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Salaam Namaste

Indian Restaurant in Bloomsbury
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6 / 10 from 3 reviews
Address
68 Millman Street
Bloomsbury
London
WC1N3EF
Map
History
Telephone
020 7405 3697
Cuisine
Indian
Region
Bloomsbury
Nearest Station
Russell Square
0.30 miles
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Salaam Namaste meaning a welcoming gesture in Indian-Sub Continent, is a contemporary modern Indian restaurant located in Bloomsbury, 2 minutes walk from the Russell Square Tube Station London.
Serving up dishes from all over the Indian subcontinent, from Kerala to the Khyber Pass, the menu offers far more than the usual curry house classics (though they are on offer), with an emphasis on seafood dishes such as crab vindaloo and squid with tarragon, Salaam Namaste has been recognised as one of the best newcomer by London Paper, The Guardian.

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All In London Review

Chef Sabir Karim serves updated regional specialities from all over India with great skill

We have a slightly comical experience at Salaam Namaste. My dining companion orders the Dorset crab vindaloo, gregariously explaining that for the sake of the diners around her it’s best if it’s taken out of its shell in the kitchen. When it arrives it’s still very much in the shell, and without a cracking implement or a crab fork in sight. “Am I supposed to do it with a knife and fork?” she asks, looking confused. She asks the waiter whether it’s too late to send it back or if they could bring her some tools. They bring out a crab cracker and a fingerbowl, but the crab is saturated in so much spicy curry this means getting all over herself, and potentially others. What’s worse is that once she eventually prizes out a bit of meat it’s overcooked and dry, and she gives up on it soon after.

Luckily everything else is very good. Chef/owner Sabir Karim serves updated regional specialities from all over India with great skill. The tandoori Portobello mushroom has a sweet, creamy filling made from figs, cashew nuts, cheese and spices; the Mangalorean soft shell crab is coated in light crispy batter, served with tomato coulis. The menu also has a selection of dishes cooked on a bukhara, an open charcoal grill, one of which is the khaas seekh kebab, two skewers of minced lamb, well-seasoned and flavoured with coriander and slightly charred.

For dessert we try the traditional dessert gajar halwa, made from grated carrot and scattered with raisins and nuts. It arrives piping hot, which makes it all the more syrupy.

By 8.30 the spartan dining room has filled up with suits, as it was empty when we first walked in. We may be near the British Museum, but these particular backstreets of Bloomsbury are surprisingly desolate. Karim opened this restaurant in 2005, and it proved an instant hit. In 2010 he launched Naamaste Kitchen in Camden, and throughout the whole time he’s kept his job as a British Airways crew member. Thankfully his skillful cooking has nothing to do with airline food, although trying to eat a whole crab on a plane would probably result in a similar experience.

Reviewed by Leila
Published on Jun 10, 2013

User Reviews

M Jones

Mar 24, 2012

Having read so much good review about Salaam Namaste in Londons Bloomsbury,
We decided to give it a try.
The food at this venue is simply delicious,
tried the Goan Seabass, perfectly cooked with lots
of flavour in the sauce.
Tandoori Salmon melted in the mouth with bursting
flavour and taste.
Very friendly and professional service and enjoyed the apple mojito too.
I would highly recommend this restaurant as its definetly amongst the top
restaurants in London.
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Anonymous

Jan 8, 2010

horrible food, appaling service, high prices with lot of rude staff

will never step into that place again!
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