Tsaretta Spice decent Indian ‘fine-dining’ in London Twickenham

Those who know well the area of Twickenham in south west London, will know of the famous stretch of Church Street, with some even recognising its historicity.

Described as an ancient thoroughfare that derived its name from St. Mary’s Church some 500 years ago, this street is renowned for some uniquely charming parade of shops that date back to the 1700s.

Tsaretta Spice is part of a parade of shops which dates back to the 1700s

Made up of antique and gift shops, art galleries, as well as a variety of eateries, the Indian restaurant we visited towards the street’s end, with St. Mary’s Church and Twickenham Museum located around the corner, was Tsaretta Spice.

Known for “offer[ing] an exciting fine dining Indian restaurant experience incorporating a wide selection of contemporary Indian Tapas”, this 104-cover venue is an impressive one, with alfresco dining available all year round for upto 40 guests thanks to a heated courtyard.

Their courtyard will no doubt be a popular spot this summer

With indoor seating for 34 downstairs and 30 upstairs, the restaurant is headed by Chef Yousuf Mohammed, who has worked at some of London’s leading Indian restaurants including Dishoom, Tamarind and Bombay Brasserie.

Having opened in 2019, Tsaretta Spice is actually the sister-site of one that first opened across the shores in Méribel, France, in 2016, where it soon managed to achieve “a number one ranking on TripAdvisor”.

Unfortunately, at the time of our visit, Chef Yousuf’s presence was required in France, with us left in the hands of his number two.

Coconut Lychee Colada, Paradise Punch – £6.00 each

Although the mango and the passion fruit in the Paradise Punch just about came through, the concoction itself turned out to be fairly timid.

As for the well-presented Coconut Lychee Colada, then this refreshing slush-ice beverage will certainly be one for the summer. With the lychee present in the background, the drink itself could have done with extra coconut cream to give it more body.

Papadums £4.50

Normally we wouldn’t highlight these papadums, since they’re usually introduced as free appetisers. Here, they’re priced £4.50, which, for that price, we’d expect things to be top-notch.

Alas, what we got were papadums that should have been crispier, with a few failing the snap test. Having said that though, the trio of sauces were good. We know times are tough, but £4.50!

Miso Scallops – Seared in miso, mirin, garlic and ginger and served with a papaya salad, £7.95

Before lavishing praise on these miso scallops, the chef has confirmed with us that the miso and mirin used as ingredients in this dish do not contain alcohol.

With that said, what a start to proceedings, with delicately pan-seared scallops being as close to melt-in-your-mouth as you’re going to get, and presented on a medley of seasoned vegetables. Superb!

Tsaretta Chicken Tikka – Marinated in Chef’s mint, coriander, basil & yoghurt sauce then chargrilled, £7.50

In spite of the mellow spicious heat offered by the orange sauce beneath, and the touch of smokiness imparted by the charring of the tandoor, we found the semi-tender Tsaretta Chicken Tikka to be erring on the firmer side.

Prawns Tokri – Black tiger prawns fried with ginger, chilli & curry leaves served in a papadum basket, £7.75

With half-a-dozen succulently fried crustaceans all drizzled in a subtly sweet, complementary sauce, this Prawns Tokri would have been another ‘recommended’ item had the papadum basket been presented crispy.

Chapli Kebab – Spiced minced beef, crushed coriander, pepper, chilli & kebab chinni, with mint chutney, £7.50

Although the fiercity of the spicious heat in these Chapli Kebabs was only partially tempered by the accompanying mint chutney, texturally these turned out to be firmer than we would have liked, despite them being relatively pink on the inside.

Crispy Chilli Aubergine – Sliced aubergine cooked with fresh chilli, £6.75

Not only did the glistening tomato-based glaze enveloping these sliced aubergines deliver an addictively good crispy-chewy texture, but its sweetness also married well against the hit of the fresh chillis. Absolutely delicious.

Avocado Bhel – Puffed rice, avocado, diced cucumber, spicy garlic tomato chutney, tamarind & coriander chutney, roasted peanuts, £7.25

They come in all sorts of ways. Tsaretta Spice’s Avocado Bhel, while being a simply executed one, was different; and grew on us with each given mouthful.

We enjoyed both the sweet and sour interplay of the gently spiced chutneys defining its flavour profile, as well as its contrastive texture courtesy of the sev and puffed rice; diced tomato, red onions and avocado; pomegranates, roasted peanuts, and some fried curry leaves.

Lamb Chop Choice (Hyderabadi) – Marinated in sweet red chilli, coriander, ginger, nutmeg & honey, £4.95

A novel touch on the part of Tsaretta Spice to offer diners the choice of two marinations when it comes to their Lamb Chops: Hyderabadi or Malai. We, of course, tried both for review purposes.

Of the two, we prefered the former, with its more punchy spicy marination being elevated by the hint of smokiness from the charring. Texturally, however, we would have wanted this more tender than we got.

Lamb Chop Choice (Malai) – Marinated in cream cheese, mace, ginger & cardamom, £4.95

As for the Malai, then this was served off the bone. And though we, again, thoroughly enjoyed its almost mustard-oriented taste, we were expecting this to be softer and more moist, given that it is, after all, a ‘malai’ version.

Tawa Machli – Pan fried fillet of sea bass served on curry leaf infused crushed potato & a mango coconut sauce, £21.50

As Tsaretta Spice’s signature dish, this triple-stacked Tawa Machli certainly looked the part, with the exquisitely cooked sea bass boasting crispy skin, and succulent chunks of near-translucent flesh that flaked apart at the merest glance.

Served on a disc of spiced potatoes (though barely spiced), and surrounded by a vibrantly orange creamy curry, with a hint of sweetness to it, this was a pleasant dish that we all enjoyed.

Chef’s Hometown Hyderabadi Murgh Biryani – Yousuf’s version of this Persian dish with fragrant chicken, onions, basmati rice & a naan lid, £18.95

Two factors made us order this. The first being that whenever you have the Chef’s name before a dish, there must be something special about it. The second being that this was a dum biryani.

But, whether it was the absence of Chef Yousef himself on the day, or whether this was just one of those days, his Hometown Hyderabadi Murgh Biryani flattered to deceive.

While its interior revealed some delightfully moist and tender chicken mixed in with perfect grains of fluffy rice, this should have been bursting with the aroma and fragrance that typically defines Hyderabadi biryanis. Instead, we received one that was rather bland in comparison.

Murgh Makhani – Chargrilled chicken fillet cooked in a creamy butter sauce, £16.95

The flavour of a Murgh Makhani will essentially be determined by the area of the Indian subcontinent it originates from.

Tsaretta Spice’s was certainly from the north of India, with the mellow piquancy of its rich and buttery tomato-based curry making this a thoroughly enjoyable eat.

Dal Makhani – Slow cooked black lentils in a rich cream & chilli infused sauce, £7.95

But as flavourous as the above Murgh Makhani was, the Dal Makhani, despite it being a soothingly thick and creamy one, was tame in comparison, lacking as it did in seasoning and chilli.

Peshwari Naan – Coconut, almonds & mango stuffed bread; Truffle Naan – £3.95 each; Beetroot Naan £3.75

While the headiness of the truffle in the Truffle Naan failed to properly materialise, its Peshwari counterpart made up for things by striking the perfect balance of sweetness.

As for the Beetroot Naan, then its interior contained a maroon-coloured beetroot paste which, in spite of its novelty, didn’t really bring much in terms of flavour.

Chilli Chocolate Royale – Dark chocolate dome, Dacquoise biscuit, chocolate mousse, hazelnut crunch & chilli flakes, £6.50

Looking past the attempt at fine-dining presentation, this Chilli Chocolate Royale had an interesting layer of textures, with the brittle exterior of the dome giving way to a thick, mousse-like, chocolatey interior that rested on a biscuit beneath. Other than that, there was nothing much more to this.

Mango Falooda – Mangoes, vermicelli, chia seeds & kulfi ice, £7.50

Of the three tried, this Mango Falooda would be our choice, with the combination of the mango ice cream, mango sorbet, and nuggets of fresh mango marrying nicely with the aroma of the rose water syrup. Add to that the vermicelli falooda, and this would be a perfect outdoor finale this summer.

Gajjar Halwa Vegan – Carrot pudding, soya milk, pistachio, £5.95

Masala Chai, £2.75

The gummy texture of this Gajjar Halwa Vegan took a bit of getting used to.

With a meagre scattering of raisins and pistachio, this warm dessert was served with a mediocre scoop of what we believe was vanilla ice cream.

Being in an Indian restaurant, we couldn’t end the evening without masala chai.

Except that this one for £2.75 was overly masala-fied, resulting in a brew that walloped the back of the throat.

Nevertheless, the restaurant does have a range of hot beverages to consider otherwise.