For those keen to experience a taste of exoticism for their Sunday brunch, Cinnamon Soho is well worth a visit, especially if you time it well to match with your Sunday shopping plans. The restaurant is overseen by award-winning executive chef Vivek Singh who has brought his unique anglo-Asian style cuisine to the heart of Soho.
It has a clean, welcoming entrance in close proximity to the busy shopping areas of Regent Street and Carnaby Street. Although it is in an area of town, where there is a particularly high density of restaurants; so no doubt there is strong competition for passerby trade.
The interior decorations are marginally disappointing when you’ve visited other branches of the Cinnamon empire, especially the vibrant colours you see at Cinnamon Bazaar. There is a tandem and little else to report on; perhaps they wanted to let the food be the main focus?
Some dishes are very similar to what’s offered at Cinnamon Bazaar and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. We went along to try their Sunday brunch offering, which includes unlimited Prosecco or mimosas for £20pp.
The main dishes to try are the parathas. They are tasty warm homemade flatbreads that have been a crowd-pleaser in the sub-continent since the 12th century. Here, they are served with house pickle and pomegranate raita. These dishes are particularly vegetarian-friendly, as we tried both cauliflower options. One was a cauliflower and fragrant carom seed and the other was cauliflower with keene’s cheddar. They have been cooked so that the edge is crispy and it is a very filling dish despite its simplicistic appearance.
We also tried a portion of masala chips with the parathas which weren’t overly powerful in terms of taste but had a subtle hint of spiciness from the sub-continent.
If you want more main course type dishes, they are plenty to choose from, including a fascinating sounding lamb Rogan Josh shepherd’s pie and kedgeree: flaked smoked haddock, egg, green chilli and rice. I opted for a Kerala style boatman haddock curry with tomato and tamarind. It wasn’t as hot as typical Indian curries as this had a more coconut base. The haddock came in meaty pieces and the dish also included rice as well.
The menu at Cinnamon Soho is of an undeniably high standard, although they could do with more dishes that are clearly of the breakfast variety apart from the parathas.
baldwin@townfish.com