I’ve been hearing good reports of Shiuli for ages. It opened in December 2021 and is just a 5-minute walk from my house; I pass it whenever I go to the bus stop. However, it wasn’t until last night that I finally ate there. To be fair to myself, for a long time I didn’t really know anything about it, and as I live on the far side of central Twickenham, away from the main shopping and restaurant area heading out of town, I guess I didn’t give this new restaurant that had popped up in this slightly quieter end of the town much thought. Then talk started filtering through … but it was when my son and his wife went there a few months ago, and declared it the best Indian food they’d ever had, that I knew I should give it more attention. Son has been back a few times … and then offered to take me there last night for a Mother’s Day treat.

The rave reports of how good Shiuli is are not surprising given the owner-chef’s background. Alfred Prasad  was previously at Tamarind, a well-known Indian restaurant in Mayfair, where he held a Michelin star for 13 years. It was the first Indian restaurant in London to receive a Michelin star. At Shiuli, Prasad aims to continue his approach of bringing a modern twist to traditional and regional Indian dishes ‘showcasing seasonal British produce with an Indian soul’ (see their website).

Our table was booked for 6.45 but Shiuli was already very busy when we went in. In fact, whenever I’ve passed it I’ve seen through the windows that it’s full. We received a warm welcome and all through the meal, the service was great: friendly and attentive without being OTT. There are a lot of staff which ensures there’s always someone close at hand if you want anything and food and drink came quickly, but not too quickly to make you feel rushed.

There are various dining areas in the restaurant and we passed through a couple of larger ones to a table set to one side of another dining area, which gave a sense of being in the action but a little bit of privacy too. The low lighting and soft green colours give the restaurant an inviting and relaxing atmosphere.

Jonathan said the portions were generous so it was probably enough to share a starter and order a few mains to share. I was slightly surprised he suggested Grilled Scallops: Seared scallops on tomato thokku with mixed peppercorns, coconut milk pearls (£21). Surprised as he’s not a fish eater, but he later said he knew I liked them (well, it was my Mother’s Day treat). When they came they looked fabulous. I do love scallops and of course they need to be cooked well to retain their soft delicacy – overcooked and they’re rubbery. These were perfect. Happily, Jonathan liked them too; remarked on their sweetness and mild flavour (i.e. not too fishy!) and said the gentle spicing of the accompaniments was perfect because they didn’t dominate the dish and allowed the scallops to shine.

There was a choice of Naan bread – tandoori roti, butter, garlic and festive (with Stilton, Cheddar & cranberries). I hesitated about which to choose and plumped for ‘butter’ (£6) It was more like paratha really (which I like and often choose). It was good, but I found the butter element a little too much with the rich food and would have preferred plain naan.

Jonathan recommended Kalonji Prawns: Kashundi mustard and nigella seed marinade (£21), which he’d had before. This looked amazing when it arrived and was indeed excellent. They were huge prawns and perfectly cooked.

The other main we chose was Old Delhi Butter Chicken (£19), described as ‘the velvety original’. This too was delicious in a wonderful sauce.

I wanted some fairly simple side and chose Chilli-Garlic Spinach (£9). This was a perfect accompaniment to the delicious but rich mains. It was impressively cooked to the ‘al dente’ stage rather than completely cooked down as you’ll often find in Indian restaurants. This added a great freshness to the meal.

Our rice accompaniment was Saffron Berry Pulao (£6). This again was a nice simple accompaniment but delightful with the saffron and sweetness of the berries on top.

As I hesitated about whether to have a dessert, Jonathan suggested we share one. I said I’d like the Poached Pear with Hazelnut Ice Cream (£11), which he’d had before and said was very good. And it was! Surprisingly, it was warm, which Jonathan said he’d forgotten, but it worked well and the hazelnut ice cream with it was delicious.

It was as wonderful a meal as I’d hoped for. It had been nicely relaxed too, no sense of being hurried although, as I said at the start, the service was very attentive so there was always someone there if we wanted anything. And, of course, it was also wonderful to have a relaxing and special evening with my son. It was a very lovely Mother’s Day treat.

We drank beer with our meal and a carafe of sparkling water was just £1 (one can be seriously overcharged for water, even in carafes, in restaurants). The bill with service was just over £50 a head, which is excellent value for fine food in a very attractive setting. And it’s just 5 minutes away!