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Amaya (∗)

Address:Halkin Arcade, Motcomb Street SW1X 8JT
Tel:020 7823 1166
Email:
Website: Visit Amaya website
Price: £69.00 Wine: £21.50 Champagne: £47.00
Opening Hours:Mon-Sat 12.30-2.15pm 5.30-10.45pm (Sat 12N-2.30pm) Sun 12N-2.30pm 6-10.30pm

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Square Meal review of Amaya: ? Write your own review

Most readers continue to applaud this ‘wonderful Indian grill’, despite quibbles about service & high prices. Glamorous Amaya, sibling to Chutney Mary & Veeraswamy, is famed for its open kitchen, which is dominated by a charcoal grill & a hotplate. Think of the food as ‘Indian tapas’ & order several small servings rather than full-sized versions from the menu. Standout dishes include griddled scallops in a delicate green herb sauce, succulent grouper cooked in pandan leaf with a coating of mustard, chilli & peanuts, & a smoky lamb dori (a minced lamb kebab perfumed with cloves). Some items, including grilled aubergine with an over-sweet paste of sun-dried tomatoes, clearly require a bit more work. On balance, though, the food is a hit, & the buzzy, lively atmosphere makes this an entertaining place for business or pleasure. Sadly, the wine list focuses on rather predictable names at rather extraordinary prices.

Chef: Karunesh Khanna

Amaya’s Chef - Amaya chef Karunesh Khanna

Karunesh Khanna is one of a tiny number of Indian chefs to have won a Michelin star. He has been working as head chef of Amaya since it opened in September 2004 & prior to that he held the position of executive chef at the Taj Holiday Village in Goa. However, much of his training was in London, at The Dorchester, The Four Seasons, The Ritz & Claridge’s. When it opened, Amaya immediately shot to fame, winning our BMW Square Meal Award for Best New Restaurant Spring 2005 among other accolades. Amaya comes from the team at Masala World, also behind much-loved Chutney Mary & Veeraswamy. The style of cuisine has rarely been seen in the UK before, specialising in Indian kebab cooking, using three styles of grill.

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Reader reviews of Amaya:

Tanya D.

Tanya D. (30s, Female, United Kingdom)

Wow, the food was incredible, we went for the £65 tasting menu and apart from the broccoli dish which was sickly, everything else was stunning! You know that feeling when your taste buds get all excited with each thing you eat, and you each bite is different. Some interesting non-traditional Indian food and modern twists on traditional dishes made it all very interesting. Our waitress too was informative and honest about what we ordered which was a nice change. What lets Amaya down is the decor, I felt like I was in a canteen, nothing at all like the gorgeous Veeraswamy and at these prices, the canteen look with uncomfortable chairs is not acceptable. Also, the wine list was terribly overpriced for the standard of the wines on offer, the Barolo we ordered at over £70 was the worst Ive ever had and I instantly regretted paying that much money for it. I love Veeraswamy's decor and Amayas food, if the two were combined it would be sheer bliss!

5 May 2009
Overall:8
Food and Drink:10
Service:10
Atmosphere:7
Value for Money:8
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Incognito
Silver Reviewer

Incognito (30s, Male, London)

Great Modern Indian…love the food cooked on the grill and has a great atmosphere. I don't really like this part of town…too ‘Knightsbridge’ for me but its worth the trip. Good place to go with a big table and share…prices on the high side so better if someone else is picking up the bill.

7 April 2009
Overall:8
Food and Drink:9
Service:8
Atmosphere:8
Value for Money:6
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Emilie G.
Reviews: 1

Emilie G. (30s, Female)

What a shame! have been to Amaya for years and always loved the food. However, the service is nowhere close to the food and has actually gotten worst with the years with consistently unpolite staff. Last Saturday was the “straw that broke the camel's back”: not only did they made a mistake with our booking (meaning we did not have our table when we arrived) but the “manager” did not even apologise for their mistake (instead implying we could be lying as they had no trace of our booking…), the staff ignored us, made us wait while there were actually tables ready for other people arriving later and they did not even offered us any coktail while we were waiting for 20 mn (time at which we decided to give up and not come back any more)

6 April 2009
Overall:5
Food and Drink:9
Service:1
Atmosphere:5
Value for Money:4
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Foodess
Gold Reviewer

Foodess (50s, Female, United Kingdom)

Visited twice in 2008. Enjoyed both times although one or two staff aloof on one occasion. Fun idea of small dishes to sample but sometimes arriving at an erratic pace so as to overcrowd the small table. I recall a type of spicy venison kebab and a deliciously sticky quail plus a not so well cooked aubergine topped with a spicy sauce. Enjoyed 3 interesting relishes one of rhubarb, something with rose petal and a ground nut one I think. Despite niggles will return as it entertains the palate and the eye (chefs are on show).

5 February 2009
Overall:7
Food and Drink:8
Service:6
Atmosphere:6
Value for Money:7
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Smeeta P.

Smeeta P. (50s, Female, United Kingdom)

Great food, especially the oysters and monk fish. Service was excellent. Would recommend this place without hesitation!!

21 December 2008
Overall:9
Food and Drink:9
Service:9
Atmosphere:10
Value for Money:8
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Karen S.

Karen S. (40s, Female, London)

A really delicious experience. The food was stunning, ambience and service both excellent. I loved the concept of sharing several plates over a period of time, at no time did we feel rushed and each dish was beautifully presented and tasted superb.

20 December 2008
Overall:9
Food and Drink:9
Service:9
Atmosphere:9
Value for Money:8
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