Last Updated on January 24, 2022
A Vegetarian Indian Feast in Holborn
Gentle readers, I am a carnivore. I love meat and although I’m edging my way to a flexitarian style of eating and trying to limit my consumption of red meat in particular, I suspect I’m unlikely to become a vegan. But, when Veganuary comes around, I’m always happy to put my preconception to the test and try out vegan and vegetarian menus. We’ve recently reviewed the all-day menu at Colonel Saab in Holborn – before Veganuary. So I was intrigued to go back and check out their Veganuary offering, a three-course menu priced at £29.95 for two courses of £24.95 for three. It’s perfect for vegans and vegetarians but, as I discovered, even a dyed in the wool meat eater like me won’t feel they’ve missed out when they leave the table.
That said, my companion, who hadn’t visited Colonel Saab before, wanted to try the butter chicken. It was an easy sell for me too – the Colonel Saab butter chicken is made with cashew butter for a creamy texture and Atul Joshi, the charming general manager, agreed that it was something we just needed to experience.
Meanwhile, we started with all three of the starters, despite the fact that one of the starter plates, a selection of Indian street food including onion bhajia, spinach and kale crisps and samosas, laced with yoghurt and tamarind sauce was quite enough for two to share.
My personal favourite of the three dishes though was the jackfruit thepla (crispy spiced flatbreads that were a bit like Indian tacos with pickled onion and cilantro (coriander) chutney. I haven’t managed to successfully cook jackfruit but this was a tender yet ‘meaty’ mixture with great spicing.
Of the three options, the red quinoa salad with edamame beans, orange and rocket leaves was my least favourite – and probably the most healthy. One perhaps to have if you are trying to be good!
From the main dishes, we tried the vegan paalak tofu and water chestnut – a play on palaak paneer that worked very well and was flavoursome and satisfying.
I loved the chana masala with kulcha and lemon chilli pickle. Atul told us that they source a particular type of chickpea which is just a bit larger at 8mm than the standard type available in the shops. That helps make this dish seem truly substantial and comforting.
Soya masala infused with Indian spices, served with naan bread, made another comfort dish while soya pulao was rich and nutty with tiny bits of fried soya protein and onions
We learnt from Atul that soya protein has become very popular in India and that there are shops specialising in just that. Certainly here the soya made an excellent alternative to meat. Certainly here we enjoyed unusual dishes that were comforting and filling without the need for any meat protein. The chefs at Colonel Saab come from all over India, so while head chef Sohan Bhandari comes from the Garhwal region at the base of Nepal, the sous chef Himachal Pradesh comes from Kerala the Biriyani chef is from Delhi while the Tandoori chef is from Bareilly. It’s that geographic diversity that helps Colonel Saab serve such a diverse range of authentic Indian dishes.
The butter chicken did, of course, live up to expectations. Beautifully creamy, toothsome and the sort of comfort food that I’d order if I ever got lost for new dishes to try.
For dessert, we tried one of the Veganuary menu offerings – the coconut and blueberry rice phirni – a fragrant fruit laced rice pudding that was meltingly tender. And, a portion of Rasmalai milk cake with cardamom cream – one of those delicate Indian sweets that leave you wondering how on earth to replicate such deliciousness.
A short tour of Colonel Saab led us to the private dining spaces- two interconnecting rooms with so much atmosphere – and up onto the balcony where diners get a birdseye view of the goings-on down below – perfect for people watching. You could spend a month here and still not know enough about the history of the family photos and artefacts. It’s the first in a planned European expansion that I can’t help but think will be successful if the level of effort and attention to detail that has gone into the London restaurant continues.
Throw your ideas about what an Indian restaurant should be out of the window and try for yourself.
Colonel Saab
193-197 High Holborn,
London WC1V 7BD
For more about Colonel Saab check our previous review
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