How exciting to receive an invitation to dine at one of London’s finest Indian restaurants, located in Sloane Square Chelsea, Kahani.

Kahani, which means ‘story’ in Hindi, is where Michelin-starred chef Peter Joseph is adding the latest chapter to his tale, with a fresh approach to Indian cuisine. Kahani is a British love affair with Indian cuisine, that spans over 200 years – from the opening of the very first curry house in 1809 to its rise in the 21st Century as Britain’s national dish.

We arrived at the restaurant around 7:30 pm on a Sunday for our romantic Valentine’s Day meal. We were given an absolutely fantastic table, a lovely booth looking over the room and kitchen, we felt particularly lucky and so spoilt.

The Kahani team welcomed us like long-lost friends and made it even more special by treating us to a chilled glass of Bollinger champagne, a beautiful Valentine’s touch. The table was set perfectly and the décor gave an authentic Indian touch, the lighting was soft and flattering creating an intimacy perfect for Valentine’s Day.

After we were seated we checked out the a la carte and drinks menu and decided to go for a couple of cocktails recommended by our lovely waitress. The Tandoori ananas, which was made up of homemade spiced rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, Tandoori-cooked pineapple, cinnamon and honey water and a PJ Kahani this recipe was just as delicious and made with vodka, wild berries puree, creme de mure, lemon juice, Jasmine tea and egg white. They did not disappoint.

To start we shared a softshell crunchy crab with Mangalorean spices, kachumber, smoked tomato chutney and a Samosa platter, Punjabi aloo, Kolhapur chicken, Chettinad lamb, and lastly seared scallops flavoured with star anise, and served with pepper chutney and barley khichdi. The presentation of these dishes was stunning and the flavours of each dish were slightly spicey exactly how we like it. This feast was a very special experience, like nothing we had ever experienced before, the seasoning was spot on for us, in a good way.

After we had finished our starter we had a short break and then chose our main dishes from the menu, we decided to share all of them,  we loved the idea of the trio of chicken tikka, tandoor grilled chicken supreme with cream cheese, mint and pickling spices and the chicken Makhani which was chargrilled chicken in creamed tomato with fenugreek leaves. The garlic naan bread and Pulao rice as side dishes perfectly complimented these delicious and tasty creations.  The food was all presented in beautiful crockery, which always adds that little touch of luxury.

Our entire experience at Kahani was absolute perfection, the service was superb and the Kahani team had great knowledge of the entire menu, ensuring we knew exactly what each dish entailed in the cooking process, as well as the flavours and spice intensity we could expect.

We are looking forward to returning very soon with a large group of friends so they can experience this restaurant with us, all over again.

A: 1 Wilbraham Pl, London SW1X 9AE
T:  020 7730 7634
W: Kahani London

Written by Georgina and Joshua for Luxuria Lifestyle London and International