RAAZ Modern Indian – Putney

Relaxed Indian fine dining from Michelin-trained Imran Mansour comes to SW19

Having grown up in south west London, I spent much of my formative late teen years in Putney. Although it is not a district I get to visit much these days.

So I was intrigued by the arrival of Chef Imran Mansour, who honed his craft in many of the elite fine dining Indian venues of the West End, including Michelin-starred Benares and Jamavar, as well as having spent spells at Tamarind, Annabel’s, and, most recently, Kolamba.

En route, I decided to visit one of my regular haunts from days when I was considerably thinner and had dark hair, for a livener.  The Spotted Horse on Putney High Street.  Regrettably the Young’s “Spesh” was off and, sadly, they no longer stock bottles of Ram Rod.

I cut short the visit and made my way to Cho Asia, to become reacquainted with Chef Parminder Singh, chef patron of Cho Asia, a pan Asian establishment directly opposite my eventual dining venue.

A ​first met Parminder when he was preparing a memorable tasting menu for me in the sadly short-lived Mayfair outpost of the Indian Accent brand.  The food was exceptional, but it struggled with the twenty grand plus rent, Covid and its more popular neighbour, Gymkhana, once it finally reopened after a fire which made national news headlines.

Parminder is something of a wine buff and he introduced me to a remarkably good Romanian Riesling offering a stark counterpoint to an all too sweet vodka-based Chin-Lee Blossom cocktail.

Cutting short a fascinating conversation about life working with some of the best chefs in the business, I made my way across to RAAZ.  It means ‘secret’ in Hindi’, but seeing how it filled steadily on a Tuesday night, it is one that is out of the bag within two weeks of opening.

I need not have rushed.  My dinner guest was unfashionably late owing to a signal failure on the District Line and a lack of taxis for hire due to Fulham FC entertaining Cambridge United at Craven Cottage.

It​ is clear that Chef Mansour has used precision of his training in dine dining as a firm foundation for a more personal, relaxed style of dining, perfectly suited to the casual vibe, which Putney’s more gentile people take to Olympian standards.

The restaurant itself offers​ a mini maze of seating areas.  Apart from the alfresco tables out front which are unlikely to see much business in the coming months except from hardy smokers.  Inside, rich walnut panelling lines the walls, floral wallpaper adds pattern, and gold touches create a calm chic ambiance

A bar runs along the wall mid restaurant, with high stools for both eating and drinking. To the rear, a glass-roofed dining room feels light by day and candlelight at night. Tucked away, a small six-seat nook offers something more discrete, a fitting nod to the restaurant’s name. A mix of heritage and modern touches makes the space feel both polished and relaxed.

There is a sense of authentic food from a colour-filled Indian childhood, controlled mayhem of street foods scenes and wafts of hot tandoor smoke.

The reassuringly short menu is not lacking in enticing choices. To commence we opted for the Wild Garlic Chicken Chop, a succulent on-the-bone thigh, just cooked this side to perfection, served with chargrilled broccoli and Grilled Tiger Prawn, deftly enhanced with south Indian spices with mango salad.

Being unfamiliar with the new menu we had mistaken these for starters.  They were generous mains.  Fortunately my amble down the high street then along  the river and my guest’s brisk hour-long hike from Earl’s Court, had prepared our appetites.

For mains it was the Keralan-style Malabar Fish Curry with complex layers of flavours enveloping the Sea Bass fillet and an overnight Beef Ribs Bihari, “reimagined” from a more typical goat or lamb recipe. When I packed up a rib to pass to my partner, it literally fell from the bone into marrow- based sauce. The nihari spices had worked incredible magic, marinating in yoghurt with onions and a hint of green chillies.  The menu carries hits of original touches throughout.

To accompany, we shared a crisp South African Hartenberg Riesling, which worked well with the kitchen’s subtle spicing.

The feast concluded with an indulgent Chocolate Delice with rich coconut undertones and the sensuous fresh Mango Kulfi with cream and cardamom powder.

Service was on point throughout, thanks to the knowledgeable and under-stated presence of a maitre d’ who came with Chef from Kolamba a top East Sri Lankan venue located in the City.

This is a restaurant that will do well  It was apparent that several well-heeled locals had been unaware of the culinary delights of modern India fine dining – and their stratospheric Mayfair prices. They have a real gem in their midst.

113 Lower Richmond Rd, Putney, London SW15 1EX

www.raazlondon.com