When we opened the Cinnamon Club 25 years ago, our ambition was always to create a restaurant that would last forever. But I was also made very aware of how unforgiving the London restaurant scene could be — that one wrong move could send you packing. So, while the dream was big, a part of me was mentally prepared to return to India if things didn’t work out!
Looking back, the naivety of those early years aside, it feels incredible. It’s impossible to measure how much this restaurant means to me: it is such a huge part of the body of work my team and I have built — I don’t have the words to express how deeply it sits with me. It has been the most wonderful journey, and it’s still ongoing. Each day, we come in wanting today to be better than yesterday. What makes it special is the people — generous, passionate, committed — who’ve grown to become family. Hospitality gets a lot of criticism these days, but in my experience it’s one of the most supportive, rewarding spaces to work in.
Still, when I look back now, I often think about how different the world is now compared with when we opened in 2001. We’ve always kept an old-fashioned sense of discretion about our famous guests; we never talk about who comes in. But we’ve become far more famous for the people we couldn’t seat because we were full. From turning away Mick Jagger in the early days to having to say no to will.i.am at the start of the Covid outbreak… there have been moments where we’ve laughed and cried at the same time.
Now though, when I look back, it isn’t the A-list I remember. To see the restaurant, the team and now the wider Cinnamon Collection grow and contribute so much to London’s dining landscape is an immense source of pride. The biggest achievement isn’t simply surviving 25 years — it’s evolving continuously and remaining at the forefront of modern Indian cooking. It’s been an extraordinary journey, and as it turns out, London hasn’t been quite as unforgiving as I feared.
Here are four of my favourite recipes from over the years. I hope you enjoy them.
Cured salmon with jhal muri
The Cinnamon Collection
First introduced in 2007, this dish felt like a truly global expression: bringing together a British favourite, cured salmon, paired with my childhood memories of a Bengali potato jhal muri and finished with a punchy wasabi-esque chutney that nods to Japan, without containing any wasabi.
Old Delhi-style butter chicken
The Cinnamon Collection
I have always believed that modern cooking can’t be done without conquering the basics brilliantly. I also believe running restaurants and writing menus is part-giving people what they want and part suggesting what they should want. I often take off the most popular dishes on the menu to encourage exploration, and on that principle our butter chicken often gets the axe! It’s also a dish that tours the different restaurants: a few months at Cinnamon Kitchen City then off to Cinnamon Bazaar. Guests who really want it have learned the dance..!
The Cinnamon Collection
When I first put this dish on a menu back in 2012, it simply flew out of the door. I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t thought it sooner. It combines two of Britain’s favourite loves, a great curry and a great pie. No surprise it was named as one of London’s 100 best dishes soon afterwards.
Smoked saddle of lamb, Rajasthani corn sauce
The Cinnamon Collection
This is a classic example of the best of both worlds’ cooking that The Cinnamon Collection is famous for. It draws inspiration from India, smoking, marinating, cooking in tandoor, the Rajasthani corn sauce, while showing respect to the quality lamb we source from these shores, by cooking it pink and serving beautifully presented. Care, curiosity, respect — this dish embodies it all.