Urban Turban (Modern Indian)
Above: The ‘swish’ ground-floor bar at Urban Turban
Vineet Bhatia, the chef/proprietor of the Michelin-starred Rasoi Vineet Bhatia, off the King’s Road, and now the owner and executive chef of Urban Turban, on Westbourne Grove, is one of the world’s very best exponents of modern Indian cuisine.
His new venture, on the site of the ill-fated Chair, is an attempt to mix ‘casual dining’ with high-quality Indian food. The downstairs dining room may be open by the time you read this; when I visited, food was being served in the rather swish ground-floor bar.
The menu recommends choosing a couple of ‘tapas’ mostly sophisticated takes on Indian street food a main course and bread or rice, which adds up to £27 or so. This seems a little steep for a casual lunch. You can have three courses at Le Café Anglais for less than that.
The food was rather hit-and-miss: a sublime lamb curry with vegetable crisps was a palpable hit, chaat classic Bombay street food, crisp puffed-up puris filled with yoghurt, tamarind and lentils were impeccable, while the ‘volcanic stone’ idea (a super-heated square of polished lava is brought to the table, accompanied by various raw kebabs, prawns, fish and chicken) might raise eyebrows at Environmental Health. If a diner is inept enough to undercook his chicken, who is liable when he succumbs to food poisoning?
The other problem is that the food sticks to the stone, especially the delicate prawns. Kebabs of minced lamb, pungently spiced and with enough fat to keep them lubricated, were more successful, while the chicken was surprisingly bland. We needed another stone to finish cooking our food, too. I have a feeling this is teetering on the edge of gimmickry.
Vineet’s biryani was something of a signature dish at Zaika, where he first gained a Michelin star. The version here was less distinguished. Cooked with a pastry top it was slightly muddy
in texture and flavour, with the grains of basmati broken up and starchy. Nan bread, which should be shiny and crisp, was tired and flabby.
Perhaps I picked a bad day. It felt as though the kitchen was running on half-power. The menu seems rather short, too: I suspect things will perk up once the dining room finally opens.
The revolving door of Westbourne Grove’s restaurant scene – R.I.P. Ginger and The Standard, by the way – has claimed many victims over the years. For Urban Turban to be a success, it will have to try a little harder. Bill Knott
Meal for two, with wine, around £85
Urban Turban, 98 Westbourne Grove, Bayswater, W2 5RU
020 7243 4200