db eats: Michelin-starred beer matching

The Quilon, a London Michelin-starred restaurant specialising in south west Indian cuisine, has launched a new beer and food matching menu.

Sriram Ayular has put together a selection of dishes, each paired with an equally diverse offering from some of the world’s top beers.

Choose from the five course menu for £55, or go for a full blow out with eight courses for £75 a head.

It’s difficult to say whether this menu opens your eyes more to the diversity of Indian food, or the stylistic breadth available in a beer glass. The apéritif of Kasteel Cru Rosé with its fine bubbles, delicate flavour and Champagne yeast would probably have fooled a few people at a drinks party.

Highlights of the menu include peppered shrimps, intriguingly matched with chestnut flavoured Corsican beer Pietra, and the black cod, which was easily the standout dish of the night I was there.

I then discovered that Ayular spent three months perfecting his black cod after an inspiring meal at Nobu, where the dish is so famous. Keen to avoid a Japanese-Indian fusion monstrosity, his version uses a tamarind-based paste instead of miso, although the rest of the recipe understandably remains a house secret. The result is a superbly flavoured piece of perfectly baked fish, capable of standing up to the full-bodied sweetness of the Chimay Red served alongside the dish.

Even if you just fancy something from the à la carte menu, Ayular’s passion for beer leaves plenty of exciting options to choose from. Chalky’s Bark offers a bright, floral character with delicate hints of ginger, while the Meantime pale ale stands out for its complex flavours rounded off with a fresh minty finish that left you reaching for another sip.

Beer is gradually working its way onto the lists of some serious UK restaurants and Indian cuisine is a natural partner to help it on its way. So if you want to discover the other end of the spectrum to a chicken korma and standard lager, treat your taste buds to The Quilon.

The Quilon Restaurant & Bar
41 Buckingham Gate
London
SW1E 6AF
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7821 1899
www.quilon.co.uk

Gabriel Savage, 29.09.09