Vaasu by Atul Kochhar
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Atul Kochhar’s second Marlow restaurant (following Sindhu, by the riverside) is a darkly plush high-street affair – green upholstery, bare wood tables, and framed prints of flowers on mirrored walls. It’s popular with youngish, affluent diners who create quite a buzz on a Saturday night. Food is firmly in the Indian/modern British fusion mould, famously shaped by Kochhar 20 years ago at Tamarind in Mayfair. A meal from the carte might begin with an enticing artichoke and green-pea croquette with tomato and pineapple relish, followed by starters of tandoori octopus with crispy potato and edamame chaat or a deftly cooked slice of salmon with a very sweet onion relish. At inspection, both dishes were timidly spiced, but standards soared with the main courses. A pink, tender, juicy roundel of Hebridean lamb rump was coated in warming spices and served with chickpea ‘houmous’ and a turnip and morel masala, while grilled sirloin arrived with a lovely portion of marrow, Rajwadi aloo (potato cakes topped with a dusting of masala spice) and a thick pasanda sauce poured at table. Side dishes of crispy fried 'corn kernels' and luscious baby aubergines added further dimensions to the meal. Praise too for the exemplary pilau rice and the Alphonso mango cheesecake dessert – the cardamom-infused flavour of the fruit singing of early summer. To drink, wine leads the way – no lassi or dry cider here, though there is a bottled local ale; otherwise, a zesty Gulab Cosmopolitan comes recommended from the notable list of cocktails.Service is smart and polite (though hiccups aren’t unknown) and prices are high: if you plan on ordering three courses with side dishes, it’s worth considering the tasting menu – especially during the week.
