Chutney Mary
73 St. James's Street
London
SW1A 1PH
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About
Chutney Mary is one of the leading fine dining restaurants serving Indian food in the world today. It is part of the acclaimed MW Eat, whose London restaurants serve Indian cuisines of the highest quality. The other restaurants in the group are leading fine dining restaurants, Amaya and Veeraswamy, and 7 Masala Zone restaurants which are brasserie restaurants.
Following 25 glorious years in Chelsea, Chutney Mary has now moved to its new home in St. James's Street. It now features a completely new set of menus to suit every time of the day, mood and taste.
Chutney Mary showcases an eclectic mix of authentic Indian design and contemporary style in a glamorous yet timeless setting.
Reviews
Fabulous Food. Romantic. 'Indian' but not curry.
For his birthday, son wanted to eat Indian, but a local everyday place would not be exciting enough, which set us a challenge. We wanted somewhere special. On line we found the famous Chutney Mary's and booked it. The food, decor and prices all exceeded my expectations. Wonderful food full of flavours such as rose. Spinach which tasted fresh, not like it was cooked five times. Splendid refreshing fruit sorbets. Menu constantly changing. Not what I'd planned after reading on line. (Which was duck and apricots, followed by a date and walnut kulfi.) Cocktails and DrinksInteresting cocktails. My drink, cardamon cooler, vodka, strawberries and cardamon, was entrancingly pink. With a sophisticated black bent straw.It was only 100 ml. In a champagne glass. That didn't last long. And it was half filled with ice. So I added water to get the benefit of the drink's dregs and make it last the whole meal. Servers kept trying to sneak it away but I stayed alert and kept demanding it back. Vodka and strawberry with three thin slices of fresh strawberry. It's years since I've had a cocktail with fresh strawberry in the drink as opposed to sitting on the rim so you are afraid to touch it in case you look too desperate and greedy.It's easy for a restaurant to afford a slice of strawberry when strawberries are plentiful in UK summer, or as now, in spring, almost in season - somewhere in the world giving a greenhouse forced hard, tasteless strawberry. In Singapore you get fresh fruit cocktails all year, whether at a cheap roadside stall or a grand hotel. I remember having strawberries in a strawberry daiquiri at a Quality Inn South of Washington DC in the 1980s. I passed it on the motorway coming in from Virginia years later and yearned to stop. Here at Chutney Mary's the joy of the cocktail was not strawberry but the totally new experience of the crunchy cardamon.I think I'll remember the Chutney Mary cocktail years later as well. The food is everything you could want. Delightful to read the menu, dishes wonderful to look at, tastes divine, different from every other meal you've had, inventive, colourful, memorable, fresh and healthy. The duck was great and the accompanying sweet potato. Lamb with mash was more-ish.DessertsI had the 'degustation' combination dessert, of three items, mango panacotta, choclate fondant and rose sorbet. Prettily presented. The chocolate was full of flavour with a hot melting centre. What looked like creme brulee was not as good but melting. The sorbet was wonderful. I loved the rhubarb sorbet, and the mango. The Baked Alaska was a small tall castle. Not large. Granny ate the lot, so I never got to try it. She refuses to eat Indian and doesn't like curry or spices but she was quite happy. She liked the sliced duck and baked alaska though she'd have preferred a sweet wine. I filled in their form and gave them ten out of ten for food. ServiceService nearly there. Only nine out of ten for service. Knowledgeable. Polite unobtrusive warmth from the men. Quiet women servers. Not the jollity of Italian waiters at an Italian restaurant. But probably suitable for those on expensive accounts who don't want distractions. Also ideal for jealous wives and girlfriends who don't want their menfolk chatting up anybody else.My complaints were: They put a candle on my son's dessert but brought it up when I was away from the table. They should have waited until I came back because I didn't see it nor get a photo of him looking astonished and happy at his birthday candle. The server took a photo and stepped back to get us all in. A really smart photography-wise person will take two photos in case somebody shuts their eyes. Besides people tend to look awkwardly anxious with fixed grins in the first photo but relaxed and happy in the second.RomanticCandles provide romantic dim light. No distractions from others. You don't hear a word from other tables. Total privacy. The circular conservatory where we sat was lovely at night. Gleaming wood. Thirty pot plants around the edge. A tree in the middle sheltering you overhead so you are not overlooked by the block of flats at the back. Candles provide a romantic atmosphere. Admittedly we nearly burned our hands, our sleeves and our menus three times as we passed the birthday cards and menus across. But the candle design with oil inside a cube looks as though it's meant to be safe and can't spill.Prices High. We were paying about £150 for four for a birthday. I could have had a mango lassi for under £4 or one of several wines by the glass, none sweet, but opted for an unusual cocktail. The restaurant offers set menus about £20 or £22 but little choice. About three options in each section and if you are allergic to shellfish and don't want vegetarian you have only one choice. However, if you want to go for the atmosphere, or eat there regularly, that's a good option.I could not see the price of coffee. The coffees were listed in a line. I might have opted for a cheaper coffee, or known they were all the same price. I was distracted from my conversation by puzzling over this. It's a legal requirement to tell customers prices and not make it up at the end and shock them into ordering something they can't afford or consider poor value.What they should tell you:Steep stairs, a challenge to those of us in high heels, and no lift. Granny, aged 92, made it down. And up. If she had gone downstairs and then wanted the cloakroom immediately I would have been concerned.Toilets are at the top of the stairs to the right of the entrance. It may be built on a slope. The main restaurant is basement from the front stairs. But the projecting conservatory seems to be ground floor. Maybe it's basement with a view of the sky. Toilets were spotlessly clean. One of the few places where you felt that the rolls of toilet paper outside the protective wrapper were not gathering dust on the surface.Clever divided doors. Such a good idea. Solves a problem which was bothered me for years. Enables you to get into a cubicle without one large door blocking the area diagonally when you open it. A second dispenser, of moisturizer, would have been welcome. And a flower display. However, the effect was very elegant and clean. Will I go back? Can't wait. Dad was already saying he wants to go there on his birthday.For a change of venue they have about four sister restaurants all in central London, Covent Garden and so on. We went to Veeraswamy's years ago and thought the decor was unusual but it was overpriced with indifferent food. However, if it's under new ownership and could be up to the standard of Chutney Mary's, definitely worth a trip and a try. This branch is near Kensington. We took a wrong turn and arrived late. But the restaurant is large and we had no trouble getting a table on a Monday evening.Granny was impressed. When she'd been a teenager her mother had always taken her for tea to classy places, so she knew how to behave with the best people, she told us twenty times.ParkingIf you book about 8 pm you arrive after the congestion charge has ended. The sofa inside the entrance enables passengers to wait in comfort while you fetch the car. I think there's a yellow line outside, maybe because you are approaching a bridge. Our driver said he parked in a street nearby.
A User - 12/03/2009 | report this review
Super curry
This is not your ordinary indian restaurant. From the moment you arrive the whole experience is great. Everyone was polite and helpful. The waiters really knew their stuff the food was fantastic. My girlfriend had the veg platter which was amazing. I expect every dish is great. Try and get a room in the conservatory at the back. 3 courses for 22 quid is a well worth it!!!
Andrew Dale - 08/01/2009 | report this review
Possibly London's best Indian
We came here for my birthday and we've often thought about going here. The waiters are helpful, the manager did exactly the right protocol for a manager... kept a discreet distance, just making sure everything ticked along correctly and keeping the ambience and pleasure just right. To go into fine details regarding the food would not do this place justice. It was awesome and we shall definitely go again. Not a cheap night but not overtly expensive for Chelsea
A User - 03/08/2008 | report this review
Fine Indian Dining
If you've never experienced fine Indian dining, this is the place to go. Most Indian places are either take-out or just plain-jane restaurants. But after a visit here, it brings out a new angle to the term, 'Haute-Cuisine'.. ok maybe i'm exaggerating.... but trust me, it's really up there. an awesome selection of wines (though, if you don't know your wines, you're probably gonna find it terribly expensive), their starters, appetisers, main course and dessert are all served with a touch of class. After you're settled in, and as each course is brought out, when you see the presentation, you'll forget the exorbitant(?) prices and just settle down to enjoy your food.Approx. £45+ per person, so take your credit card along, if you're not carrying cash. Make sure you try out their blueberry chutney... it rocks!!!! http://www.chutneymary.com
A User - 08/07/2007 | report this review
Outstanding Indian Restaurant; no wonder it wins awards!!
I had an amazing meal at Chutney Mary. The restaurant is beautiful; you can certainly have a posh frock moment if you feel so inclined. The service was discreet but excellent, champagne is an option by the glass and the food was outstanding; it even tasted good the next day when we had our leftovers put in a doggy bag and ate them for breakfast (classy huh!) I love Indian food anyway but this is really really special!
A User - 01/07/2007 | report this review
Excellent Indian restaurant
Chutney Mary's has been around for quite some time, and is a bit of an institution. But, I would have to say, rightly so. The food is really, really good, very inventive, all freshly prepared and seasoned to perfection. Rather than "dumbing down" Indian food for the British palate, or destroying all flavour with an overdose of spices, Chutney Mary's manages a perfect balance between authentic Indian cooking and modern inventive cuisine. There is also a good, fairly- priced winelist. The decor is very stylish and the service is excellent too.
A User - 10/08/2006 | report this review
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Testimonials
We had the most perfect dinner last night! Everything was magical, the food, service and overall ambience. Also the boys behind the bar were very friendly and polite. You should all be very proud for making Chutney Mary such a success. Well done. I have been to some of the best restaurants in the world and I can safely say that Chutney Mary is now up there with the best of the best. Kindest regards
Mr Papoutes
Our friends, Brian and Chris Trotter who have also loved Chutney Mary for many years, and ourselves had a really very nice time at your new location. The bar entrance is a great addition to your restaurant - nicely spacious and a good 'drop in place' for refreshment and I am assuming snacks(?) and walking into the restaurant itself was just what we hoped - lots of candles and shimmering mirror,glass. It has a great 'city vibe', sophisticated but warm - lots of great Indian pictures on the walls - we were very impressed and happy to see the result. We look forward to many more visits to Chutney Mary - in fact my husband has two reservations made for June and July! - the food was excellent - in particular we enjoyed the starters - my favourite Tokri Chaat but also the amazing prawns and lobster offerings. Butter Chicken was, as usual, excellent - All in all great food. Congratulations and we wish you a great opening and a great success on St James's!
Mr
Testimonials are added by the business owner and are not independently verified.
