I first went to Cinnamon Bazaar in Covent Garden in April 2019. I was a long-time fan of the Cinnamons and although I loved the Kitchen and Club, was delighted by this less formal version at Bazaar. Despite promises to myself to go back soon, it wasn’t until April this year that I went again, with my friends Lucia and David. We all loved it and so when my daughter and I were deciding where to meet up last night, this was one of my suggestions and she was keen to go. She was down in London for the day from Worcestershire, so we would eat early before she headed home. Thus Cinnamon Bazaar’s early evening set menu at £24 for 2 courses and £28 for 3 courses was a perfect choice. Interestingly, to have the menu at lunchtime (between noon and 5pm) it’s even cheaper: £22 for 2 courses; £25 for 3.

Cinnamon Bazaar is ‘inspired by bazaars in antiquity and in the modern day’ (see their website) and the attractive decor inside the restaurant reflects that. The vibrant colours and informality make it a great place to enjoy fabulous food in a relaxed setting. 

Our waiter Rejab was great – friendly and helpful in the best way. We ordered some drinks – a glass of sparkling wine for me (£8.20) and a zero Peroni (£5) for Nicola (she’d be driving later) … and then she saw Mango Lassi  (£6) and ordered that too to start with. 

We decided to order two starters and share them. The first was Masala Grilled Sea Bream with Curry leaf & lime crumble, green mango chutney. This was wonderful; gorgeous flavours.

Our second starter was Hakka Aubergine Stir-fry, honey sesames soy and chilli. Aubergine is one of my favourite vegetables and I’ve found many different ways to serve it, and this will be added to my list. It had a strong chilli kick to it so definitely for those who like their food hot!

We chose the same main course of Malabar Boatman’s Shrimp Curry, Kokum berry & curry lead, steamed rice. This was a lovely creamy curry and the prawns perfectly cooked so still beautifully tender to eat. 

Having acknowledged that we were quite full and didn’t need a dessert, we went ahead and ordered one each. Well, how could we resist? Nicola chose Coconut Rice Kheer, pineapple sorbet. It was such a pretty looking and delicious dish and she gave me a taste. 

I ordered Garam Masala Crème Brûlée. This was delicious too; a really good crème brûlée. You could taste the garam masala that flavoured it, which was lovely, but it was subtly done, so perfect for a dessert.

We didn’t want drinks after and just asked for the bill which came to £76 before service (they only add service to tables of 8 or more or private events, so we added our own). It had been a fabulous meal and wonderful to enjoy a lovely, relaxing evening with my daughter.