Cinnamon Kitchen at the Queen’s Hotel is Chef Vivek Singh’s first venture up North.
Following the success of his fine dining restaurant Cinnamon Club, he opened more informal Cinnamon Kitchen eateries in London. Now, the Cinnamon Collection has headed north.
For over twenty years, Chef Vivek has been combining Indian spicing with local produce. A base in Yorkshire gives him the potential to develop even more exciting dishes.
The Cinnamon Club opened in 2001 in the historic grade II former Westminster Library. It is fitting that the move north is into another iconic building, where the lobby is lined with books. The Queens Hotel, another grade II listed building, was built in 1937 as an art deco masterpiece and flagship hotel for Leeds Railway Station. The new Cinnamon Kitchen restaurant embraces the art deco design, railway heritage and Yorkshire produce.
This may be part of a group, but each restaurant celebrates its location. Whilst the Battersea Kitchen has lamb rump from Kent, here the meat is sourced from the very local Sykes House Farm in Wetherby. There are also nods to local celebrity foods with Yorkshire style curd and cardamon tart, spiced parkin and rhubarb khadi on the menu.
The menu, decorated as a map of Indian regions and produce, is clearly structured: starters, curries and biryanis, mains, sides, desserts. The drinks menu is affordable for such a high- end establishment, with wine starting just under £30 a bottle plus draught cobra at £5.80 a pint. There is a good range of cocktails and some interesting mocktails. It would be pleasant to sip one in the art deco bar area before eating. We decided to go for the best of Yorkshire and Kent in our drink choice. My partner ordered a Black Sheep beer and I went for Curious Apple Cider.
While waiting for our order we sat back and enjoyed the decor. I was sitting on a plush central banquette, surrounded by plump cushions. Above us hung an impressive chandelier emitting a golden glow, reflected in the massive mirror on the opposite wall. On the far wall a large clock ticked away the time, an essential tool for a railway hotel.
We began our culinary journey with starters of Double-cooked Easingwold Belly Pork and Chettinad Shrimps, both recommended by restaurant manager Sarah. The shrimps were curled cushions in spicy pepper sauce. It takes a skilled hand to know just when seafood is cooked – these shrimps had been in very good hands.
The standout dish of the night was the belly pork. Meltingly tender, the meat was cooked Koorg style, a hint of tamarind sourness giving depth to the spiced meat and onions. This dish is not on the menu of any of the other Cinnamon restaurants, so maybe the Leeds menu is the best.
For mains, we opted for Lucknow Chicken Biryani and Paneer Butter Masala. I had considered ordering from the mains rather than curry section of the menu. The Yorkshire lamp saddle and the Scottish venison rump both sounded enticing. However, the portion of the pork belly had been large, and I felt it was time for something vegetarian. There is plenty to satisfy vegetarians on the menu and a vegan option in each section of the menu.
This was superb paneer, served as escalopes rather than chunks, the silky slices soaked in the rich sauce. Sometimes you taste food and it transforms into a memory. I was taken back, a decade or more, to the restaurant of a luxury hotel in Delhi. I can’t remember the hotel’s name but I know Chef Vivek trained in Delhi, so maybe there was a connection. The taste was definitely nothing I have experienced in British curries. It came with a small bowl of rice but we added a naan for dipping into the thick sauce.
The chicken biryani came in a lidded ceramic pot. As our server removed the lid, steamy spicy air wafted towards us. This a proper layered biryani. Topped with fried onion, well cooked flavoured rice sat atop large chicken pieces in a luscious sauce. I was pleased to see thigh meat,which made it tastier, moister and absorbed the spiced sauce better than using breast.
The menu encourages a three-course experience. I usually satisfy myself with two courses in Asian restaurants, but here the desserts looked too interesting to ignore. We chose to celebrate India and Yorkshire with a Garam Masala Crème Brûlée and a Yorkshire Style Curd and Cardamon Tart.
There was just one thing that made the experience less enjoyable than it could have been: the music. Restaurant staff told me they have no control over the music played. They were able to turn down the volume but the style of the music did not match the dining experience. Dance music with a driving beat does not encourage people to linger over meals and distracts from the food. There is a lot of research about how sound can enhance the eating experience. Unfortunately, the people planning the playlist have not taken account of this or else they have planned the music for adjoining the bar rather than the restaurant.
The bill came to £89. Given that we had eaten three courses with a drink each this was very reasonable, given the quality of the food and surroundings. There are also special set menus for lunch (£19 for 2 courses, £22 for 3 courses) and High Chai (£28) Both are available until 5pm.
I know during the day that the hotel plays different music, a soothing classical mix, when I was last there at lunchtime. I enjoyed the food here and will definitely return but unless the playlist changes, I’ll be visiting before 5pm in future.
Cinnamon Kitchen is highly recommended and a delightful addition to the City’s culinary offering.
