If there was one word that defined my dinner at Colonel Saab in Trafalgar Square, it was saffron. The kitchen was generous with it, weaving it through everything from the fragrant chicken biryani to the milky pool of sauce accompanying the rasmalai cake.

While many modern restaurants are currently obsessed with stark minimalism, Colonel Saab firmly rejects that trend, and I love it for that. With its cascading chandeliers, vintage paintings, and unashamedly extravagant design, the dining room feels cosy, opulent, and exactly right for the menu it serves. It is the sort of place I would choose when I want dinner to feel a little special, with surroundings to match. The menu has room for both a celebratory feast and a more straightforward midweek dinner, depending on what you order.

I always like to sample both vegetarian and meat dishes to see how a kitchen handles its ingredients. We started with the Chutneys & Poppadoms, Mall Road’s Dahi Sev Puri, and the Kandhari Paneer Tikka.

The selection of chutneys was plentiful enough to last us throughout the meal. There was a vibrant pineapple version spiked with cardamom, cinnamon, and anise, alongside a savoury tomato chutney whose exact blend of aromatics remains a delicious mystery to me.

Indian street food includes countless variations of puri (you might recognise pani puri from Slumdog Millionaire). Colonel Saab’s take on the dahi sev puri hits every mark. Filled with sweetened yoghurt, mint, coriander, and pomegranate seeds, it makes for a refreshing bite. Served on a bed of spiced puffed rice that adds a necessary crunch, it creates a real riot of textures in the mouth. For £12, it is a genuine bargain for Trafalgar Square and an experience I highly recommend.

While the sev puri was all about bright, refreshing contrasts, the Kandhari Paneer Tikka took a more robust approach. The spicy tomato sauce and sour prune paste were fierce and intensely flavoured, providing a sharp contrast to the mild cheese. The menu rightly marks this as spicy. If you are used to mild heat, it will certainly wake you up; as someone with a high tolerance for spice, I found the kick exactly right. My only minor critique is textural — I would have liked the paneer to have a bit more char from the grill, but the flavour combination was excellent.

We moved on to two main courses — Chef Sohan’s Confit of Cauliflower and the Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani.

A traditional biryani is often unapologetically fiery. I still vividly remember eating one in a Singaporean Indian restaurant years ago. It was billed as ‘medium’ and I wept like a child. Colonel Saab’s chicken biryani is not spicy by default, but since I clearly enjoy suffering, I asked the kitchen to turn up the heat. The result was deeply satisfying. The spice level was sharp but manageable, tempered pleasantly by a side of cucumber and Mint Raita we ordered on the staff’s recommendation.

The portion was massive and could easily feed two people, so bear that in mind if you are planning to order a second main course. The biryani was served in a traditional pot brimming with juicy chicken thighs and highly aromatic rice that had been soaked in saffron water for two hours.

Too often, a restaurant biryani is mostly rice with only a sparse scattering of meat, but here, the proportion of chicken to rice was generous and well-judged. It was my second-favourite dish of the evening, and we happily took the leftovers home.

The Confit of Cauliflower is a vegetarian main course in which the cauliflower is slowly confited in ghee until it is remarkably tender. It sits in a rich sauce that, to me, strongly evokes a classic butter chicken. Next to the fiery punch of our other dishes, it played a much softer, more comforting role, making it an excellent choice if you prefer gentler Indian spices. I was genuinely impressed by the sheer quantity of the sauce, so be sure to order some garlic naan, because you will absolutely need it to mop the bowl clea

To drink, I ordered the Signature Colonel Saab Old Fashioned, finished with spiced egg white. It was thick, velvety, and warmly spiced with a tart, sweet-and-sour profile. Yet, despite its depth, it managed to remain fresh and was a good companion to the heavier courses.

We finished with two desserts — Rose Gulab Jamun and Rasmalai Milk Cake.

Gulab jamun, roasted dough balls soaked in syrup, is a simple, universally beloved staple. The sweetness here is intense, but thankfully mellowed by a scoop of cold ice cream. If you don’t have a massive sweet tooth, you might want to look at another option on the menu, but I greatly admired the kitchen’s refusal to dial down the traditional sugar levels. It is exactly how it should be.

The Rasmalai Milk Cake stole the show and completely won my heart. Here was saffron again, in glorious abundance. A sponge cake dipped in a milky sauce, it was smooth, delicate, and restrained in its sweetness. A scattering of pistachios provided a lovely textural crunch, but the sauce was the undisputed star. We ended up eating it with spoons, practically fighting over the last drops in the bowl.

The staff looked after us with real care throughout the evening. Our dinner came to around £150 for two, including cocktails. Expecting typical London restaurant portions, we had ordered a little extra, but the servings were far more substantial than we anticipated. We were so full we practically rolled out of the restaurant, clutching a bag of leftovers that made for an excellent desk lunch the following day.

Colonel Saab is a great choice if you want to explore the diversity of Indian cuisine without feeling intimidated. It honours traditional regional flavours while offering just enough high-end polish to make it a seriously impressive night out. It honours regional flavours while offering just enough high-end polish to make it a seriously impressive night out.

One final tip before booking: Colonel Saab has two locations, and their menus differ. If a particular dish has caught your eye, check that it is available at the specific location you are visiting.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5. Memorable flavours, generous portions, and genuinely attentive service. A few dishes impressed me more than others, but I would happily return — and have already recommended the restaurant to my friends.

Photo by the author

Colonel Saab Trafalgar Square

Адрес: 40, 42 William IV St, London WC2N 4DD, United Kingdom

Colonel Saab — Trafalgar Square