F
PORTRAIT:MIKE ENGLISH
When it opened, The Cinnamon Club set tongues wagging – not from chilli heat (the spicing is as refined as it gets) but because it unpicked entrenched ideas about what an Indian restaurant is.
First, the location. Housed in the grade II-listed Old Westminster Library, the restaurant is a fiveminute walk from the Houses of Parliament. The soaring ceilings, parquet floors and book-lined walls were a long way from the high street curry house.
And then there’s the food. The Cinnamon Club, with restaurants such as Tamarind and Zaika, was part of a new wave of refined, regional pan-Indian cooking.
LOOKING BACK
“In the early days you could sum up the style of our cooking in three words: evolving, modern and Indian,” says Vivek. “It was about experimenting, not standing still.” That ethos sparked interest – and bemusement.
“The most common question I’d get asked was, ‘Who is this for?’ Because most of our customers were British, white, slightly older. They didn’t expect a lot from Indian food. People asked, ‘Why are you killing yourself making all these different things?’” Vivek had an answer: “It’s for an audience that doesn’t know it wants it yet.”
Much has changed in 20 years. “Back then, ‘dining out’ and ‘Indian food’ wouldn’t be used in the same sentence,” says Vivek. “Looking back, I feel satisfaction that we achieved what we set out to do – to challenge preconceptions about how Indian food should be cooked or presented or priced.”
Fighting talk – and it worked. “Before Covid-19, in a bad year my restaurant would serve 100,000 guests.”
PANDEMIC PIVOT
Vivek is sanguine about the pandemic. “You have to think on the hoof,” he says. The Cinnamon Club began deliveries. “If you can say there is anything good to come out of it, it’s broadened our horizons and got us to do things we would never have done.”
And the most important life lesson Vivek feels he’s learned over the past 20 years? “Be anything, but be ambitious – and not just for oneself. Dream big.”
Mission accomplished.
“When I was asked who our food was for, my answer was: ‘It’s for an audience that doesn’t know it wants it yet’”
The Cinnamon Club sharing menu
Kashmiri lamb shank rogan josh
PHOTOGRAPHS: HANNAH HUGHES. FOOD STYLING: JESS MEYER. STYLING: TONY HUTCHINSON
TO START
Carpaccio of cured wild salmon
MAIN COURSE
Kashmiri lamb shank rogan josh Coorg pandhi pork stir-fry
Vegetarian option Chickpea gnocchi with padrón peppers
SIDES
Grilled aubergine
Lemon rice
FOR PUDDING
Mango and cardamom brûlée
INTERVIEW: SUSAN LOW.
Each dish is designed to serve 4, but if you cook everything you’ll have a feast to keep you going for days! We recommend picking and choosing – and be prepared for the most joyous leftovers.
Carpaccio of cured wild salmon with caramel jhalmuri, potato salad and pea chutney
Serves 4
Hands-on
time 45 min, plus 26 hours curing
You’ll
also
need Glass/nonreactive metal dish or tray that fits the salmon snugly; tray lined with compostable baking paper; food processor or blender
“Growing up in Bengal, I was familiar with jhalmuri, a street snack of puffed rice, mustard-spiced potatoes and peanuts. The chutney is inspired by my mother, who made it each year when peas were in season.”
MAKE
AHEAD
Start this recipe the day before you want to eat it. After step 4, the cured salmon can be kept for a further 4 days, covered in the fridge.
USE IT UP
Use leftover chutney to perk up sandwiches or serve with fried fish. Use leftover salmon in salads or sandwiches, or try it in place of the smoked salmon in our bagel recipe on p103.
KNOW- HOW
The salmon is only lightly cured so make sure the fish is very fresh. Talk to your fishmonger and let them know how you’ll be using it.
For the cured salmon
• 750g side wild or sustainable salmon, skin on, pin bones removed
• Finely grated zest ½ orange
• Finely grated zest 1 lime
• Finely grated zest 1 lemon