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In Greek mythology, Amalthea was a goat who raised Zeus on her breast
milk, in a cave, on mount Idi of Crete. Her horn was accidentally
broken off by Zeus while playing together. The god Zeus, in remorse,
gave her back her horn with supernatural powers, which would give the
person in possession whatever he or she wished for. This gave rise to
the legend of the cornucopia - The Horn of Plenty - an abundance of
wonderful things and cornucopia is the word that comes to mind when
trying to describe the dining experience at Chad Rahman's Chez
Mumtaj on London Road in St Albans.
London Road St Albans is not blessed with an overflowing of wonderful
buildings but Chez Mumtaj is an exception, shining like an oasis in
an otherwise humdrum area. The restaurant is the result of two years
of careful planning by onetime International Chef of the Year Chad
Rahman and the careful planning shows from the moment you walk into
the relaxing bar area.
The walls are wood panelled and the floor carpeted. The staff are
smartly dressed in black and the Rahman intertwined "C"
logo (Cherry & Chad) appears discretely. As you are shown to the
dining room and its twinkling dining candles and subdued lighting you
could be in the home of fine dining anywhere - a hotel in Florida ;
on board a cruise ship or in top international hotel.
The kitchen shows the careful thought that went into its design and
diners can watch their food being prepared should they so wish. The
whole atmosphere is one of timeless comfort from the computer light
controlled water feature to the 16 people special dining room for
meeting (complete with screen) and the gentle diner jazz that was not
repeated once during our nearly 3 hour stay. Even the cream and wood
chairs are specially designed for maximum comfort.
Chef Rahman wanted to show us his style of Asian/French cuisine so we
put ourselves in his hands. First to arrive was an amuse bouche of
half a scallop spring roll with chilli sauce and hoysin drizzle. Then
to the starters presented on a banana leaf strip on a long dish.
What a taste adventure!
Scallop potato in mild mustard sauce ; watercress salad ; perfectly
cooked lamb chop ; chicken tikka ; very tasty duck liver ; a
butterfly prawn on excellently cooked swordfish ' salmon tikka and
softshell crab, all accompanied by a selection of chutney drizzles.
For main course we were presented with rack of lamb (Chad grew up in
Enfield in his father's butcher's shop so knows a bit about meat) on
a disc of dauphinoise with a lamb kebab and carrots plus a medley of
wonderfully tossed vegetables and potato. My dish was perfectly
cooked sea bass on a bed of lightly pureed potato with rice and a
veloute of coconut and ginger that was a wonderful marriage with the
fish. Just to cause us confusion chef also presented us with a
tempting Dhal Mahkni but apart from having to have at least a taste,
we could not really fit it in with the other wonderful tastes and textures.
Sipping a very creditable Sauvignon Blanc, we thought the
"cornucopia" complete but suddenly dessert was there before
us. First there was the very acceptable Dessert Platter of ice cream,
honey & carrot samosa, baclava and halwa but what delighted us
most were chef's own creations of dimsum style delights with green
tea, spicy mango and coconut ice cream fillings - very tasty and
great fun.
This is the cutting edge of Indian cuisine today and even though it
is tucked away in St Albans (only a few miles from M25) it is a must
for afficianados. Chad obviously agrees with the cooking adage that
often "less is more" so there are no heavy sauces or
bulging tummies at Chez Mumtaj just sparkling tastes, gentle and
efficient service and the enjoyment of an unforgettable dining experience.
Chez Mumtaj Centurian House 139-142 London Road, St Albans Tel :
01727 800033
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