Colonel Saab garnered celebrity fans when it opened in the the Grade II listed Holborn Town Hall in High Holborn, with a second branch arriving in William IV Street last year. The restaurants are touchingly inspired by the travels of entrepreneur owner Roop Partap Choudhary's parents - Army officer Colonel Manbeer and his wife Binny. The interior is like stepping into a different world with chandeliers and ornate framed pictures (Image: Courtesy of Colonel Saab) Decked out like an Aladdin's cave with handcrafted chandeliers, decorative mirrors, and carved wooden portraits - the Trafalgar Square restaurant gives a delightful impression of entering a different world.
There's invention going on here, in the form of the cocktails and mocktails shaken up at the sleek bar, using their home made bitters, liqueurs and fruit syrups. The Colonel involves 'the Colonel's favourite whisky' with coffee and chai, while the Memsaab mixes bourbon, cinnamon, orange juice and curry leaf. I was beyond happy with my Indian twist on a Singapore Sling, an upliftingly colourful mix of chai spiced gin, pineapple and rose that perfectly balanced the sweetness and alcohol.
If you have time I recommend experiencing the full culinary journey with Chef Sohan Bhandari's £80 five-course Memsaab's tasting menu, which takes in many of India's regional cuisines. The restaurant is over two floors and includes private dining spaces (Image: Courtesy of Colonel Saab) Taking advice from the helpful staff, we dived.
