the beaches of Kerala. Never have we had such high quality Indian food in London as authentic as this. However, both were upstaged by the Malai stone bass tikka served with mace, green cardamom and avocado chutney. We expect this dish to attain the celebrity status afforded to the black cod at Nobu and Hakkasan. 

Ghai has an adept hand on the grill, as evidenced by the tulsi chicken tikka and adraki lamb chops. The former arrived with a beautiful charred exterior, sweet basil, pickled radish and raita, while the latter popped with cumin, crushed onion, fennel and ginger. Prawn mappas were a massive highlight. We mopped up the sweet curry with tandoori perfect naan. The rose pink shellfish were bathed in a beautiful amalgam of raw mango, mustard seed and shallots. We wrapped our meal up with a chilli chikki lava chocolate fondant served with cinnamon kulfi and caramelised pecans. That description in itself should be enough to get across how delicious it was.

Jamavar is indubitably one of the best Indian restaurants in the capital - we recommend you make a booking there while it's still relatively easy. Expect accolades to follow. 

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