Amaya

Disappointed

Went here last Sunday, boy, was I disappointed! I've been to chutney mary before and the food was average, so I expected Amaya to be better! The atmosphere in Chutney Mary is actually better than Amaya. As for the food, both very basic, try else where. I think I will try Benares next, hopefully I wouldn't be disappointed!

This is modern indian in a very “westernised” way so don't do there if you're looking for just a nice curry as you'll for that be better (and cheaper) served elsewhere. If you're looking for a high-quality top-end version of indian food that'll also appeal to the non-traditional indian food lovers this place, however, is a very good albeit pricey option for you.

Visited Amaya with a friend for dinner on a Sunday night. The restaurant was fully booked and quietly humming with a diverse mix of guests, young and old. The red lighting, wooden floorboards and steaming open kitchen grills create a lovely, warm ambience. The dining experience was excellent and we will both definitely return. The vegetarian tasting menu had a good variety of dishes, most of them tending towards light, fresh or sweet flavours – more fusion than traditional. On the other hand the veg and lamb biryani, keema kaleji (stir fried lamb mince with kidney) and grilled chicken were alive with spices, true to original recipes and simply outstanding. The rose brulee and chickoo & prune pannacotta, both of which appear to be Amaya creations, brought the meal to a cooling, smooth and absolutely delightful end.

Good indian fusion food. Not the best indian I have had, but the presentation is great. I recommend sitting by the kitchen, where you can see everything being made. Don't order the lobster, but do order traditional indian dishes with a twist. They can be funny about their seating, but if you are insistant, they will usually accomodate.

After a bit of window shopping on Friday afternoon, my husband and I decided on the spur of the moment to have an early dinner. A few times I have tried to book a table at Amaya, but it was always fully booked. We decided to take a chance and turn up without a reservation. We arrived just after 6pm, and was shown to a table at the bar, as they only start serving food at 6.30. But the restaurant is so beautiful, it was a pleasure to sip a glass of wine and take in the surroundings. We were taken to our table, presented with a menu and there is where the delights of the evening started. We had the salad, the chicken, nan bread, sea bass, spinach, broccoli, peppers and the lamb chops. Each bite of food was a fairy doing summersaults and kickboxing in your mouth. My husband, who does not get excited by food, announced that "this is delicious!'. The service was attentive and at a good pace, the 2 glasses of wine (red and white) with the meal delicious. A very memorable meal and evening indeed.

We had lunch in Amaya, London and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The staff were very attentive, the food beautifully cooked and perfectly spiced. I strongly recommend trying it!

This friday evening, we have tried to call to make a reservation and someone picked up but didn't speak … while we could hear all the noise in the restaurant…
Found it wired but though we could still give it a try, cause staying in a hotel very close on the Sloane Street in Knightsbridge..
We went there and asked for a table for 3: 2 adults and a child… The lady looked at our daughter .. said: How old is she ? We said 9, is there a problem.. She hesitated, said she's not sure, they have a child policy: no children under 10 yo …
Then we turned around and saw a little girl of about 3 or 4..
Smiled and said.. Look, this little girl look much younger… Then she said, I'll ask the manager, she came back saying “Sorry but we have no more tables availables”… I found this attitude inacceptable, tactful and extremely rude… French family travelling for business & pleasure to London

I think overall we found it to be a pleasant experience. We enjoyed the drinks that we had ordered and in particular the monkfish tikka, tofu tikka, chicken wing lollipops, half duck, lamb chops and aubergines. The atmosphere was great very relaxing and felt at home. The staff were very attentive and friendly.

However we did think that some of the dishes we had ordered unfortunately were over powered by some of the spices used. In particular too much cumin was used on the wok fried spinach and the prawns which had completely spoiled the delicate flavours of the spinach and prawns, and the Lamb dori kebab we felt was under spiced. The chicken tikka was again also over spiced with the black pepper corns but the meat was very moist and succulent. We felt that although the service was very good it was not good enough for a Michelin starred restaurant where it should be unquestionably exceptional so this was disappointing. For example it was disappointing that the naan bread was not brought properly in the correct portions and it was some time after that the waiter explained that there was more en-route. Some of the dishes were taking longer than expected but again only later the waiter had decided to tell us this, however on other dishes he did manage our expectations better.

The dessert we had was the Rasmalai and chocolate heaven. The chocolate heaven was fantastic, great chocolate tart and crumbly pastry, exceptional milk chocolate brownie. The Rasmalai was not as good it lacked flavour.

In terms of value for money, we felt it was average and disappointing, We felt that the idea of small portions and sharing although is a novel idea doesn’t really lend itself well to Indian cuisine. If one was being cynical it can be seen as being very commercial given the prices being charged £29.50 for the king prawns for example. We are happy to pay an exceptional price if the food was equally exceptional. Unfortunately we felt overall it did not. We also felt it a bit cheeky to include charitable donations as part of the bill as standard without asking permission. We appreciate the fact that it is optional and could ask the waiter to opt out of this but it really have should been the other way round, where we were allowed to opt in if we wanted to, furthermore we felt that the business should be making this donation themselves and not asking the customer to do so.

Unfortunately and I am sorry (because I am disappointed of myself for having to say this) to say that I would not recommend this restaurant to other people purely because there are other similar restaurants that offer what Amaya does but giving greater value for money.

It is a delight to visit this restaurant, food is very good and the atmosphere never disappoints, I have been many many times and so far there is consistency and the dishes are always a joy to my palate, I will recommend to anyone anytime, book in advance if you have a special occasion.

Loved Amaya, the atmosphere suited the type of evening that we we had in store. The hostesses were lovely, the little staple accompaniments ooh aahed nicely. It is definitely Indian Cooking with a mega European twist. My only grudge was the overcooked Madagascan prawn. Service was impeccable, the dishes were introduced perfectly well and the hostess was extremely helpful. Will go again.