Is there anything better than a Thursday night curry? In my opinion, not much, but when you throw in a multi-course Indian feast, showcasing flavours from around the country tied up by one neat theme? We just can't say no. Let us tell you about Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea, next to the iconic power station.
The Cinnamon Kitchen set menu is well worth a shout, just look at that dessert...
DesignMyNight Review Of Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea
You’ll easily find the Cinnamon Kitchen restaurant under the arches within Battersea Power Station's grounds, right beside the Thames. We adored the exposed brick domed ceiling that made the most of the original Victorian features, contrasting nicely with the teal pannelled walls, velvet mustard seats and chic monochrome flooring. The fairy lights gave things a romantic, cosy feel while the industrial fittings aptly reflected the setting. We sat at the (very cool) mezzanine level that impressively hung from the ceiling, giving a bird’s eye view of the kitchen below - seeing the kebabs being plunged into the tandoori oven was particularly fun. In keeping with the train-inspired theme for the evening (which I’ll talk about soon), our ‘carriage’ featured cute little table-top lamps that reminded me of the golden age of rail travel, alongside real-life pictures of Indian stations.
We were here to sample Rakesh’s Railway Journey Feast, setting you back an extremely reasonable £45 per person. It surrounds the voyage taken by The Himsagar Express; a stunning 2355-mile route from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Everything is designed to be shared, and being a herbivore, we opted for the vegetarian menu (much to the annoyance of my other half, who is still dreaming about the lamb chops). Now, a quick bit of advice, I'd make lunch very light before visiting here, as you'll need to make room for the mammoth banquet that's about to happen…
The private hire space is such an unusual
feature in a restaurant, it looks like it's suspended from the
ceiling.
As I sipped a very refreshing sauvignon blanc (£10.50) while my date knocked back a Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0% (£4.50), the first of our 'zones' arrived, carefully explained by our friendly waiter Karthik. This concentrated on the southern region, signified by a charming signpost that arrived on our table with each course, and featured one of my favourite dishes of the night, Kovai cauliflower. The super soft and flavour-packed florets had a great kick, almost lip-plumpingly so, offset by the creamy, lemony garlic yoghurt. The incredible garelu, a crispy yet fluffy lentil doughnut matched with kisses of orange-coloured coconut chutney, was standout too. We were off to a strong start. Although the Kochi-style date pickle on mini uttappam had pleasant smoky notes, it didn’t add much to our experience but this was made up by the delicious Warangal sweet potato cake, paired with a fennel-heavy sweet tomato chutney and dollops of green coriander sauce that wasn’t too overpowering.
We were still extinguishing the flames in our mouths, in part helped by a pint of Cobra (£7.50), as the next round of plates arrived. The Agra-style samosa chaat was my dinner date’s fave; a volcano-shaped pastry featuring swirls of cream, curried chickpeas and the right amount of heat. Our Nagpur bhel puri chaat with puffed rice was a real surprise; I thought it would be dry but the pomegranate and chutney potatoes provided moisture. If we had one recommendation though, it would be to make this portion a little smaller, maybe a side dish, as think it would work better. Our Dholpuri pithod, or ‘curried gnocchi’, was a knockout, a silky cube that melts in your mouth, accompanied by a balanced coriander chutney and ripples of sticky sweet tamarind sauce. Clean plates all around…
The Cinnamon Kitchen London reviews are in, and it's a big thumbs up from us.
India's colourful northern zone was up next, and if you know me, you’ll appreciate that my love for dairy runs deep, so the divine Old Delhi-style paneer butter masala proved to be a massive hit. The decadent sauce matched well with the bouncy cheese, taking the familiar favourite to the next level. We also enjoyed the Rohtak Khumbh Palak, bringing together roast portobello mushroom, chunks of tomato, shavings of ginger and cardamom in a green sauce heady with garlic, topped with a huge dried chilli. You can probably tell that we simply had too much food at this point, but still managed to devour the crispy garlic naan and Jalandhar dal makhani; the latter being a bowl of earthly and delicious goodness. The rice, although we unfortunately only managed a few mouthfuls, was perfectly fluffy and served piping hot.
By now, the Cinnamon Kitchen menu likely wiped out an entire month’s worth of gym classes but the calories were so worth it. Our Kashmiri-inspired dessert, or ‘final destination’, was a really tasty cake, featuring layers of thandai ice cream and a cheesecake-esque middle, presented with sliced strawberry. As for the triumphant mango sorbet? We would have liked more of this zingy section, perhaps replacing the spongier layers, especially considering the rich meals that came before it. The torched, spiced meringue was among the stars of the show too, alongside candied walnuts.
Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea: Overall
Our dining experience at Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea Power
Station rekindled my love for India and its fantastic cuisine,
and this experience has made me want to return there on my travels.
The service at this restaurant was exceptional, surroundings
vibrant and food lovely, plus you can’t deny the price is an
absolute bargain. Although generous, we would, however, advise
reducing the portion sizes a little or maybe removing one or two of
the earlier dishes, as even us self-confessed gluttons couldn’t
polish it all off.
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💰 Price: £117 including drinks (plus service). 📍 Address: 4 Arches Lane, Nine Elms, London, SW11 8AB. 👌 Perfect for: A Saturday night feast after an autumn stroll by the river. ⭐ Need to know: There's also a sister site at Cinnamon Kitchen City. |
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