Quilon

Indian·
££££
·

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - Over £80
Cuisines
Indian
Ambience
Cosy, Luxury, Quiet conversation, Traditional
Awards
One Michelin star
Food Occasions
Dinner, Lunch
Special Features
Gluten-free options, Vegan options, Vegetarian options, Wheelchair access
Perfect for
Birthdays, Celebrations, Group dining [8+], Special occasions

About

Serene and peaceful, with shell motifs and an undulating wave-like ceiling pointing up the maritime theme, this Michelin-starred South Indian specialist is perfectly positioned under the mighty Taj Hotel in Victoria – a comfortable refuelling point for residents, local businesses and well-heeled visitors. Seafood is the undoubted high point of the menu, and dishes such as crab cakes gently spiced with curry leaves, ginger and chilli or giant juicy shell-on prawns cooked in an onion, tomato and coconut masala are well worth a trip across town. There’s also plenty for meat eaters and vegetarians: slow-cooked lamb shank, steeped in herbs and spices is meltingly good, while a dish of snow peas and asparagus, sautéed with coconut, mustard, curry leaves and chilli is supremely moreish. Service isn’t exactly slick, but it’s well-meaning, kind and enthusiastic. The wine list has been carefully designed to match the food – look out for plenty of aromatic whites and soft easy-drinking reds.

This venue also offers

Location

41 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AF

020 7821 1899 020 7821 1899

Website

Opening Times

Lunch
Mon Closed
Tue Closed
Wed 12:00-14:30
Thu 12:00-14:30
Fri 12:00-14:30
Sat 12:30-15:30
Sun 12:30-15:30
Dinner
Mon Closed
Tue 17:30-22:00
Wed 17:30-22:00
Thu 17:30-22:00
Fri 17:30-22:30
Sat 17:30-22:30
Sun 17:30-22:00

Reviews

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15 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Geo S

31 July 2018  
Fantastic modern Indian, with exemplary food and service.

Avi Sarkar

21 March 2018  
Marks food is tremendous dined here 4 times last year and absolutely loved it. 10/10.

Anon

05 May 2017  
Simply the best and most sophisticated Indian food in London. Always inviting and friendly. .

Julie J

07 February 2015  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
Fabulous Indian Cuisine
A birthday treat for my husband before the theatre. The service was outstanding with friendly and helpful staff. The atmosphere was formal but relaxed. The food was quite simply wonderful, unique dishes and mouth watering flavours from southern India. Attention to detail was perfect and we'll definitely go back when next in London.

Wendy M

22 November 2013  
Food & Drink 3
Service 4
Atmosphere 3.5
Value 3.5
Stylish Restaurant but....
Whilst the surroundings are conducive to an intimate and relaxing experience and staff are very keen to please the diner, unfortunately some of the dishes don't quite match the standard set by the place and the people. I was pleased that this would be southern Indian in contrast to Cinnamon Club but as for cooking standard I don't think they quite compare. We'll dine a third time and see which way the scores go then.

Jaume E

03 November 2013  
Food & Drink 4.5
Service 5
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
Exceptional Indian food
This was my first experience in a Michelin-starred restaurant in London and I must say that it was great. Amazing food, attentive service and good atmosphere. We tried the London Restaurant Festival menu. The fish was mind-blowing (I forgot the name) and the rose ice-cream almost made me cry. The rest of the dishes were also exceptional. A great experience and I definitely would recommend this restaurant to everyone.

Toby N

25 September 2013  
Food & Drink 4
Service 3
Atmosphere 2.5
Value 4.5
The Cinnamon Club is better
The Qulion isn't somewhere I’ve ever thought of going for dinner, it’s also somewhere that I’m not sure I’d rush back to, not because it was a disaster by any means, rather it’s that the Cinnamon Club is in the same area and this suffers by comparison. I found myself going for a spontaneous dinner with a friend on a Monday night after work, when a few drinks in the Zander bar (which incidentally is a dead loss on a Monday night – as quiet as the grave, with no vibe at all) turned into a plan to get food and a professed desire for ‘something nearby – I like Indian food’, so off we trotted. It’s strangely bland and beige inside; clean, smart, relaxed and stylish, but it feels like a hotel restaurant – you honestly can’t recall what it's like even 5 minutes after walking outside – I had to just look at their website to summon any memories of it, whereas even now I could tell you exactly what the Cinnamon Club is like inside. The atmosphere wasn’t exactly vibrant – not helped perhaps by it being Monday, but also there is a slightly strange shape to the dining room, so depending on where you are sat two thirds of the remainder is out of your view. We also got sat in what was clearly the ‘date’ seat – a cosy table for 2 where you sat side by side knees touching – it’s a good job that I’ve known her for years and we both thought this was funny, but it would have been good for them to have asked if this was OK, it clearly could have been awkward under different circumstances. The staff didn’t seem to be very on the ball – it might be unfair as our waiter did say to us it was his first day, so perhaps not fair to judge his performance based on that, but there was a bit of a lack of understanding of what was on the menu, the sharing concept wasn’t really explained well etc. But things arrived without mistakes, no one got wine in their lap etc, so not a disaster by any means. Food is South West Indian; lots of fish, a mix of spicy and mild and creamy. We shared baked black cod – which was exceptionally good, meltingly soft and full of warm complex flavours, prawn masala – lovely, but not enough of it, Manglorean chicken – spicier than we expected, steamed rice and Pachadi (pineapple and pomegranate mixed with yoghurt, ground coconut, cumin seeds and mustard). It was all good, but again I just prefer the Cinnamon Club. Value for money was fine – with all the dishes above, water and wine the bill came to just under £60 per head. The biggest problem is I just can’t see myself returning, I’ll take the 10 minute walk and go to the better option instead.

Tanya D

30 August 2013  
Food & Drink 2
Service 3
Atmosphere 4
Value 2
What a disappointment
I have been wanting to try this restaurant for ages and finally got there but it was such a tragic disappointment. The main menu looked inviting but the waiter recommended we try the tasting menu, I wasnt sure but he convinced me that the chef had chosen the best dishes for it so we thought “what the hell”, saves having to make decisions, we get to try more things and I thought it didnt seem like bad value at £48 for 4 course. The fact that the main course was lamb biryani shouldve been my first warning that this was not going to be some wonderful gastronomic experience…the first course had very dried out lentil cakes and tilapia with a herb crust that just didnt work with it. The second course of prawns and chicken, the chicken was the best part of the meal, so tender with a coriander sauce but the prawn…odd tasting is the only way to describe it. The lamb biryani, well, was just bland; the side dishes also just added nothing to the dish. The chicken curry I got in place of the lamb was definitely nothing to get excited about; probably one of the least exciting curries I have ever had. On reflection, maybe trying the dishes on the normal menu would have been better, the scallops with mango starter sounded appealing but its hard to know but my advice if you are going is really dont bother with the tasting menu. The other thing that made me laugh was that the waiter asked if we would like any wine recommendations and thinking that he would pick out a couple of specific wines, he just said “Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc”. Given that there were about 20 different chardonnays across the different categorisations, that was not very helpful guidance. For the amount of money we spent, Rasoi Vineet and Veeraswamy would have been far preferable options. Its frustrating when the food is not bad enough to complain about it but bad enough to feel annoyed at having to hand your credit card over. My favourite thing about the place was the room which feels warm and inviting but I will pass on going back.

Jan M

16 November 2011  
Food & Drink 5
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 4
Value 4.5
Enjoyed the food very much. The vintage ale menu was quite something. Would strongly recommend foregoing the wine and select a Fullers Ale (or two) to go with the food

Eva Maria B

16 March 2011  
Food & Drink 4.5
Service 4.5
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
One of my favourites – very special Northern Indian cooking with a twist. Always a great fall back option if we dont really know where to go. Excellent wine list of whites that go great with spicy Indian.
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Call Quilon to make a booking on:

020 7821 1899 020 7821 1899

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