insideKENT Magazine Issue 89 - August 2019 | Page 147
Next stop Baluchi At The Great Hall for a dining
experience not to be missed. Set in the Grade II
listed Assembly Hall, it’s decorated with oak beams
and wood cladding on the lower level alongside blue
walls and ceiling to create the ultimate venue.
Combining the finest of traditional Indian cooking
with culinary concepts from all over the subcontinent,
the vibrant menu takes inspiration from the
major food regions of India and uses the finest
organic ingredients. say executive chef, Santosh Shan, definitely passed
term 1’s culinary skill with distinction!
The menu is set into school terms with starters being
‘term 1’. From the packed menu I went for the show-
stopping hand dived Orkney scallops with oyster
leaf pakoda, buckthorn puree, gin foam and pickled
grapes. The plate arrived at the table with a glass
dome lid full of wood burnt smoke, which lifted into
the air as the lid was taken off. All the ingredients
sit beautifully within the scallop shell and the flavour
combination was delicious. A garlic naan and a super-seeded version along with
palak paneer – a healthy spinach dish made with
paneer, garlic and garam masala – were the perfect
sides to our midterms.
My guest’s equally delicious looking plate of Indian
fare came in the form of tandoori octopus and
colocasia terrine with clay-oven-roasted baby
potatoes, labneh and coriander chutney. It’s fair to
Midterm saw the arrival of my tandoori lobster with
a delicious masala shrimp khichdi, wild mushroom,
a zesty lime pickle and sabudana papad. As soon as
the plate hit the table and the smells infused the air,
I happily tucked into this term’s events. My guest’s
lamb rump also hit the spot and was accompanied
with cornbread, roasted root vegetables, garlic
spinach mash and a saffron sauce.
Finally term break – the school holidays, translated
here as dessert. With ten options to choose from, we
had to ask our friendly waitress for a recommendation
which was the very traditional Bhapa Doi, a honey-
steamed yoghurt, forest fruit compote and lemon
curd with gulab jamun (sticky-sweet deep-fried dough
balls) sat in the middle, and finally my guest’s
chocolate mousse sphere which melted as warm
chocolate was poured over – appetites satiated;
school’s out!
Next morning, after a peaceful night’s sleep it was
back down to the Great Hall for a bowl of granola
and an oat milk cappuccino. It was only right to
order the very popular Indian masala doha too – a
pancake filled with a spiced potato and a side order
of Bombay masala omelette – before we checked
out for a stroll along the Thames and over Tower
Bridge, which is just a stone’s throw from the hotel.
181, Tooley Street
London
SE12JRT
020 3765 0000E
[email protected]
www.thelalit.com
thelalitlondon
baluchi.london
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