In Which I Stop Lecturing My Roommate About Buildings and Get Schooled on London Cuisine for a Change

Gymkhana – A New Food Experience

I have shamelessly benefited from having a roommate, Isaac (Table_4_Three) who is an expert in all things culinary, and two weeks into the trip I found myself sitting down in the Michelin-starred restaurant Gymkhana, near the Green Park tube stop, and just around the corner from the Ritz Hotel. This is an Indian restaurant, and I have hardly eaten Indian food, and certainly not any done at this level. I felt out of my depth, and definitely had to lean on his recommendations, but this dining experience, though expensive, remains a highlight of the trip.

I ordered from the A La Carte menu, getting a starter of Punjabi Samosa. This is a savory, pyramid-shaped fried treat filled with potatoes and peas. It came with a delicious Saunth Chutney. My relatively undeveloped palate couldn’t tell the chutney from a sweet barbecue sauce. I was hesitant to share this opinion, but luckily Isaac agreed with me and I felt vindicated. Still tasty. As we waited for our main courses to arrive, we all sampled from Isaac’s tasting menu, which kept small sample plates coming consistently. Of these, my favorite was a dish that involved some impossibly crunchy yet light potatoes, seasoned with primarily cumin in a bowl with cheese and another delicious chutney. I wish I remembered the name, because I’ll probably never be able to find it again.

My main course was a lamb shank. When I ordered it, I thought I was ordering something I had tasted before, which is basically a few lamb ribs cooked until crispy. This kind of thing would lean on the flavor of the lamb without over-seasoning or using a sauce. What I got was something entirely different. I got a piece of meat that would compare well to a turkey leg in size, on a single bone and served in some kind of gravy or au jus. It was delicious and quite filling; the meat was practically falling off the bone, I didn’t even need a knife to eat it. However, the flavor of the gravy was a little overpowering, and Isaac agreed that it was missing some sort of accent that would make the profile a little more complex. Points for presentation, regardless.

Overall, this was a 9/10 experience for me, and not just because I felt like a real classy boy.

[now playing: Finger Lickin’ Good – Beastie Boys)