Trishna Impresses

Tucked away in the side streets of Marleybone you’ll find Trishna restaurant. A Michelin star restaurant specialising in South Indian food. Moody lighting and wooden panelled walls gives the restaurant a cosy atmosphere. The art, including prints of Air India advertisements from days gone by adda touch of humour and history.

The regular leather bound menu is rather extensive. However, there is a separated vegan menu on a separate laminated A4 page. It’s always appreciated when the vegan options are clearly marked on the regular menu or there is a separate vegan menu to peruse. The latter was more than sufficient here.

We started off with cocktails. I had a picante which has a tequila base with salt and spices, a taste of what was to come. Genuinely spicy and delicious.

To start I had the coconut and corn tikki. They came as two croquette like balls with a small corn bhaiji on each one, along with a mint and mango murabba. These were so full of flavour and really popped. The soft sweetness of the corn played nicely with the curry leaves and coconut. Both the tikkis and bhaiji were moist but not greasy. A real treat.

For the main I ordered the bhagare baigan curry and a dal panchmel along with lemon rice and a roti to soak them both up. The peanut, sesame and aubergine combo was a hit. Beautifully savoury with a bit of a kick and a touch of coconut to round it out. The dal is what I call real comfort food. It was hearty and flavourful without being overpowering or stodgy.  On the side was the roti, which was perfectly fine. However, the lemon rice was a real standout. It’s not often where the side dish is the star but I could have eaten two bowls of the stuff. The cashew nuts made it moorish, the curry leaf gave it depth and the lemon provided that satisfying acidic edge to make you want another spoonful. This is a must order.

There was one plant based dessert on the menu, the tandoori pineapple and coconut. However, after indulging in all that good food, I couldn’t eat another bite. Although I did polish off the meal with a black filter coffee, as per usual.

Throughout the service was great. We had one waiter for drinks and another for food. Both friendly, relaxed and professional, walking the line of being attentive without ever being intrusive. The only sour note was when we had finished the meal and were asked if we could vacate the table as there was another booking in 15 minutes. We were there not quite an hour and a half so this seemed a little unnecessary, especially for this caliber of restaurant.

Overall I would heartily recommend Trishna. Theatmosphere is cosy and unpretentious, the service is great and most importantly, the food is excellent. It lends itself well to date night. Am looking forward to my next visit to give the full

a go.