Green Chilli in the Heart of Hammersmith

Indian food is a great comfort to us Brits in winter; piles of meat, vegetables, and lots of rice and bread with which to shovel every last mouthful of sauce in. It was therefore with some trepidation that I approached Green Chilli’s new super-healthy Ayurvedic menu – distinctly lacking in meat (and indeed wheat), and all scrupulously organic.

Sidling past at 7.30pm, my companion did a quick, and possibly very unsubtle, reconnaissance mission of the place, and counted a total of zero punters, thus setting our expectations at the level of another empty curry house serving the usual adequate fare in a non-existent atmosphere. By 8.30pm, however, the place was rammed with well-to-do Londoners who were quite obviously regular patrons.

Service was attentive and friendly at all times, while calm music played throughout the low-lit dining room. Once the food started coming out to the first customers, the smell of it was stomach-wrenchingly good, and we couldn’t wait to eat. Still steeled, however – for Chef Bhuwan Bhatt’s spiritual healthy menu is based on Ayurveda, ‘The Science of Life’ – we prepared for an ascetic culinary experience.

The carrot and celery soup starter was the first nice surprise of the evening, with its alternately sharp then delicate tastes, and was a complementary partner to the cold mixed bean sprouts salad, a fresh-tasting starter seasoned with rock salt, ginger and dry roasted cumin.

For mains, the crunchy scrambled tofu and asparagus with cumin seeds definitely felt like it was replenishing vitamin deficiencies with every bite, whereas the seasoned spinach and sliced potato was closer to a standard vegetable curry in texture. As the world’s number one spinach fan, I applaud the fact that they seemed to put a whole bag of the stuff in there. This was a more substantial dish, and a great comfort food, and didn’t suffer from the lack of the usual bread and rice accompaniments.

Dessert was a one-dish affair selected by the chef, this time a warm rice pudding flavoured with milk, maple syrup and dates. Unlike those traditionally served in schools to torture British children, this rice pudding was a delicious, mild end to a meal.

A two-course Ayurvedic menu costs £9.95, rising to £12.95 for three courses, which seems inexpensive for the quality of the food. This is definitely somewhere I’ll be visiting again for the Ayurvedic menu, but that will in no way hinder me from returning for the full-fat experience. Big thumbs up.

Green Chilli
220 King Street
Hammersmith W6 0RA

Tel: 020 8748 011
www.greenchillirestaurant.co.uk