LDNReview
Included In
Every once in a while, we come across a brilliant restaurant that realistically serves no practical purpose in our lives. But purpose is very overrated in our line of business. It’s also overrated when you’re really bloody hungry.
Trishna is the older sister to Gymkhana, our favourite high-end Indian in the city. But where Gymkhana is a special occasion dining experience, with a room that feels like something out of a Rudyard Kipling novel, Trishna essentially feels like a casual neighbourhood restaurant. But one that still has very high prices. So it’s hard to justify eating here regularly. That said, we’re going to try, because the food is incredible.
While Gymkhana’s menu leans on game, Trishna focuses more on seafood. So where the magical muntjac (deer) biryani is the star of the show at Gymkhana, at Trishna it’s the magical brown crab. The Dorset Brown Crab (its formal title) is a large mass of crabmeat topped with a sprinkling of chives and a dollop of chilli for good measure, and it’s one of the better things we can remember eating. The combination of the super fresh crab, the light Indian spices, and the continuous hit of heat causes what can only be described as a stirring in your mouth, and you’ll be thinking about it long after you finish it. If you’re a big fan of crab, then this is your signature dish. For life.
photo credit: Jamie Lau
In other words, you’ll absolutely want to order the brown crab. But you’ll also want to order so many other things here—the fish curry, one of the excellent veggie sides, the lamb chops. All of them are really, really good.
Of course, by the time you add on some of those, plus rice, a naan, and a drink, your meal will easily hit £70 or so. So you might very quickly run out of justifiable excuses for eating regularly at Trishna. But the food is also good enough that we’re going to encourage you to get creative, because dinner here is worth it. Convince your boss you really need to impress those clients. Invite your rich relatives to visit. Look for spare change under the couch. You’ll think of something.
Food Rundown
Dorset Brown Crab
photo credit: Jamie Lau
Coastal Bhindi
Tandoori Lamb Chops
photo credit: Jamie Lau
Meen Manga Curry
Dum Hogget Biryani
photo credit: Jamie Lau