Indian Street Food Fine Dining At Mr. Todiwala's
Colnbrook, Slough England, United Kingdom
Cuisine Style: Indian
Average Price: $$$
Overall Rating: 4/5
Article Updated: February 2020
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
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Executive Chefs:
Cyrus Todiwala
Arun Dev
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| Mr. Todiwala's Kitchen / Cyrus Todiwala |
Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen is the brainchild of Chef Cyrus Todiwala (OBE, DL), the proprietor of two London based restaurants and a celebrity television chef. He was born and raised in Mumbai, trained at the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces chain in India, and rose to become an Executive Chef for eleven restaurants within those hotels. He moved to the UK in 1991 where he launched Café Spice Namasté, his first restaurant, followed by Mr. Todiwala’s at the Hilton Heathrow Hotel Terminal 5, and a Portuguese and Goan restaurant called Assado in Waterloo. In 2012, he cooked for Queen Elizabeth II as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Café Spice Namaste has already taken London by storm, and Chef Cyrus could not have put a second restaurant in a better place. The locals still have the opportunity to enjoy his menu, plus travelers like me who stop through London on their way to other places can also enjoy it. I work with a lot of Indian and Nepalese cooks who over time have introduced me to street style curries, but Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen blows me away. This was my first sampling of Indian street food in a fine dining atmosphere.
The staff was very friendly and restaurant inviting, with beautiful décor to include a large wooden elephant statue by the entrance, an open style kitchen with a chef’s kitchen table nearby. Not knowing a lot about Indian food beyond typical Curry dishes that the Indian guys at work made, the server recommended the tasting menu’s to which they had two ranging from £45.00 to £70.00 per person. I chose the Gourmand Tasting Menu for the £70.00 which included wine pairings. This menu was designed to take you on a culinary excursion packed with regions, flavors, tastes, and creativity. Now, most restaurants I go to and request tasting menus for, the Chef usually prepares anywhere from four to seven courses, with the exception of Alinea, Attica, and The French Laundry, which had upwards of fifteen smaller courses. So the courses continued to come out one after the other, and they were a bit larger than the ones from the restaurants above, and I was getting full. Indian food is extremely rich in my opinion. I then learned after the 8th course when I was ready to burst, that the courses keep coming until I tell them to stop.
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| Mr. Todiwala's Kitchen / Front Entrance |
Mr. Todiwala was not there that evening, however, his Chef de Cuisine Mr. Arun Dev was. His previous experience included the Marriott Hotel, Roshinis Restaurant Riverside Ltd, and Café Spice Namaste, to name a few. Mr. Dev took me on a culinary adventure, and I knew that by the time the meal was over and I was ten pounds heavier, that Mr. Dev and I would be good friends and I would be asking him for recipes and suggestions to restaurants in India when I plan my future trip there. Mr. Dev started me off with classics such as Masala Dosa, a south Indian snack filled with traditional potato bhajee, which is boiled potatoes with onions. Then came the Bhael Poori (also spelled Bhelpuri) a Mumbai style street food which is a savory snack filled with puffed rice, chickpeas, potato, and shallots, then mixed with a tamarind sauce.
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| Mr. Todiwala's Kitchen/picture courtesy of cooks.com |
Paired with these dishes was an assortment of Indian wines starting with the Sula Vineyards from the Ritu Maharashtra Wine Region, where I enjoyed a crisp and dry Sauvignon Blanc. As the Adventure continued I tried an assortment of Chicken, Beef, and Breast of Barbary Duck Tikka. The beef was from the Duke of Buccleuch's Estates, which was a cross between Aberdeen Angus and Scottish Longhorn, and tasted wonderful. With those dishes, I enjoyed a Shiraz and Rose before switching over to a Rhone Valley wine, with the Domaine Albin Jacumin, from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
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| Mr. Todiwala's Kitchen / Trio of Tikka |
The three dishes that stood out the most for me were the Mirch Adrak Aur Lehsoon Walay Scallops, marinated in Turmeric Spice, served over peppers, onions, carrots, and ginger known as Jhalfraezi Style, with sauce and Basmati Rice. The second dish of true interest goes back to the style of the first and that was the Bhindi Aur Mushroom Ki Jhalfraezi which included all the vegetables listed above filled with Portobello Mushrooms, god it was good. Last but not least from the three was a Punjabi dish called Aloo Gobhi Mutter, filled with potatoes, peas, and cauliflower, spiced with Cumin and Chili Peppers giving it a nice spice, but a tempering minty nutmeg flavor from the Coriander.
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| Mr. Todiwala's Kitchen / Curry with rice |
Dessert:
Finally, after telling the server that I was about to burst, he brought out the dessert.
They presented a Goan pancake with coconut, cashews, lime juice, cardamom, and nutmeg. It was topped with some vanilla ice cream. Then after that, the Zafrani crème brûlée came out with ginger, saffron and cardamom spice inside.
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| Mr. Todiwala's Kitchen / Zafrani dessert |
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Wine regulatory’s for the tastings in this article:
“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is the strength, in the water there are bacteria.” - David Auerbach
European Union:
France:
India:
- Nashik Region (Maharashtra)
Other noteworthy Indian cuisine articles and restaurants similar to Mr. Todiwala's Kitchen:
Indian cuisine encompasses a wide variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Given the range of diversity in soil type, climate, culture, ethnic or religious groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially from each other and use locally available spices, herbs, vegetables, and fruits. The cuisine styles change every 50 kilometers according to Chef Gaggan Anand.
A Taste of India Casual curries of North and South India with full lunch buffet in Brandon, Florida
Armani / Amal A tasting tour of India at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa Tower, Dubai, UAE
Ashiana The first Indian fine dining restaurant in Dubai at the Sheraton Dubai Creek, Garhoud, Dubai, UAE
Other London restaurants and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
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Modern British cuisine in Art Deco Space
Theatre District, London, UK
|
Medieval-style British cuisine banquet plus 2-hour dinner show
London, England, UK
|
1800s warehouse dockside style British pub
London, England, UK
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|
Luxury Travel List of Top London Restaurants
London, England, UK
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See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, observations, and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor.
To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Scores are detailed in the chart below
| Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings | Max Points Possible: | Total Points Awarded: | Total Points deducted: |
| Ambiance |
10
|
10
|
0
|
| Food quality |
10
|
7.5
|
2.5
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| Plate presentation |
8.5
|
7.5
|
1
|
| Customer service |
8
|
6.5
|
1.5
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| Alcohol and other beverages |
9
|
7
|
2
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| Total regular points awarded |
45.5
|
38.5
|
7
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| Total percentage Before Bonus |
0.846153846153846
| ||
| “Wow” factor BONUS |
5
|
2
|
0
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| Total bonus percentage |
0.043956043956044
| ||
| Total percentage with a bonus for the final star rating |
0.89010989010989
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| Stars Awarded (see chart below) | 0 - 5 |
4
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
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4 of 5 Stars:
89% Rating with a 2 point “wow” bonus
An Outstanding Dining Experience
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Corkage fees:
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This Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant-style:
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Conservative dining
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Cuisine Style:
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Indian
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Gluten-Free, Organic, Halal, Pescatarian, Sustainable, Vegan Options, Vegetarian
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Reservations:
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Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
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Dress code:
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Smart casual to Conservative attire
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Experiences:
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A place for foodies, Contemporary, Modern, Trendy, Lounge, Business parties, Romantic, Beautiful décor, Classy, Upscale, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Private lot
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Low to Medium
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Smoking:
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Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen is a non-smoking restaurant
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Patio or terrace:
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No
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricy)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
|
Price
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Indian Rupee (USD)
|
₹₹₹₹₹
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United States Dollar (USD)
|
$$$
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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£££
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$$$$
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
|
€€€
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Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen:
Poyle Road
Colnbrook, Slough
SL3 0FF, UK
Contact Information:
| Restaurant website: | Mr. Todiwala’s Kitchen |
Maître d or host:
| +44 20 7488 9242 |
Online reservations
| OpenTable |
| Email Contact: | Contact the restaurant |
| Serving hours: Greenwich Mean Time or British Summer Time BST (GMT, Zulu, or UTC - BST Offset + 1:00) | Dinner: Mon-Sun 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm |
Social Media
and
Accolades for
Mr. Todiwala: | Facebook link |
| Twitter Cyrus Todiwala | |
****
The world's best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
|
A hip burger chain with space-age decor
Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
|
Colonial Portuguese Fusion with tapas
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Posh and artful French cuisine + culinary experimentalism at Intercontinental Hotel
Festival City, Dubai, UAE
|
Other Pictures:
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| Mr. Todiwala's Kitchen / Chef Arun Dev |
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| Mr. Todiwala's Kitchen / Chef Table |
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
