T RIED AND TE ST E D LONDON RES T A UR A NT S


Duddell’s


GREAT NEW LONDON BARS


Indian Accent


This is the third Indian Accent – the first two opened in Delhi and New York. The link is owner Rohit Khattar and chef Manish Mehrotra. Mehrotra has returned to London after a decade’s absence, making this Mayfair branch the flagship. Indian Accent is so polished you could be


◆THE BLUE PO STS A venue in two parts. The ground floor is a smart craft-beer pub, while the first floor is a


bijou cocktail bar called the Mulwray with lovely drinks, table service and brilliant snacks. theblueposts.co.uk


forgiven for thinking the menu will be tame. Not a bit of it. Mehrotra’s taken plenty of offbeat ingredients and turned them into thrilling dishes that push the boundaries of modern Indian cooking. Amla is a wild tree fruit containing 20 times the vitamin C of an orange, inedibly sour when raw. But cooked into a fruit confit, mixed with pomelo and cashew, it’s served as a toothsome chaat (snack or appetiser). The humble dosa, a crisp pancake that’s breakfast for south Indians, is here turned into a cloche-like cone that lifts to reveal a spicy mélange of water chestnuts and enoki mushrooms, layered with spices. Mishti doi, a Bengali dessert of sweetened yogurt, cleverly replaces ricotta in Sicilian-style cannoli.


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Duddell’s is the creation of restaurateur Yenn Wong. Her Hong Kong original of the same name holds two Michelin stars, and is smart but pricey – much like this London Bridge branch inside the beautifully refurbished St Thomas Church. There’s a full menu with dishes such as lobster


noodle and plenty of rich ingredients, including truffles and wagyu beef; but we visited for the full dim sum selection at lunch. The Duddell’s fish and prawn dumpling is a variation on har gau (the classic shrimp dumpling) steamed in wrappers that were deftly made and translucent, the filling correctly resistant to the bite. Crispy char siu bun was a highlight – the roast pork filling flavour- packed and intensely savoury, while the poached chicken dumpling had an impeccable spicy stock. Slithery yet firm, these dim sum exemplified the mastery of texture that Chinese chefs have.


VERDICT This is a great venue for corporate entertaining near the City, with discrete space between tables and well-executed dishes that won’t frighten the guests. Guy Dimond


HOUR S Mon-Sat 12-3pm,


6-11.15pm; Sun


12-3pm, 6-10.15pm AP RIL 2 0 18 P R ICE


Dim sum £7-9 (US$9-12) per plate (three pieces). Three- course dinner for two with wine around £130 (US$181)


C ONT A C T


9A St Thomas St, SE1 9RY; +44


(0)20 3957 9932; duddells.co


◆THE NICKEL BAR The Ned hotel near Bank in the City has several restaurants and bars. This one serves US whiskeys and modern cocktails such as the signature Nedgroni (£11/US$15), plus full meals. thened.com


VERDICT Brilliant cooking of a standard rarely seen, slick service and prices that aren’t grasping: book now while you can still get a table. Guy Dimond


◆KE T TNER ’ S TOWNHOUSE


CHAMPAGNE BAR New owners Soho House Group have kept the iconic bar,


but given it a facelift. Champagne cocktails start from £12 (US$17). kettnerstownhouse. com


HOUR S Mon-Sat 12-2pm,


5.30-10pm P R ICE


Three-course dinner for two with wine


around £140 (US$195)


C ONT A C T


16 Albermarle St, W1S 4HW; +44 (0)20 7629 9802;


indianaccent.com


bus ine s s tr a v el ler .c om


PICTURESS: ZHOU ZHANG


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