spotted, and tried: mantra, 37 crutched friars

peshwari naan, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

A bit lost in The City last night, before joining the London Bloggers Meetup, we searched for reasonably tasty, decently priced, and rapidly delivered dinner on the ghostly, windy streets. The obvious options were pubs, none of them alluring, wine bars (one rather famous, to be tested another day), and some posh restaurants with which we couldn't be arsed.

It sounds fussy, but there was no Pizza Express in sight, for example, and we nearly settled on Pitcher & Piano when... enter Mantra, at 37 Crutched Friars! Indian cuisine at its best, at least in its English iteration, as tasty as previously witnessed in some of the tastiest Brick Lane/ Drummond Street venues. Similarly priced, too. Great service, though with the usual amusing surprise that two people hardly manage to eat what one Indian would have for starters, presumably.

Highlights? 1. The chopped onion that accompanied the papadums was the best yet. Our waiter maintained that it was made with carrot and honey, but we could spot red bell pepper from a mile—if that was a mistake, it sure proved tasty! 2. The peshwari naan simply perfect, crisp, yet melting in your mouth. 3. This being The City, few people venture in not-so-posh restaurants in the evening. I will certainly go back.

As for my favourite Indian bread so far, if not my favourite bread all around, I keep reading that the peshwari naan (recipe) is filled with anything but what I've been tasting so far: a mixture of nuts (almonds, pistachio) and raisins (really). There seems to be almond in what I've had a few times this far in life, but no raisins, unsure about pistachios, and loving the coconut taste. You read that right: coconut. Oh, my, I feel the craving coming!