Atul Kochhar is well known as the Michelin-starred chef-proprietor of Benares, which recently recovered, Phoenix-like, from a major fire in the kitchen. His latest venture (along with Taman Gang’s former proprietor Carlo Spetale) is the classy Marylebone restaurant Colony, which nods to Anglo-Indian cuisine and traditions in its setting, but also manages to offer something fresh and vibrant in its attitudes and approach, which owes as much to tapas as it does to sub-continent cooking.
Marylebone is hardly starved of excellent restaurants (Trishna, The Providores and L’Autre Pied are all roundabouts), but what Colony has to offer is a more relaxed, informal approach than many of the others roundabouts. The front room is a stylish-looking bar, which instantly gives the impression that this will be as fun a place to drop into for a couple of cocktails as a sit-down meal. It allows an opportunity to have some unusually daring bar snacks, such as barbecued lamb chops in yoghurt, fennel and black pepper and oysters three ways.
It should be noted, however, that the main meals here are nothing less than excellent. The deceptively short menu offers a range of tapas-sized sharer plates which are easily worthy of comparison with anything in Kochhar’s other establishment, whether it’s the tandoori monkfish with crab vermicelli, spiced tiger prawns in piri-piri sauce or even just the simple but hugely tasty naan breads. There’s also a ridiculously good value ‘thali’ menu at lunchtimes that even includes a drink and offers an overview of the entire menu. The wine list is copious yet sensibly priced, or of course you could stick to the excellent cocktails.
Given the enthusiastic reception that this has received since its recent opening, there seems no doubt that Messrs Kochhar and Spetale are onto another winner.
7-9 Paddington St, London W1. www.colonybarandgrill.com
