Indian Restaurant in England, Elegant and Romantic, Bonoo in Hampstead

 

Bonoo Indian Restaurant, flower-filled frontage. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Bonoo Hampstead restaurant in Hampstead has an amusing and amazing  flower-covered exterior, plus inside walls and ceiling to match.  A touch of class, elegance, romance.

What does the name mean? It is not the owner, but a word evoking an Indian chef's  philosophy, an instinct for natural harmonising flavours. Their website explains. A bit abstract, and I don't know if it is Sanskrit or Hindi, so to remember the restaurant's name I think bon, which is french for good, and OO - amazingly different.

We saw a chef wearing a white hat.

This restaurant is a favourite of other members of  our family because the restaurant staff are willing to discuss the spiciness of the dishes and get food made up less spicy which is what most of us want.

My favourite dish was the potato starter, Aloo tikki chaat. I also liked the Crunchy mango salad. , and the flat bread with coconut filling, pumpkin seeds and coconut naan.

My chosen drink was a glass of Prosecco which I had not seen on their website but which was on the menu printed in a heavy folder in the restaurant. It came in the tall flute expected nowadays.

We had to ask for a jug of tap water to come up after the Prosecco Brut (brut means dry), so I was not able to clear my palate first and appreciate whether it had any flavour, but I found nothing wrong with it. Not over exciting but not too warm, not disappointing.. 

The corn off the cob in a high tumbler was a change.  (Listed as Masala corn.)

My least favourite dish was the lamb (railway lamb curry) which I found a bit chewy but the others liked it. I had been warned that portions had shrunk over the past year, with the salmon having only about three sall pieces and when you asked for more they charged double.

We tried three desserts. The gulub jamon was excellent, the required filling effect, yet not over-sweet. The kulfi and ras mulai (rassomalai) were nothing special and I would opt for the gulub jamun next time, one each person, or one portion shared.. 

To sweeten the bill, which includes a 12 and a half per cent added service charge, they offer the adults a small Baileys (chocolate alcohol). For our child they brought a Kindersurprise -a small chocolate egg with a tiny toy inside.

Bonoo restaurant Ladies' toilet. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The Bonoo ladies' toilet with more decoration to distract you from more mundane thoughts..

The toilet downstairs, down a short but steep staircase, rewards you with more elegance of flowers all over the doorway, and ladies cubicle ceiling.

We did not have a candle on the table (just as well - a fire risk to the venue and ladies with long hair and flowing scarves and sarees). So We used the phone to read the printed menu. They also have an 'online menu. I was able to increase the size of the print with my mobile phone's controls.

Another table had a birthday cake. I did not discover whether it was supplied by the restaurant or whether they served the customers' cake.

Seating

Our seats were a banquette along the wall and dining chairs around an oblong table.

They have another branch in Muswell Hill, which they told me has the same food but different decor.

Address

675 Finchley Road

London NW2 2JP

Tel (020) 7794 8899

Useful Websites

www.bonoo.co.uk

kinder.com

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