Every neighbourhood should have a good Indian restaurant. Colaba ought to be West Hampstead’s. Named after a district of Mumbai, its quality of cooking would put it close Dishoom. However, our quartet left Colaba feeling severely underwhelmed by its service. Improve this and the venue could be a local star.
Colaba aims for a well-trodden aesthetic seen at many modern Indian restaurants in London. There is a faint nod to the colonial and to the golden age of rail. Where we sat felt far from glamorous or decadent and more like a modern commuter train. Colaba may benefit from slightly more generous spacing with its tables. We felt somewhat hemmed in one side and then oppressed on the other by a constant stream of serving staff. The experience was not improved by many of said staff wandering the adjacent corridor talking mysteriously into the mics attached to their headsets. What could they possibly be discussing, we debated? The venue was far from packed and there were no apparent troublemakers. This was West Hampstead on a Saturday evening as opposed to Soho several hours later. Indeed, the serving team seemed so preoccupied by their curious commands that they almost forgot about us. The cocktails we ordered sat looking sorry for themselves at the bar before someone deigned to bring them over. Our plates were changed between courses with bad grace and no-one was around when we wanted to pay.
At least the food made up for it, even after an initial disappointment. No masala nuts were available to accompany our cocktails, so we had to make do with a papad basket instead. The accompanying coriander dip packed a meaningful punch and set a pleasing tone for things to come. Our group ranged widely across the menu when selecting dishes. Chaat (savoury snacks), small plates, kebabs and curries give guests plenty of options. With one vegetarian and another pescetarian in our midst, we had no trouble finding dishes that worked for them. Over the course of the next two hours, plate by plate followed, occasionally over-crowding our table. Almost all pleased. Okra fries at the outset and a black dal later show clear homage to Dishoom’s take on these Mumbai classics, but the talent in the Colaba kitchen was amply on display when marinated prawns, tandoor cooked brassicas and a lamb shank curry (among others) were brought to our table. Have no doubt, ghee featured heavy but so did seasoning. Think of the food as being not very healthy but deeply satisfying, with a long-lasting spicy tingle.
We left well-sated and without severely emptied wallets. Include a round of cocktails and two bottles of wine and the price came to around £60/head. A take-away would, of course, be somewhat cheaper and also solve the problem of poor service.