Spice fiends will be in heaven at this new high-class Indian brunch with dishes like spicy Eggs Benedict and Kedgeree from the Chutney Mary crew
Words Hannah Hopkins
Indian Brunch at Chutney Mary: The Lowdown
Hear the words ‘Chutney Mary’ and you instantly think classy Indian fare. Not surprising, considering it’s owned and run by MW Eat, who also look after fine dining restaurants Amaya and Veeraswamy.
Chutney Mary has been one of London’s best Indian restaurants since its creation in 1990 and after relocating from Chelsea to swanky St James’s in 2015, its continued to go from strength to strength. St James’s is an area steeped in history and high-end restaurants, but Chutney Mary understand that there is an appetite for more informal weekend eating, a concept which has brought about their newly launched Indian brunch menu.
The menu is packed with spicy and flavourful dishes that are genuinely different to the typical brunch fare. Firstly there are the drinks – a Simla spiked Pimms and a Watermelon Martini are both great ways to get things started. Then there are the egg dishes. As muchas we love eggs and avo, Chutney Mary’s dishes, originating from Indian breakfasts or spicy versions of British favourites, are seriously fun.
Among them are Akoori, a famous parsi dish (scrambled eggs with tomato, spring onion and herbs); Bombay Kejriwal with green chilli (fried egg and cheese on crisp toast sprinkled with green chilli) and Mopla egg masala with paratha (Kerala curried eggs). We have to give a special shout out to the Spiced Eggs Benedict with green chilli and ginger. Not too spicy but packed with flavour, now a regular Eggs Benedict pales in comparison…
If eggs aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other options, just take your pick from the likes of Curly kale salad chaat (with mango and tamarind dressing); Goat’s cheese kebab salad; Crispy squid bhajias and Lamb Chapli Pau sliders (with Kasundi ketchup).
Sufficiently satiated with the starters, we move onto mains. The Butter Chicken Methi Masala comes with corn fed chicken thigh with caramelised onion and tomato and is as heavenly as it sounds – we mop up the sauce with rice and naan bread and accompany all this with Afghani Chicken Tikka, Golden Fried Prawns and a Jowar Dosa, dunked in chutney.
Rasmalai brûlée and fresh strawberry kulfi should not be missed when it comes to dessert, so stagger your ordering, because we ate too much and could only manage the utterly delicious pistachio and honeycomb and yoghurt ice cream. All that food for £34 (for three course) or £30 for two courses, including naan or rice, and vegetables, is an absolute steal.
The team at Chutney Mary are more than happy to accommodate special requests, of which we had many (fussy diners) and were professional and not overbearing in their service. The setting – of vibrant colours and sumptuous fabrics – is matched by light jazz music and is relaxed but unforgettable. If you want to take someone special for a brunch with a twist, this is the place to impress.
Brunch is available on both Saturday and Sunday (Noon-2.45pm).
73 St James’s Street, SW1A
Reservations: 020-7629 6688; chutneymary.com
