I have been meaning to go to The Cinnamon Club restaurant for a number of years. Primarily because it’s one of the few restaurants that have been consistently recommended to me in Victoria, London. It serves modern Indian cuisine and I’ve never been too keen ever since I had a really hot curry in Brick Lane.
I arranged to meet my old friend, Linda (Lieutenant, retired), whom I used to work with at Westminster City Council, in the days of Maggie Thatcher and Shirley Porter – the Council Leader in the ‘homes for votes scandal’. We were interested to see what the Cinnamon Club had done to turn the old Westminster Library into a restaurant.
When I booked I checked on access and disabled facilities and was told that there were steps up to the entrance and no ramp but they would have someone ready and waiting to carry me up the stairs! This was OK – I don’t mind men carrying me around but I did recommend they get a portable ramp – which I assured them was fine to use on a Grade II Listed building! (As an aside I have asked English Heritage to comment on why venues think they can’t have disabled access or toilets in some Grade II Listed buildings).
Anyway, back to the Cinnamon Club. Once in the restaurant it is all on one level and the main room looks fantastic as it still has the library feel to it, but much less stuffy. The lighting is bright but flattering and makes the room feel informal and busy without being too noisy. A testament to the social atmosphere is that the couple on the table next to us got involved in my banter about ‘water is for whimps’!!
We had the crab and king prawn risotto with truffle cappuccino to start, which was absolutely delicious, one of the best starters I’ve ever had! Not a hint of hot chilli and very delicately spiced. Even our new friends on the next table wanted to know what we were eating. We followed this with the spice crusted seabass and the venison. Of the two the venison was the best. We accompanied the meal with two quick Bellinis and then a well balanced Viognier. The service was friendly and attentive.
I inspected the disabled toilet which was good but downstairs via the old library lift. There is also the trendy looking Club Bar downstairs which will soon get another visit from me, as I have to sample their cocktails and ‘bar platters’. The Mezzanine level has no disabled access but everywhere else is fine.
In conclusion we had a great night and The Cinnamon club gets 2.5 ‘Tick’s – nearly 3 as access could be easier. They are opening a new restaurant in Kingly St., Soho, Cinnamon Soho, which I’m going to try soon.
