Website – http://www.laportedesindes.com/

Food – 5

Service – 5

Ambience/Location – 5

 

It was a rainy Monday evening in Marble Arch when my guest and I arrived at La Porte Des Indes, umbrellas in hand not knowing that we were about to be transported into a magical haven of tranquility where your tastes, senses and smells were going to be taken on a journey to the Indian subcontinent.

This was my first visit to La Porte Des Indes and my guest were greeted and shown to our table by attentive staff. We started off with coconut cocktails (Pomerita and Karma) which were delicious and served in fresh coconuts. We then had poppadoms which were true Indian style pappads, served folded with a tray of tangy chutneys. To follow our cocktails we opted for an Indian wine which was a cabernet shiraz.

 

 

We ended up ordering a lot of food (due to the excitement of being there) so I’m going to share with you what were my favourites of the night. In the starters the scallops were served in a shell with a creamy, buttery sauce and were the biggest and tastiest scallops I’ve ever experienced! The Parsee Fish which was a melt in your mouth sole encased in a mint and coriander chutney and lightly steamed in banana leaves left my mouth feeling like I had just been kissed. Both the Murgh Malai kebab and Bombay Chaat were tasty and delicious.

 

 

For our mains we opted for a few dishes but the stand out dishes were the Tadka Dal which had a beautiful homemade texture and made me want to go home and snuggle up with my mummy, the Dhaba Murgh which was spicy, saucy and rustic and made me want to take a trip to the Punjab and the Lasooni Jhinga (prawns) which like the scallops were the hugest prawns I have ever seen! They were spiced and flavoursome yet still tender. To accompany we had 3 cheese naan and garlic naan and rice. We were also given a sample of Lotus Root which was a great vegetarian dish and was cooked crispy and light, a great little treat to have in-between your meals.

For desserts what stood out for me was the creamy Pistachio Phirnee and the crispy chocolate and walnut samosa. I must say I am not the biggest sweet tooth but I have actually never had such delicious desserts in my whole life! They were cooked to perfection, tasted amazing and completely unique to anything which is available in Indian restaurants in the UK.

From the food to the ambience to the location to the service everything about La Porte Des Indes was absolutely unforgettable and my taste buds were left tantalised and wanting to return ever so soon. It is a night I will never, ever forget. La Porte Des Indes is not just a restaurant but an experience.

 

A beautiful experience.