You could never accuse top chef Peter Joseph of being bland.
Having spent some 13 years performing wonders in the kitchen of Britain’s first-ever Michelin-rated Indian restaurant, Tamarind, Peter decided to branch out on his own six years ago – to see if he could achieve anything equally mindblowing off his own bat.
The result is Kahani – an upscale eatery near London’s trendy Sloane Square and Belgravia.
Kahani is a bit like Dr Who’s Tardis. Behind an unremarkable front door, set in a row of terraced houses, you walk past a large elegant private dining room – and into an expansive restaurant space which houses a capacity of 80 covers most days.
Despite opening the restaurant at probably the worst time ever, shortly before Covid struck, the health crisis may have proved a blessing in disguise-as Peter explains.
“It was certainly a tough time for the whole industry,” he recalls, “but in a way it gave us the space to get all of the details right.
“It gave us time to develop our food and service to the highest quality possible.”
One tangible result of having this thinking-time was the recent launch of an ambitious new menu-which bears all of the hallmarks of Peter’s many years at the top of his profession.
Experimenting with various blends of home made spices, colours and portions, the new menu is going down a storm amongst some of the most discerning palates in this poshest of poshest parts of the capital.
Amongst a long list of celebrities seen at Kahani are top international cricketers and stars relaxing after appearing at the internationally famous Cadogan Hall just around the corner.
To sample a representative taster of the colourful fare on offer, look no further than Peter’s imaginative take on Grilled Scallops.
No common or seaside shellfish these-accompanied as they are by Andhra spices, supplemented with Alleppey Coconut and a rich Tumeric Sauce.
Other trademark dishes on offer on our visit to Kahani included a Kiwi Pani Puri followed by Tandoori Peshawari lamb chops and a prune and ginger toffee pudding with pumpkin cranberry ice cream.
And as if to further counter the common criticism that you can’t get a decent dessert in an Indian restaurant, there’s even something called a Heritage Carrot Halwa Tiramisu – ‘a classic Italian dish with an Asian twist’, incorporating carrot cake, espresso bubble tea and dots of jelly.
For the more weight-conscious, there’s a salad of kumquats, plums, and Granny Smith apples – while both meat-eaters and veggies alike can enjoy various versions of the Hydrabadi Biryani – a blend of basmati rice and exotic spices, which comes in vegetarian, lamb and prawn formats.
All delicious dishes that look as good as they taste – with ambitious forms of presentation an important focus of Peter’s work.
“We pay a lot of attention to the way our food looks and is presented to our diners,” he says.
“Whether in the kitchen or front-of-house we know it’s vital to make a good first impression-whether that comes from the way the food is served or from its colours and aromas.”
Judging by the reaction of diners during our visit – and the fact that it’s not easy to get a table, either at lunchtime or in the evening – the quality and colour that comes with Peter Joseph’s peerless culinary expertise certainly seems to be paying dividends.
Joseph – and his Amazing Technicolour Menu – is going down a storm in London’s trendy Belgravia!
Kahani
1 Wilbraham Place, Belgravia, London SW1X 9AE. Tel: 020 7730 7634
