30 Great Smith Street London
SW1P 3BU,
United Kingdom
020 7222 2555

As you probably know, it's in the old Westminster Library building located near Westminster Abby, which is a treat in and of itself.  I think The Cinnamon Club opened in 2001; I went there initially because the wine guy, Laurent Chaniac (still buying wine for CC!) came from the Stafford Hotel, where I stayed on a regular basis for about 20 years when I was working over here.

I've dined there about 6 times, give or take.  The food has been consistently excellent, although it's now getting pricey, even for "upscale Indian."  Last night's dinner tells the story: Mindi started with a Welsh lamb appetizer with Indian spices, following that with a grilled sea bream with a chard compote and vermicelli mound.  That may not sound Indian, but the chef has a mastery of Indian spices that make it all come together.  I started with rabbit tikka (this is not a typo!) with a chili dipping sauce. Delicious!  The coup de grace was my "red deer" venison dish.  The slices of venison were atop a cumin flavored béarnaise-type sauce and sat next to a meaty, crunchy samosa.  But the star dish was a side of sangri beans!  We first had these beans in Rajasthan and have NEVER seen them on a menu in London, NY, or DC!  They were fabulous - a not to be missed treat.

There you have it!...................William Gardner

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