The Painted Heron: an Indian trailblazer turns 15

​Our Famous London Restaurants series is a guide to the capital’s best-known restaurants with big reputations
Currying favour for 15 years: The Painted Heron
Ben Norum25 July 2017

For the latest in our Famous London Restaurants series we visit an Indian institution that’s celebrating a big birthday.

The backstory It was fifteen years ago that The Painted Heron swung open its doors, on a quaint Chelsea side street a stone’s throw from the Thames, and helped usher in a new era of Indian dining in London.

To put the launch into context, this was before Gymkhana, Dishoom, Trishna or Benares at a time when Indian restaurants priding themselves on top produce and excellent service were hard to come by.

In the years that have followed, The Painted Heron hasn’t stayed as current as some of these others, but the cooking still holds its own.

Chelsea charm: The Painted Heron

What’s on the menu? The Painted Heron assembles dishes from across India, combining regional specials and traditional serves with a few more interpretive flourishes.

The use of seasonal British ingredients are a hallmark, meaning you can reach far beyond the usual curry house staples to enjoy the likes of duck breast tikka, monkfish with a Bengal mustard paste, crisp-fried quail with a pomegranate chutney, ostrich seekh kebab, and wild boar curry with masala roti.

Many of these dishes are not as unconventional as the UK’s Indian offerings might have you think. The country’s high-end ‘royal’ cuisine enjoyed by the upper echelons of society has traditionally featured a lot of game meat.

Of the less traditional dishes, a must-try is the pao keema, or minced lamb fondue — essentially a bubbling pot of mince curry that comes with a topping of cheddar cheese and fried bread for dipping. It;s deliciously dirty food, but — this being Chelsea — comes across as a relatively classy proposition.

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The atmosphere Where The Painted Heron was once at the forefront of modern Indian dining, the restaurant itself feels somewhat dated compared to London’s newer wave of spice spots. But, when matched with the restaurant’s foolproof friendly service, it all becomes rather charming.

Cheque out Starters from £7.50, mains from £9.50. Many of the more exciting mains are closer to £20.

Find it 112 Cheyne Walk, SW10 0DJ; thepaintedheron.com.

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