Mathura

Atul Kochar has been at the forefront of UK Indian food since the 90s and was the first to win a Michelin star for it. But, with new blood like Kricket and Mowgli on the scene, would his latest white-tablecloth opening feel out of touch?

Mathura, like many upscale Indian restaurants, is huge. Set in a former fire station, the space’s white-tiled walls and fireman’s pole remain, while the plush banquet seating feels more reminiscent of a lavish embassy (fittingly, the service and complimentary bellinis made us feel like visiting dignitaries).

While kebab platters can often turn out to be a jack-of-all-trades situation, Mathura’s was anything but. Saffron and yoghurt chicken, sumac and walnut beef and minced koobideh came grilled to perfection, but the soft, aromatic lamb chops were the star of the show. Atul’s chicken tikka pie, meanwhile, was a playful, lighter affair, spiked with zingy cranberry chutney. The staff-selected Riesling that accompanied locked in an excellent first course.

After exactly the right amount of time, the cod macher curry and Koh-e-rogan josh followed. The lamb, which had been simmered for three hours in a richly spiced sauce, fell off the bone at the tap of a fork. The cod, however, was a showstopper. Velvety flakes of perfectly cooked fish easily slid off each other into pools of coconut and fennel, accompanied by clams and asparagus. Perfect. Sadly there was a stumble, which came in the form of a £9 side of slightly overcooked veg. The dessert platter brought the standard back up, featuring a brandy snap-esque cannoli, coconut and lemongrass parfait and saffron and cardamom shrikhand.

Mathura might not be a queues-down-the-street, techno-on-the-speakers, food-comes-whenever-ready kind of place. And that heavenly cod did cost £36. But it’s certainly not out of touch. If anything, food, wine and service like this are timeless.

Mathura is a fine-dining Indian restaurant from renowned chef Atul Kochhar. The restaurant was originally set to open in the autumn of 2019 but faced a series of delays which were not helped by the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic. For this opening, Kochhar has once again teamed up with previous collaborator Tina English, the former commercial director of Vivek Singh’s Cinnamon Club. The pair previously worked together to open Kanishka in March 2019, which is a similarly swish proposition found in Mayfair.

Mathura finds its home inside the former Westminster Fire Station, a Grade-II listed building that was originally built in 1906. The restaurant stretches across 5,000 square feet and two floors, consisting of a spacious dining area for 60 people with an open kitchen, as well as a destination bar, two private dining rooms, and a chef’s table. It also contains a few nods to its former life, retaining the building’s original tiling and firefighter’s pole.

Mathura gets its name from the north Indian city in which the Hindu deity Krishna is said to have been born, and you can expect the food menu to feature Kochhar’s signature Indian flair, as well as a fair few theatrical elements - think special dishes served on trolleys. The a la carte takes inspiration from the cuisines of India, as well as nine of its surrounding countries, including China, Nepal and Sri Lanka to name just a few. Guests can also choose to dine from a set two- or three-course lunch menu, or a multi-course tasting menu, with optional paired wines.

Kocchar is a well-respected voice in Indian cooking, notably the first ever Indian chef to win a Michelin star when he worked at Mayfair’s Tamarind in the early 2000s. He repeated his success when he gained a star while overseeing the kitchen at Benares, also in Mayfair.