Chakra, London

While we often focus on the top places in central London, we've had a lot of members requesting good quality options in the west, which is exactly what Chakra is. Serving a generous array of modern, light Indian food that prioritises nutrition, Chakra aims to live up to its name and create a dining experience that restores harmony to your mind and body. When we popped in on a Thursday evening, we felt immediately at home in the intimate dining room.

With forty covers it was quite cosy but never too much so. Dark wood floors played off rich white and teal hued paint, with velvet banquettes lining the walls which were adorned with various paintings of Indian personages and landscapes in gorgeous frames. There were plenty of gold embellishments spread throughout and particoloured vases in jade, emerald, turquoise, teal and purple as well as an abundance of plantlife and floral touches. There's a lower level PDR downstairs and a small terrace outside for al fresco dining. After a Chakra Spice cocktail (tequila shaken with fresh raspberry, mint, lime and chilli, topped with lemonade) we ordered an Oltre Passo Primitivo and prepared ourselves for dinner.

Chakra put a lot of thought into their tandoor preparation, which shown through in two of our favourite dishes. Jalandhar chicken is Chakra's version of the Punjab classic tandoor grilled chicken dish simmered in a fine tomato and cream masala. The poultry was delicate and tender and went exceptionally well with peshwari naan.  Samosa chana chaat perfectly balanced sweet and savoury. Impregnated with crispy black chickpeas and topped with tamarind sauce and yoghurt, it was one of the best we've sampled in London. Otherwise, make sure you try the truffle kulcha, the fish Amristari and the Samundari Khazana scallops, not to mention capping it off with warm Gulab Jamun served with ice cream.

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