It was a few minutes’ walk along the Chelsea Embankment from where the 319 bus had dropped me close to Battersea Bridge to The Painted Heron, a restaurant tucked away rather discreetly on the corner of Cheyne Walk and Riley Street.
With a name like The Painted Heron, I had expected a décor of rich, vibrant colours so it came as something of a surprise to find soft, restful, muted shades of beige, coffee and chocolate. But it was an excellent choice because in no way did the colour scheme of the restaurant distract from the colours and flavours on our plates.
The food at the award-winning Painted Heron definitely has the wow factor when it comes to presentation and flavour. No wonder it is frequently listed as the best Indian restaurant in Chelsea, and indeed by some reviews as ‘the best in London’.
We were there just before Christmas and ate from that seasonal menu made up of a number of sharing dishes – a great way to try things. The flavours were subtle , sophisticated and imaginative. The sea bass was superb, we fought over the samosas and the baby spinach leaf fritters, raved about the chicken tikka and ate every last crumb of both the plain and masala popadums served with three different homemade chutneys. The menu changes on a very regular basis as Executive Chef Yogesh Datta insists on using the best seasonal produce that the market has to offer.
As it was lunch time we decided that a bottle of wine was too much for us (it is an excellent wine list) and were dithering about what to have when Head Sommelier, Louise Sutton, came over to offer advice and found the perfect wine/food by-the-glass match for us.
The service was gentle, unobtrusive and good and we agreed that it had been a truly memorable meal. Had we smoked cigars we would have happily adjourned to the special Cigar Lounge and relaxed there for an hour or so.
We were however sad that on that particular lunch time there were so few diners – with cooking that good people should have been queuing round the block for a table. A.M.B.
The Painted Heron, 112 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London SW10 0DJ
Tel: 020 7351 5232