Train, Tea & India

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It was very nice to have the train steps just outside our hotel. We got up showered and rolled out to the station. We were on the Avanti 1^st class so breakfast is provided on the train. The journey is 4 ½ hours from Glasgow. We passed more Scottish country side, then English Country side. It was a relaxing journey (seats could be a bit more comfortable.) Breakfast was actually cooked on the train, not pre -fabed airplane food. We both just had simple scrambled eggs and toast. They were pretty consistent with the beverage cart so coffee and water were plentiful.

A bit about train travel. We get most of our train advise from the Website Man in Seat 61. He has excellent information regarding train service and routes. However, I do disagree with him when it comes to booking. We find it always pays to book ahead and not wait until the last minute. Whenever possible get a reserved seat and spend a little extra to go first class (if it is in your budget.) This trip we found the most comfortable seats in ScotRail intercity service first class. Service post-covid is still not up to pre-covid standards, but it is still 100% better than Amtrack Coach, which is just a basic cattle call for seating.

I just relaxed and looked out the window, Jerry napped on and off. He says he didn’t really sleep but the snoring betrayed him. We arrived on time at Euston station. We didn’t feel like lugging the luggage up and down Tube station stairs so opted for a taxi. The line outside the train station was quite long and it took about 20 minute to get a cab. It then took 1 15 minutes to go 3 miles to the hotel. London traffic is horrendous. Fortunately, we were able to change our tea reservation from 1:30 to 2:00.

When we got to the hotel, we were able to check right in and received a free upgrade to a Family Suite. A larger room with a raised sitting area, where I am now sitting as I write this blog. Jerry did a quick unpack of the hanging clothes and we were off to afternoon tea at the Parlour in the Great Scotland Yard Hotel. Yes, it is next to Scotland Yard. This was a classic afternoon tea with a champagne kicker. In addition, you could change types of tea as many times as you liked.

We started with a glass of Veuve Clicquot Brut and our first pot of tea was Jasmine Silver Tip, light in color but big in flavor. This was the tea we had with our Savoury tea tour. There were four different types of finger sandwiches and a quiche. The easiest way to explain is just list each as it appeared on the menu:

King Prawn, Courgette, Rocket & Montgomery Cheddar Quiche
Smoked Salmon, Asparagus, Horseradish and Avruga Caviar on Pain de Mie
Coronation Chicken and Pickled Onion on Granary Bread
Truffle Duck Egg Mayo on Briochette
Garden Peas, Lemon and Mint Gougere

During the savoury portion we started talking to the woman next to us. She had been traveling with her 19-year-old son, but he opted to go home early so she was traveling alone. This was her last day before returning home to the States. We struck up a nice conversation which lasted through the rest of our tea. She is now a member of the blog family

The next tiers were the sweets, including warm scones and an assortment of seasonal tea cakes and pastries. I will just let the picture speak for itself. It was a very nice tea and a very nice way to relax after the train ride from Glasgow.

The Nationally Gallery was scheduled for after tea, but tea went a bit longer than we anticipated so we just went back to the hotel and relaxed and finished unpacking.

Whenever we are in London, we try to have at least one Indian meal, the Indian influence is very large here, obviously relating to the Victorian era colonialization of India. In any event, the food has always been outstanding and this evening would prove to be no different. We had hoped to go back to the Red Fort, where we ate in 2016 when we were here for Christmas, but it did not survive Covid. Instead, we found a new place located in the Chelsea area of London called Kutir. It was a very good find and while not the experience of Red Fort the food was equally as good. We took the tube and then walked a few blocks to Kutir; we were a bit early so we waited outside and had a chance to look over the menu. It also gave me a chance to cool down, the humidity had suddenly become an issue. Before even being shown to our seat we decided on the tasting menu with win pairing.

Kutir is in a converted town house on the corner of Lincoln Street. It is small an intimate and also has some outside seating on the second level terrace. Spoiler alert the dish of the day comes from the menu described below. Again, the best way to do this is just present it as it was presented to us. We both had the same thing except our desserts. As with most tasting menus, the first item up was the Amuse Bouche, I have no idea it was except it was light refreshing with ab it of heat to it. The rest of the evening was as follows:

Prawns – Masala; roscoff onion, coconut, sesame and peanut. It the prawns were perfectly cooked an coated in a crispy crust so it had a nice crunch. There was a bit of mild heat to the dish. It was paired with a nice Brut Champagne from Reims

Salmon – Mooli; Tandoori tikka, raita, breakfast radish pickle. Again, the salmon was perfectly cooked and the tandoori delicious. This was not a spicy dish. I liked it and I don’t really care for Salmon that much. It was paired with a New Zealand Gruner Veltliner.

Lamb – Black Cumin; Tandoori chop, kachumber, mustard. The spice level on this was high but the wine and water curbed that. It was paired with a limited-edition Tempranillo from Rioja. The lamb even well done was fantastic, what had the heat was the garlic coriander chutney.

Chicken Tikka – Masala; Tomato, Fenugreek, Kashmiri Chili, served with Tadka Dal (lentil based) a Saag Makkal (spinach, sweetcorn and garlic), steamed rice and Nan. The chicken tikka and masala was the best we have ever had, very little heat but a great deal of bold flavor. This was paired with a Cru Bourgeois from the Medco region of Bordeaux.

At desserts we diverged. Jerry had Chocolate – Orange; meringue, chocolate mouse like cake sprinkled with chili, and a round doughnut like treat. This was served with a Mas Mudigliza from Languedoc, France. I had Cassata – Berries; it was basically like an ice cream cake of Neapolitan ice cream.

The meal was a really nice ending to a pretty chill day. Just in case you didn’t figure it out the dish of the day was the Chicken Tikka Masala.

Under 3500 steps for the day, it was a pretty relaxing transition day. Tomorrow we have a full morning and the afternoon is to be determined.

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Photos

Chicken Tikka Masala
Dish of the Day