Chef Vivek Singh celebrates 25 years of The Cinnamon Club and blazing a trail for modern Indian cuisine in the capital.
What does it mean to be celebrating this milestone anniversary?
It has been such a privilege to have fed quite literally millions of people over the past 25 years – I’m incredibly proud to still be part of London’s dining landscape and having had the impact we’ve had. I feel a huge sense of gratitude for the talented people who have come through our kitchens and gone on to do brilliant things.
How has the perception of Indian cuisine changed over the course of the past 25 years?
Indian cuisine has always been loved in the UK, but it didn’t have the equal footing within the dining scene that it enjoys today. The Cinnamon Club helped pioneer that shift; we wanted Indian cuisine to be seen on the same level as any other fine-dining restaurant.
Tell us about the celebrations you have planned
In February, we’re launching a nine-course anniversary tasting menu which will run for the year, weaving together tradition, innovation and storytelling. In March, we’re celebrating the foodie community we’ve created with a special cookery masterclass.
Which dishes from the past 25 years are you most proud of?
We’re very proud of the impact we may have had on certain genres of cooking, such as game. Even after 25 years, there are still very few places that celebrate game in the way The Cinnamon Club does. On the menu, you see this philosophy embodied in the Papa Tandoori Squab dish. Another central pillar of our ethos is seeking out exceptional ingredients and combining them with spices and flavours, bringing together the best of all worlds. On the 25th Anniversary Menu, we’re celebrating this with the showstopping Celebration of British Lamb: smoked tandoori saddle with Punjabi-style lamb mince, seekh kebab in roomali bread, and a fiery Rajasthani curry.
Tells us more about the 25th Anniversary Signature Tasting Menu
The menu is a celebration of the people behind The Cinnamon Club, including members of my original kitchen and front of house team, chefs Rakesh Nair and Hari Nagaraj. You’ll see dishes that have defined us over the years alongside completely new creations that reflect where we are today. For example, our signature Scallop and Tuna Ceviche Chaat will sit comfortably next to new plates such as Rakesh’s Mangalore stir-fried king crab ghee roast. In a nutshell, the menu honours the craft, creativity and hospitality that have defined the restaurant for the past 25 years.
What makes London such a great city in your opinion?
I have not come across a city that has the same kind of depth as well as breadth of different cuisines that London has. In London – whatever the cuisine – you’ll often find a restaurant here that rivals or even surpasses one in its home country. That depth and breadth of cuisines, combined with its multiculturalism, makes London the true and ultimate melting pot.
What’s one thing you think every visitor should do in the capital at least once?
Take a walk around St James’s Park, along The Mall, then on towards Piccadilly, Jermyn Street and the Royal Academy, walking through Soho, coming out around Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. it’s a route where you experience so much of London.
Do you have a favourite hidden gem in the city?
Not many people know the very quaint, very quiet, very special churches in the City of London, and there’s a whole walk around them. I recommend anybody and everybody to walk through the City at the weekend. It is quiet, it is calm, and it is so unlike anything anybody has experienced. There is a particular church near to Liverpool Street Station that I love – St Botolph’s. It’s quiet and beautiful!
Do you have a favourite green space?
My favourite green space may not be seen as touristy area, but I love Beckenham Place Park. It’s the best park for going on walks, especially if you’re going out with dogs!
Other than your own, which restaurants in the capital do you like to frequent and why?
For fine Indian dining and cooking straight from the heart, I like to go to Benares in Mayfair. Sameer Taneja is one of the best Indian chefs cooking now. For similar from the heart cooking, I go to Asma Khan’s Darjeeling Express. The mutton mince toastie there is to die for.
Where do you like to shop?
I love shopping in Jermyn Street. It’s classic, old-school London with lots of lovely buildings, and it has some of the best shirtmakers!
Where in London holds a special memory for you?
It has to be the Old Westminster Library, where The Cinnamon Club now stands. The setting mirrors what we do in the kitchen, bringing together British ingredients and Western techniques with the flavours of India. It’s the place that changed my life.
Is the Cinnamon Collection celebrating Holi again this year?
Yes, we’re celebrating Holi, albeit in a slightly different format. As always, we’ll have a special menu that people can come and enjoy with friends, and we will also have a supper club that I will be hosting.
After decades in the kitchen, what still excites you most about cooking?
Even after so many years, the moment a dish comes together for the first time is still magical. The joy it gives – both to the chef making it and a guest consuming it – is as powerful now as it was 30 years ago. That feeling is the real reason we continue to do what we do.
