When the Mela restaurant invited me to dine at their restaurant on Shaftesbury Avenue I was delighted. From the outside it certainly doesn’t look anything special but having read about the awards they have received and the many excellent reviews, I knew we were in for a real treat!
We were greeted by Satu who showed us to our table in the dining area decorated with colourful wall hangings from India and Pakistan. The puppets, the style of which I recognised from my travels in Rajasthan, were a wonderful reminder of India.
Having looked through the menu I was pleasantly surprised by the prices which seemed very reasonable. Everything sounded delicious so I asked Satu if he could recommend a few dishes for us to try. His choices sounded excellent and it wasn’t long before he brought us a delicious collection of mouth-watering dishes.
We started with gilap seekh kebabs – chargrilled spiced minced lamb with seasonal vegetables, a traditional dish from North India. These spicy kebabs were perfectly complimented by the slightly sweet, pickled vegetables.
We also tried the Punjabi vegetable samosa – delightfully crispy pastry filled with potato, green peas and fragrant cumin and ginger.
Gilap Seekh kebabs and Punjabi vegetable samosa
These were delicious but it was at the main course that really shined. The gosht rogannjosh is a traditional hot, lamb curry from Delhi in which the lamb is slowly cooked in spices, onions and tomatoes. We also tried the kozi verte curry – a dish from the coast of spicy chicken curry flavoured with coconut, fennel and curry leaves. These were both superb but it was the black lentil dal that I couldn’t get enough of! All this came with the Punjabi flatbread paratha, naan bread and rice.
Gosht Rogannjos
Kozi Verte Curry
An extremely moorish black lentil dal
London’s West End
The Mela restaurant on Shaftesbury Avenue is opposite the Palace Theatre, currently showing ‘Singing in the Rain’
Popular with both critics and celebrities, the Mela restaurant well deserves it excellent reputation as one of the best Indian Restaurants in London. Its position on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the heart of theatre land, makes it the perfect spot for dining before or after a West End show. At the end of our meal I had to agree with Andrew Lloyd Webber who is reputed to have described it as “The best Indian food I have ever had.”
Special Offers
The Mela group has two restaurant’s, one on Shaftesbury Avenue in London’s West End and the other in Redhill in the heart of Surrey, both specialising in authentic Indian cuisine at a reasonable price.
If you are stuck for a last-minute Christmas present they offer gift vouchers for dining, takeaways or their fabulous cookery classes. They also have the Mela Limitless Card with which you can get some great money off deals.
Throughout December they are offering 50% off their A la Carte menu at the Shaftesbury Avenue restaurant just head over to their website to find out more.
Cooking Classes
The Mela group do a superb range of cookery classes. After having tried the food their kitchen served up, I was even more excited about the class I was booked on for the following weekend. It didn’t disappoint – more on that coming soon.
Until the end of December they are offering 65% off cooking class gift cards purchased for their Redhill restaurant.
Disclaimer: We were guests of the Mela Restaurant, however, the views expressed here are my own genuine opinions.
I haven’t tried Mela, but it’s now on my list for the next time we are in town, and it’s not too far from the Coach and Horses and the French House either
Simon Ball recently posted..The Big Chill
Excellent! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. I’ve not been to the French House or the Coach and Horses as yet, but they both sound very interesting and well worth a visit!
Kathryn Burrington recently posted..Mela, one of the best Indian Restaurants in London
Those dishes look amazing! Love all the colour and flavours of Indian food. Even better that they have cooking classes. I would love to try to make some of the dishes you have pictured here!
Anita Mac recently posted..Monday Morning Series: Where to Next?
And they tasted as good as they looked! Pop over to their website for their recipe of the month http://www.melarestaurant.co.uk/shaftesbury/recipeofthemonth.asp sadly I don’t have any of these recipes.
Kathryn Burrington recently posted..Interview: Memories of India
Thanks for the tip! Had a peek – their recipe looks good. Need to pick up a few new spices.
Anita Mac recently posted..Monday Morning Series: Where to Next?
Hi Kat, food looks wonderful, I love a good Indian and feel lucky to have to great ones near to me.
Chris Maskell recently posted..Winter Wonderland Pt II
It really was excellent. We have some very good ones near where I live but this was on another level!
Kathryn Burrington recently posted..Winchester Cathedral’s Christmas Market