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You are here: Home / Restaurant / Flora Indica – An Indian Lounge Bar in Kensington and Chelsea

Flora Indica – An Indian Lounge Bar in Kensington and Chelsea

December 30, 2016 by Fiona Maclean 1 Comment

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Last Updated on April 28, 2018 by Fiona Maclean

SteamPunk Indian on the Old Brompton Road:

When I first moved to West Brompton, the current site of Flora Indica was a Chinese restaurant.  It was a little tired even then, though I remember being fascinated by the full wall aquarium in the basement dining room.  The transformation has been extensive and the result is stunning.  Flora Indica is now a fabulous tribute to the Scottish Botanists such as William Roxburgh, who, during the reign of Queen Victoria,  travelled throughout India cataloguing the exotic plants they found and publishing Flora Indica in 1855.

Flora Indica decor 2

Designed by Henry Chebaane of Blue Sky Hospitality, the decor has a Braveheart meets SteamPunk feel to it, with a distinctly British feel, thanks to a wealth of Harris Tweed.  There are vintage Indian stamps, prints from the book and even an installation made from an old gin still.  And everywhere, a pretty floral marque – on the walls, on the website and on the menu.

Flora indica decor

We rather liked the cocktail that we started with.  So much so that my companion ordered a second.  Flora Eden was flambé fresh sage & rosemary in green chartreuse, gin, orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, Earl Grey & lavender syrup.  Suprisingly light tasting, I avoided the second round and opted for a glass of Vino Verde instead…

Cocktail - Flora Indica

Meanwhile, we were working our way through a selection of small plates.  Starting with a papads basket- lentil and sabu dana with  mixed kachumber, tomato & mango chutneys.

Flora Indica Pappads

That was closely followed by a sweet potato chat- roasted sweet potato and potato, chilly coriander, date tamarind, with yoghurt & nylon sev (a nest-like savoury made using chickpea flour).

Sweet Potato Sev

We both loved the zesty chicken tikka- lemon zest, chilly coriander and tossed black sesame.

Flora Indica Chicken

And, I could have eaten the entire plate of tandoori paneer- pickling spiced cottage cheese with honey & lemon vinaigrette, & tossed almonds.  The crunchy almond flakes added just enough texture and flavour to make this dish really delicious

Flora Indica Paneer

I think we were both a little disappointed by the Sufyani Salmon- Scottish salmon, dill yoghurt & turmeric which seemed a little bitter  I suspect it had just a little too much turmeric for our delicate Western palates?

Flora Indica - Salmon

But I was actually quite delighted that my companion didn’t want to eat lamb – because the entire portion of tandoori lamb served with pickled beetroot paste and mixed leaves salad.  Tender and perfectly cooked sweet lamb cutlets in a perfectly spiced sauce contrasting beautifully with the pickled beetroot paste.

Flora Indica Lamb

My dining companion was particularly looking forward to the butter chicken, which didn’t disappoint at all.  A rich, creamy buttery sauce must have been a day’s calories per serving.

Flora Indica - butter chicken

We also enjoyed a Dal Makhani-slow cooked black lentils finished with butter & cream,  Saag Paneer- Indian cottage cheese cooked with spinach and some  Zafrani Pulao- basmati rice flavoured with whole spices (dum), cooked on hot plate together with butter naan.

Flora Indica - Daal

For dessert, a plate of sticky, smoked figs with a tonka bean custard, blueberries puree which didn’t seem particularly ‘Indian’ but was quite delicious and the perfect way to end the meal.

Flora Indicta Figs

 

Flora Indica
242 Old Brompton Road,
LONDON SW5 0DE

OPENING TIMES: 12PM-1AM MON-SUN

 

Filed Under: Kensington, Restaurant Tagged With: Earls Court,, Indian restaurant

About Fiona Maclean

London based freelance writer and marketing consultant. I edit London-Unattached.com and write for a number of other publications. With a music degree and a background in marketing across many sectors, my passions include all types of music, food, restaurants, wine and travel

Comments

  1. Caroline J Robinson says

    January 2, 2017 at 7:36 pm

    Their food looks deliciously tempting ?

    Reply

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