Restaurant Review – Moti Mahal Delux

Thanks to my friend Sumant Bhal, I was invited to the launch of Moti Mahal Delux in London. I didn’t know what to expect – I’d been told they created legendary dishes but I needed to sample them for myself.

As we walked in, the atmosphere was buzzing. It seemed to me that customers had taken in the aroma of the freshly roasted spices and had been lured into the restaurant even before it was officially opened. We were directed to our seats and then offered a taster menu of various delights. I was particularly interested in the healthier items, so here’s a sample of those dishes that won’t go straight to your waistline.

I had a platter of goodies including some spicy roasted aubergine, grilled chicken tikka, charred tandoori lamb, spicy potato cakes and grilled paneer with roasted tomato. All accompanied by a fresh mint chutney and home-baked naan bread (no butter or ghee on top). I didn’t have much room for more but was persuaded to try the Urad Dhal – it was so creamy yet light and was served with a swirl of low fat natural yogurt, naan bread and steamed rice with peas.

If you want to go out for a tasty Indian meal but would like to keep an eye on the waistline, I suggest you be aware of the high fat fried foods and heavy, butter-based sauces.

My 3 top tips:

1. Go for tandoori chicken or chicken tikka as they are usually roasted in a tandoor, which means they are cooked quickly without added fat. Go for plain boiled rice and cucumber and mint raita, and ask for your poppadums to be grilled not fried.
2. For the main course, go for a dahl dish, which is made from lentils. There are usually many different types to choose from. The more whole the lentils, the lower will be the glycaemic index (which means they are more slowly digested), so you could ask the waiter which dahls are less pureed and choose those.
3. Opt for chicken, prawn or vegetable dishes rather than richer lamb or beef curries, which are usually higher in fat. You might see a thin layer of oil on the top – scoop your serving from underneath.

Hungry? Check out Moti Mahal Delux.