The latest outpost of renowned chef Vivek Singh’s Cinnamon empire has seen it heading west to Richmond. While the original Cinnamon Club offered Indian fine dining and the Cinnamon Kitchens that followed sought to pair Indian spices with British ingredients, the Bazaars offer dishes inspired by marketplaces across the subcontinent. Situated on Kew Road close to the station, the restaurant occupies a large site that was previously a Carluccio’s, with a bar and outside seating, all decorated in a riot of greens and pinks.
For those wanting an aperitif, or if you just want to go there for a drink, there is a decent cocktail list. We sampled the Cinnamon bellini, a warming drink to put you in mind of Christmas even in summer, and a Maiden Garden, a slightly syrupy but balanced combination of Camomile Whitley Neil gin, St Germain, lemongrass and nutmeg.
Suitably fortified, the menu begins with a variety of Chaats, the typical street food snacks of the marketplaces Cinnamon Bazaar pays tribute to. These are reasonably sized and designed to be shared. We tried the Spicy Samosa Smash, vegetable samosas with curried white peas and the heat provided by chili. The white peas also appear in the milder Aloo Tikka, a potato cake topped with crunchy chickpea sev. In contrast, the Dahi Bhalla, Papdi was a dish of lentil dumplings topped with a cold sorbet that provided a variety of textures and provided a bit of a palate cleanser.
There is a lengthier list of main courses. This offers some curry house classics like chicken biryani and fish curry. The Tandoori Chicken Malai Tikka, with mace and cardamom, was moderately spicy with a slightly nutty edge to the sauce and went particularly well with the creamy Daal we had to accompany it. In addition, the menu has some twists on more classic British dishes. Tempting though the Ox Cheek vindaloo was, we went for the Roganjosh Shepherd’s Pie, recognised by Time Out as one of its 100 Best Dishes in London. That might be overstating it but it was an interesting take on the British classic, the meat warming without being overly spicy and a creamy mash with the peas on top. All the sides you would expect are present and correct, with a range of naans and rice, although other than the Daal we tried to stay healthy and stuck with some greens.
The dessert list offers a similar combination of Indian and British-inspired dishes, a coconut falooda sitting alongside a carrot and ginger toffee pudding, We sadly only had room for one, the Mango and Pistachio Kulfi. The traditional Indian ice cream is thicker than the European version and provides a refreshing end to the meal.
I suspect it will do very well on the days when rugby crowds fill Richmond and as an alternative to the traditional curry house, it provides a more refined experience, although the pricing is reasonably high. However, Cinnamon Bazaar offers a variety of menus, with breakfast, brunch and afternoon tea available alongside the lunch and dinner menus, and so there is something to suit pretty much all needs and times of day and with the outside seating there are worse places to while away a summer afternoon. Perhaps not worth a special trip but if you find yourself in Richmond and fancying an Indian it will serve you very well.
Cinnamon Bazaar, 31-35 Kew Road Richmond TW9 2NQ
Tue-Thurs 9am-9pm, Fri-Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 9am-9pm
Chaats £6.50-10, mains £11.50-25