From the founders of the award-winning Chai Thali group, 1947 London is a modern Indian restaurant and cocktail bar set in an opulent subterranean space on just off Fitzrovia’s buzzing Charlotte Street (the entrance is on Rathbone Place). At the helm is Chef Krishna Negi who is a protege of Michelin-starred Vineet Bhatia. At 1947 London he has created a menu which pays tribute to recipes that evolved out of the movement of peoples and cultures during the partition in 1947.

The look and feel of 1947 London is glamourous, with sumptuous textures and warm dark colours to set the mood. Most enchanting are the giant-sized hand-crafted roses crafted by paper artist Karen Navalta which decorate the entrance of the restaurant and cocktail bar. Using recycled cardboard, Karen turned these into 1000s of petals, stems and buds, and then painstakingly hand sprayed them in rose-gold, copper and frosted plum to create a striking wall feature.

1947 London

We began our meal with a delightfully inspirational cocktail of Indian Rose (£12), a cosmopolitan with an Indian twist. Consisting of vodka, cointreau, cranberry juice, rose liqueur, and lime, the added was rooh afza, an Indian concentrated cordial. The drink was wonderfully refreshing and tantalisingly original.

Indian Rose cocktail

For starters we tried the Maharaja prawns (£19), jumbo prawns lightly marinated in a blend of spices and cooked in the clay oven. The prawns were sensational, and we could not help but be extremely impressed with both the texture (fat and firm) and the size of the prawns which were enormous. The prawns also offered up bags of flavour, and the blended spices provided a mild touch of heat and elegance. This was a knockout dish.

Another starter of rack of grilled lamb chops (£18) marinated in Kashmiri chilli and selected homemade spices served with green herb chutney was also delicious. The lamb just cooked just right and proved to be very tender. Again the spicing here was really nicely done. Home smoked tandoori grilled salmon (£11) with cloves and cardamom had been perfectly cooked and was juicy and moist with the fish flaking on contact. It was was served with a mustard and honey chutney that provided both a tangy and sweet contrast.

Lamb and prawn starters at 1947 London

Salmon – 1947 London

We couldn’t fault a main of Kadai Tandoori Prawn Masala (£19) with its lovely rich tomato based sauce and aromatic spicing. To accompany our prawn main and vegetable side, we also tried the lamb dum biriyani (£22), an aromatic basmati rice with pieces of tender lamb which had been cooked in a dum style served in a pastry sealed pot with burani raita. The biriyani ran rich with the lovely warm flavours of the lamb and onions permeating each grain of rice. And the pastry seal helped to seal in the wonderful moisture of the dish.

Kadai Tandoori Prawn Masala

A side of asparagus and sugar snaps with fresh coconut (£9) was such a joyful surprise. Pieces of asparagus and sugar snap peas had been cooked al dente with a garnish of mustard seeds, a ginger and freshly grated coconut such that they had a nice bite to them. The garnish itself was such a revelation, proving fresh, zingy and exciting. And the grated coconut – wow! It added another element of texture to the dish, and what’s more, its tempered use provided a very well judged hint of sweetness to an supremely well-balanced dish.

The food at 1947 London was such a joy to eat. Using great ingredients and expertly prepared spicing and dexterous cooking techniques, we would happily eat at 1947 London again, especially the Maharaja prawns and the asaparagus with sugar snaps. We also found the service to be delightful and accommodating.

Summary Information:

Food rating: 4/5
Service rating: 4/5

Price: About £35 to £40 a head excluding drinks and service.

Website: https://www.1947-london.com/