I was fascinated to learn that Vivek Singh’s Cinnamon Bazaar in Richmond has started serving High Chai – an Indian take on our own high tea. 

I decided to check it out with my friend Seema, whom I knew was already a great fan – and regular customer – of Cinnamon Bazaar, and certainly knows her chai.   

About Vivek Singh

Vivek is one of the most successful and respected modern Indian chefs in the UK, with six restaurants  (The Cinnamon Club in Westminster and Dubai, Cinnamon Kitchen in Battersea and the City, and Cinnamon Bazaar in Covent Garden and Richmond). 

He’s published six cookbooks and a regular guest on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.

Our High Chai Tea

We arrived at the gorgeously colourful restaurant at lunchtime (the High Chai is served every day from noon till 4 p.m.) and Manisha, our lovely server, coming from Mumbai herself, was incredibly helpful.

She suggested that we had one vegetarian Chai Tea and one ‘standard’ so that we could both enjoy the range of products included. Now when I say included, we were also told that customers are welcome to ask for top ups of any particular dish they really enjoyed.

With the Chai Tea is £27.50 per head and including a selection of chaats, then ‘nibbles’ and then sweet this is great value.  It also includes a pot of tea or Indian Masala Chai.

We enjoyed a Chai Bellini – an interesting cocktail with Indian tea, cinnamon syrup and prosecco.  It was refreshing and a great accompaniment to what was to follow.

Chaat

Then Manisha came with the Chaats…  cleverly chosen to give customers a diverse range of textures and flavours. 

We had a plate of Pani Puri – little ‘one-bite’ shells filled with tangy sweet and sour water; Pineapple Kasundi Chaat and Samosa Chaat.  The smoky pineapple one was my favourite – crunchy, sweet and sour, with a light heat coming through at the end.  It was refreshing – and refreshingly different.

The puris were good – little bombs of flavour filled with a tamarind flavoured ‘water’ that added another dimension.

The only slightly disappointing dish was the Samosa chaat, which was very tasty, but rather on the stodgy side. Seema felt it would have been improved with a yogurt dressing.

‘Nibbles’

Then onto the ‘nibbles’: Masala Fish Finger Sandwiches and a Kadhai Chicken Spring Roll. 

The sandwiches were interesting; the fish was in fact cold, which surprised us, but the tomato chutney added a sweet element.  The warm spring roll was very good – fragrant at first,  then followed by a warm heat that built in the mouth. 

The vegetarian alternatives were excellent too – the Kolkata Sandwich was filled with beets, raisins, potato and a Kasundi ketchup.  It reminded Seema of a Bombay Sandwich but of course, as Manisha reminded us, Kolkata is Vivek Singh’s home city. 

The vegetarian alternative to the chicken spring roll was Kadhai Spiced Paneer Roll with peppers and red onion – again delicately spiced and filled with strands of paneer.

‘Sweets’

The ‘Sweets’ were an interesting collection. 

The Saffron & Pistachio Macaron was not at all what I was expecting.  It looked like a standard French macaron – but this one was more of shortbread filled with a delicious, creamy pistachio and was beautifully presented. 

The square of ‘Bebinca’ was a new one on Seema (and of course me).  Manisha told us that it’s a Goan delicacy, and the taste was reminiscent of a bread and butter pudding, but the texture was completely different…and it was also fabulous. 

The final dish was ‘Serradura; another Goan pud, like a deconstructed blackcurrant crumble, but with a extra richness given by the condensed milk in the creamy sauce and finished with a tangy blackcurrant compote.  

All three of the little tasters were great, and again, the balance of the dishes gave an interesting introduction to some unusual Indian desserts.

To Sum Up

High Chai is a fascinating venture into some unusual Indian recipes and I loved the fact that the portions were generous, but also small enough to leave room for the next taste experience.

Do consider this fascinating alternative to our traditional afternoon tea – it’s a  perfect mid-afternoon pick me up and available Tuesday – Sunday from 12 pm – 4.00pm at £27.50 per head, and an additional £7.50 for a chai bellini.