Given my Indian heritage, I am picky about adding Indian restaurants to the repertoire. Dishoom was a happy accident, but will Cinnamon Soho be too? Was it any good? Time to find out...
Ideal for:
A quick bite before hitting the shops or theatre
Authentic Indian food with a British twist
Casual dinner with mates
Ambience & Décor
The vibrant colour contrast outside was contradicted with the lightly-painted monochromatic walls front of house, which hung an old bicycle. The decorative wall next to the well-illuminated bar area matches the trendier rear end of the restaurant. The lack of natural light and the frugal use of spotlights gave the meal a dreary feel. This feeling was compounded by the lack of a dining vibe.
Service
The laissez-faire and inattentiveness was criminal, and my hunger compounded the fury. The final straw was the lack of awareness of the menu. Clueless, hapless and hopeless.
Food
We ordered a selection of dishes and each have been reviewed in turn. The Aloo Paratha / Keema Paratha were both delicious flatbreads stuffed with potato and minced lamb respectively. Cooked to a crispy edge and served with an interesting pomegranate raita.
The Papdi Chaat – Crisp wheat, tangy tamarind and chickpea vermicelli (left) is my favourite Indian street food that was thankfully palatable. The wheat was not soggy, bits that needed to be crisp, were and the sweet-spice combination effervescent in a traditional chaat comes to the fore. For the price, the portion could have been bigger.
Spicy Pepper Fry (right) was off limits, but the consensus was the dish was underwhelming despite the presentation being on point.
The oddity with the Tandoori chicken malai tikka, mace and cardamom was that all the flavouring was served in a sauce with a paste-like consistency on the side. The unflavoured, un-spiced and uninspired chicken was overcooked. Needed to dip the chicken into the “sauce” to get any semblance of flavour. The restaurant missed a trick by not marinating the chicken in the aforementioned ingredients, and the spice would have infused into the juicy chicken as part of the cooking method.
The Lucknow Chicken Biryani was bang average. The chicken was moderately spiced and overcooked, but the lack of saffron in there meant you cannot call it authentic. Blandness is a culinary sin with Indian food and the mini portion was criminal.
Paneer 65 stir-fried with curry leaf & green chilli
The Paneer 65 stir-fried with curry leaf & green chilli (left) was visually appealing and tasted sublime. The flavours were dancing on the palate and paired immensely with the Aloo Paratha, and both would do for a meal. The paneer was beautifully cooked without being chewy. This was the standout dish by a country mile.
The House black dal was watery, mushy and forgettable. More butter or cream needed to give it a richer, firmer and creamier feel.
Simple, hearty and flavoursome Indian classics that should be replicated to the highest standards. Sadly, only two dishes stood out for me; the Paneer 65 and Aloo Paratha. Indian food is not about false economy; high prices and tiny portions jeopardise the mantra. The average décor, appalling service and arbitrary food quality means no more than a D rating.
Photos of Cinnamon Soho and more can be found on Instagram here.
Final grade: D
Final comment: Average décor, appalling service and arbitrary food quality. Will avoid!
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