Perfect 5/5 for Chef Peter Joseph’s Kahani in London Chelsea

The last time we visited this hugely impressive restaurant headed by Michelin-starred Chef Peter Joseph in London’s Chelsea was back in 2018 where Kahani was rated it 4.5/5.

Multi-award winning Chef Peter Joseph

Not only has Peter and his team successfully navigated the choppy waters this country’s beleaguered restaurant industry has been made to endure since that time, but were recently rewarded for their efforts.

Having earlier this year won ‘Best Restaurant’ at the Curry Life Awards, this fine dining establishment was also awarded both ‘Best Fine Dining Restaurant’ and ‘Best Asian Restaurant’ a couple of weeks ago at the Asian Curry Awards 2024.

It goes without saying, therefore, that our return visit to Kahani for a repeat review would be on the back of a chef presumably at the top of his game.

Although Chef Peter has dropped venison since our last visit, he has managed to source Halal guinea fowl as part of Kahani’s fully Halal food menu.

Located on Wilbraham Place, this spacious 80-cover venue is situated in the basement, and can be accessed in two ways.

The first is immediately down the stairs via the main entrance, and the second is a lift that’s accessible in Cheval Phoenix House nextdoor.

In addition, Kahani has a 10-seater private dining room called ‘The Peacock Room’, which overlooks the restaurant’s main dining room.

Now, for those who don’t know, Chef Peter held a Michelin star for six years as head chef at the Indian restaurant Tamarind.

With such pedigree, the question we had before anything else was whether he would be able to improve on our 4.5/5 rating from 2018 and achieve a perfect 5/5 this time round?

Lychee Grove – Guava puree, black lime water, lychee, Orgeat syrup, salt, £8; Shaadee – Seedlip Grove 42 Citrus, cranberry, red chili infused honey water, lemon, egg white, £12; Khatta Amaretti – Lyre’s Amaretti, lemon, egg white, angostura, apricot, almond, £9

These mocktails far exceeded those we had the first time round, with the floral complexity of the Lychee Grove being our favourite.

Followed closely behind with its robust flavours was the Shaadee, whose gentle fruity sweetness ended with the bitter note of the seedlip, before giving way to the heat of the chilli which lingered pleasantly in the background.

As for the Khatta Amaretti, then its sugary-candy rim was required to complement the tangy-sweetness of this mature concoction.

Smoked Octopus & Shrimp Salad – Fresh turmeric, snap peas, grapefruit, £14.00

The way in which this salad managed to finely balance between the sweet and sour of the orange and grapefruit segments, the earthiness of the fresh turmeric, and the lightly smoked pieces of octopus and shrimp was nothing short of extraordinary.

Berry Papdi Chaat – Spiced chickpeas, sweetened yoghurt, berry chutney, purple crisps, £14.00

Despite the use of sweetened yoghurt as a base, at no point was this papdi chaat allowed to lean too far towards the sweet side, thanks to the mellow tartness of the berry chutney and the gentle spices of the chickpea chaat hidden beneath.

And with the fresh, crispy papdi sprinkled over the top, this Berry Papdi Chaat will have your tastebuds dancing with joy. One of the best ever!

Grilled Scallops – Andhra spices, alleppey coconut & fresh turmeric sauce, £18.00

The skill required in grilling these scallops such that they retained that chewy edge while remaining soft was quite something. Add to that the earthy-sweet curry sauce, and this rounded off an exceptional trio of starters.

Monkfish – Chargrilled with browned garlic, ajwain, red chilli & dill leaves; bisi bele bath £18.00

Three points made this one of the dishes of the review. The first was, again, the precision of cooking. Despite monkfish being more firmer than most other fish, this almost betrayed a chicken-like look and texture.

The second was the mesmerising level of smokiness infused into this gorgeously chargrilled fish.

And the third was the smooth and velvety nature of the whole grain millet (very closely related to quinoa). Similar in texture to Italian risotto, this provided some delicious spicy heat to complete an unforgettable dish.

Lamb Seekh Kebab – Water chestnut, green chilli, coriander, ginger; kachumber salad, £14.00

Not quite as good as the Sirloin Kebab enjoyed in 2018, but plenty good nonetheless.

While being soft and tender, this adequately spiced Lamb Seekh Kebab was charred just enough to ensure that the hint of smokiness came through. The streaks of yoghurt helped to dampen the heat therein.

Tandoori Peshawari Lamb Chops – Kashmiri-chillies, nagercoil clove, mint yoghurt, £20.00

Again, although nowhere near the quality and execution of those phenomenal Somerset lamb chops had back then, this tandoori peshawari version was the weakest of the review.

But with everything being relative, the level and calibre of cooking in general was so high, that in spite of these chops being well done, there was no denying the enjoyable strength of the marination, which was superbly tempered by the dollops of mint yoghurt.

Turkey Afghani Malai Tikka (Christmas Menu) – Coriander & truffle shaving, £20.00 (preorder)

Since this is part of Kahani’s 5-course Christmas Day Menu that’s currently being served for this month, this might be made available through pre-order as a stand-alone dish.

For us, this turkey tikka was a first, and given its absolute magnificence, we’re hoping not our last.

What we had here were moist chunks of tender turkey marinated in a milky mixture light enough for the quality of the meat to be savoured, and topped with truffle for that touch of luxury.

Halal turkey is a rarity at the best of times. As such, we’d highly recommend asking after this to give it a try. Trust us, you won’t regret it.

Chettinad Fish Curry – Stone bass, mustard, tamarind & fenugreek, £28.00

It should be noted from the outset that not only did each and every item in this section conspicuously boast its own flavour-profile, but was full of flavour.

And the cherry garnish here only signified the sour tone of this incredible Chettinad Fish Curry. In addition to the stone bass fish being utterly moist and flaky, the curry was rich and buttery, full of complexity, a tad spicy, and ended on that satisfying sour note.

Lobster Tail – Shallots, browned garlic, fennel, cumin & star anise, £34.00

Another astounding creation, with the lobster tail conveniently cut up into smaller pieces and mixed into an amalgam that delivered a chilli-sweet flavour, with the heat gently emanating therefrom.

Mirch Ghost – Lamb curry with scotch bonnet, bay leaf, cinnamon & lemon zest, £30.00

Chef Peter Jospeh personally recommended this Mirch Ghost, and for good reason too, because this was a textbook case of less is more.

You’d presume that a dish with scotch bonnet would be strong and punchy. But the thick, onion-based curry here was an exercise in subtlety, with the warm spices offering just enough to enthral the palate throughout, and the lamb dreamily tender.

Hydrabadi Biryani (Lamb) – Braised basmati rice, exotic spices, mint, coriander, £32.00

This was even better than its predecessor, with the upgrade of the dum – the pastry encasing – playing its intended part.

Not only did it ensure that everything necessary was locked in, but in doing so delivered on moist, straight-grained rice that were enveloped in plenty of masala goodness, and were fragrant as hell.

And though the lamb was a smidgen on the dry side, the yogurt has a sweet under tone and is plentiful.

Truth be told, this Hydrabadi Biryani was one of the better versions we’ve had in quite some time.

Naan / Tandoori Roti, £4.00

Pulao Rice, £5.00

No complaints here. The Pulao Rice was fragrant and relatively fresh, and the Tandoor Naans bang on.

Gulab Jamun Cheesecake – Lemon curd, mango & basil sorbet, £13.00

Simply put; a perfect cheesecake that was creamy in texture and not overly sweet, inspite of the balls of embedded gulab jamun.

What’s more, the mango sorbet was delightfully refreshing, with the lemon curd and lime jelly cubes assisting in balancing things out.

Chocolate Delight – Almond brittle, mandarin ice cream, £13.00

This exquisitely set Chocolate Delight was, indeed, exactly that. It was accompanied by smooth and zingy ice cream containing little globules of zesty lime. which beautifully cut through the richness of the dark chocolate. Superb combo!

Medley of Kulfi – Rose, Pistachio and Jackfruit, £10.00

And this Medley of Kulfi was even better than the version we enjoyed the first time, with each flavour – Rose, Pistachio, and Jackfruit – being distinct and well defined, with candied sweet popcorn offering some textural contrast.

Heritage Carrot Halwa Tiramisu – Espresso bubble tea, £12.00

Again, Chef Peter insisted on this Heritage Carrot Halwa Tiramisu, and who are we to argue against such a maestro?

The best Masala Tea (£5.00) had?

This will obviously belie most, if not all, gajar halwas available at your local Indian sweet shop.

It was all about precision here, which resulted in the carrot halwa consistency almost quinoa-esque, and certainly not saturated like the some other versions you liable to encounter.

As such, its sweetness was masterfully balanced to complement the creamy vanilla smooth ice cream, which sat atop what appeared to be a crunchy caramel crumb that provided textural relief.

And we’re glad that we washed things down with some masala chai, because Kahani’s was addictively good, having been brewed to an intense, frothy finish. Honestly couldn’t remember having a better one.