Sindhu

Sindhu is at the Compleat Angler hotel in Marlow, which overlooks the Thames. The restaurant takes its name from the Sanskrit name for the Indus river. It is one of a series of restaurants run by Atul Kochhar. The group currently includes Kanishka, Indian Essence, Vaasu in Marlow, Masalchi in Wembley, Riwaz in Beaconsfield and Essence in Tunbridge Wells. The head chef since February 2024 has been Gokul Menon, who had worked for Atul Kochhar in Dubai previously, and before that at ITC Hotels in India. There was a tasting menu at £72 as well as a full a la carte selection. 

The wine list had 90 labels and ranged in price from £35 to £300, with a median price of £63 and an average markup to retail price of 3.3 times, which is high but not unusual for a hotel. Sample references were, Chateau du Poyet Muscadet2022 at £39 for a bottle that you can find in the high street for £7, Martin Codax Albariño Rias Baixas 2021 at £55 compared to its retail price of £16, and Peregrine Wines Pinot Gris 2021 at £72 for a wine that will set you back £31 in the high street. For those with the means there was Chateau Montgrand-Milon 2016 at £149 compared to its retail price of £26, and Dom Perignon of unknown vintage at £300 for a wine whose current market value is perhaps £245, depending on vintage. Beers included Kingfisher at £6 for 330 ml compared to a retail price of up to £2, but currently £1.19 for a single bottle on Drinks Supermarket website. 

There was a little canape in the form of a potato crisp with tamarind. This was simple but enjoyable, the tamarind providing some sweetness and the potato nicely crisp (13/20). Cauliflower florets (£9.95) were spiced cauliflower fritters with a lime and garlic yoghurt pachadi, or coarse chutney. The fritters were pleasantly crisp and the garlic flavour came through the chutney well (13/20). Spiced corn and pea samosas (£9.95) came with yoghurt and chutneys. These had a crisp coating and a lightly spiced vegetable filling (13/20). Chicken tikka with garlic and Chettinad spice blend (£15) was tender, the meat having nicely taken on the gentle spices of the marinade (13/20). So, at this point the meal was shaping up quite well, but things started to come off the rails with the main courses.

Kori gassi (£22.50) was a chicken disha based on a Mangalorean coconut-based curry with red chilli. The problem was that the chicken pieces were seriously overcooked, dry and stringy, which the pleasant sauce could not rescue (barely 11/20). Sea bass (£21.95) came with a sauce with curry leaves, garlic, shallots and coconut. The fish was cooked well enough and the sauce worked well, the spices nicely balanced (13/20). Cabbage and five bean thoran (£10.50) had mustard seeds and curry leaves but was wildly overcooked, with the cabbage reduced to a soggy state (10/20). Naan (£5.25) was fine, having a soft texture (13/20) and the rice (£5.95) was also pleasant.   

Mango kulfi was odd in that it had barely any mango flavour at all, though its texture was acceptable (11/20). Gulab jamun was much better, the syrup not too sweet and the texture of the dough balls comforting (13/20). A “pistachio kulfi” had so little pistachio that we began to suspect it was actually a different ice cream altogether. It was, well, it was green. 

Service was fine. The bill came to £85 each, though this was with just four beers and a glass of wine between three people. If you shared a modest bottle of wine between two then a typical cost per person might come to around £95 or so. This meal was a lot more erratic in standard than the last one that I ate here, though that was years ago and under a different head chef. Dishes like the thoran and the kori gassi were genuinely poor, while others like the chicken tikka and sea bass were fine. This inconsistency is not really acceptable given the far from low price point here.

Further reviews: 01st Nov 2016