It's nice to be surprised, especially by restaurants (provided the surprise is a good one.) Not too long ago, the other half and I were in Ireland for a wedding. Our trip included a wonderful three-day spell in Galway. Galway isn't necessarily somewhere one might expect to visit in Ireland - even though it's way better than Dublin - but it is a city rich in desolate, simple, coastal beauty. A relic from another age, punctuated with spellbinding views and aging industrial infrastructure. And the birdwatching was great. Despite a tragedy of a meal in our hotel on our first night, the stay ended with three wonderful culinary surprises.
Firstly, we ate a trio of rhubarb that was so exceptionally complimentary and refreshing that it ought to be on menus throughout the British Isles. Fortunately for Galway, it's too rustic and down to earth to be but the quality of the millefeuille, jelly and ice cream on the plate was breathtaking. Secondly, we ate a breakfast of croissant with home-made rhubarb jam (no prizes for guessing the season we were there) which was so amazingly sweet and tart that we took two small jars of it home. Finally, we ate a glorious steak on a hot stone on our final evening, served with amazing sides.
Finding something like this in the city you live in is unlikely, since everything is on-line, everyone talks about how amazing "that place near me" is, and quite often if you find somewhere you never heard of it turns out to be rubbish. Of course, you can also have somewhere you had heard of but had no idea where it is turn up right before your eyes. This is what happened to us one November weekend last year.
Indian Zing just crept on to the UK's top 100 last year, catching my eye simply because it was apparently down the road from me. It appeared unexpectedly as we walked past it whilst looking for a different restaurant. Knowing as I did that it apparently is one of the best hundred restaurants in the UK, we quickly changed our plans and walked in.
I'll say right away that it was a good restaurant, but unsurprisingly, not quite as good as I had hoped. Lunch was an elegant, sophisticated two-courser which one wouldn't necessarily expect to find two doors down from the enormous Polish Cultural Centre in Ravenscourt Park.
The sides were really good. And that makes such a difference with Indian food. Proper, crisp poppadoms and a basket of assorted breads to start with proper, flavoursome dips and dressings. Having said that, I do not understand the point of lime pickle whatsoever. Foul stuff, in the case of every Indian restaurant I've tried.
Lunch ended up being four courses served with a much more professional air than you may have tried elsewhere in London. The problem with curry being the nation's favourite food and London housing a multitude of Indian food clichés is that you quite often get rubbish food, served to you by people who want to be your mate as much as bring you some vittles.
The food itself was also rather pleasant, with that being about the best you can say about it. Starters were enjoyable enough, served on thick green leaves to make them look interesting. Some green peppercorn malai tikka was pretty dry, even if the chicken wasn't overdone. I'm a bit of an Indian food philistine and I need my sauces. After all, what's better than dunking good naan bread into steaming hot curry sauce?
Our other starter was a shami kebab, apparently a house special. Now "house special" is a phrase that I usually treat with the same disdain in Indian restaurants as I would "just like mama used to make" in an Italian. It turned out to be fairly decent. A little on the spicy side for me but that's because I can't really handle spices. The other half really enjoyed it.
Main courses were more what I wanted: metal pots containing food and sauce. More sophisticated version: some lamb rogan josh which apparently contained "a strong punch of knuckle juice and marrow." That, to be honest, was all I needed and it turned out to be rather lovely. Not too spicy, not too sweet and just enough of that punch to make it worthwhile. Elsewhere, the fillet of fish which made up the tawa macchi just didn't manage to fight through the sauce it was coated in. The sauce is great, but the balance must be right.
Naan bread was delicious and whilst the pot of day's vegetables was too spicy for me, we ate our two courses and decided to skip dessert. Not a great, meal, not a bad one, but I would go back. And the main reason is the price. £12 for two courses for a weekend lunch. I don't care what you're after, that's a cheap lunch.
Indian Zing probably isn't one of the best 100 restaurants in the UK. It's not the best neighbourhood Indian place in town. It didn't blow my socks off. But for a casual lunch, served impeccably, it might just be the best you can find in west London.
Indian Zing
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