In the busy Camden area, just walking distance from Camden Town Station you will find Namaaste Kitchen – contemporary Indian cuisine.

The small facade of the restaurant led us to presume the interior will fittingly compact. However, upon walking into the entrance, it was clear that the size of the restaurant is surprisingly large.

As we arrived at 6pm, the restaurant was quiet but picked up as the evening went on. The décor is modern and stylish, and pictures from vintage movies and India created a retro feel. The Bollywood music in the background added to the experience creating an ambience where we could sit back and fully enjoy the meal and our surroundings.

We were very warmly greeted and shown to our table. A variety of bite-size poppadums came out with the menus, along with a tray of chutneys – tangy tomato and tamarind, spicy mint and coriander, and a wonderfully sweet mango chutney. All staff were attentive and very friendly without overdoing it.

We started off with Chatpati Tokri Chaat, a potato basket filled with lentil dumplings covered in yogurt, chutneys and topped off with pomegranate seeds. This was divine, especially because the basket was not hard to break in to. The fusion of flavours from the chutneys, lentil dumplings, along with the soft yet crunchy potato basket created an exciting combination.

We went on to devour the Bhel Puri – Old Delhi Style, which was just as good. Puffed rice mixed with tiny diced onions, chickpeas, yogurt and a medley of spicy and sweet chutneys. The bhel was zesty and satisfyingly crunchy.

For our main course, we had the Mangalorean Korri Gassi, Kalonge King Prawn Adraki, Garlic Naan and Zaffarani Pilau which complemented each other really well. The Mangalorean Korri Gassi, a coconut chicken curry, wasn’t something I would usually select from a menu, but I was pleasantly taken away with how the sweetness of the coconut blended with the spice from the roast chilli. The Zaffarani Pilau had braised onions and went really well with the curries. I would definitely recommend picking something off the menu you wouldn’t normally choose…you won’t be disappointed.

For dessert, we indulged in a Passion Fruit Cheesecake and Crème Brûlée. The cheesecake (my favourite!) was really creamy, and the crunch of the passionfruit seeds made me fall in love with this dessert – highly recommended!

The price of the food is very reasonable with starters ranging from £4-8 average, and mains between £10-15.

I’m really impressed with Namaaste Kitchen and would highly recommend visiting and getting your dose of contemporary Indian cuisine.