VEERASWAMY ONE OF THE OLDEST INDIAN RESTAURANT SINCE 1926

Veeraswamy is an Indian restaurant in London, located at 99-101 Regent Street. It was opened in 1926 by Edward Palmer, the great-grandson of an English soldier and an Indian princess, and is the oldest surviving Indian restaurant in the United Kingdom. In its early years, Veeraswamy served Anglo-Indian cuisine, but in recent decades, based on the popularity of authentic Indian food in the UK, has served a menu of regional Indian cuisine, including dishes from Punjab, Lucknow, Kashmir, and Goa.

The restaurant was taken over by Sir William Steward in 1930. He was married to a singer and artist of the time Greta Gaye. Throughout the 1930s trade was very difficult but the couple used great resourcefulness and came through the challenging times. In the 1940s and 1950s the restaurant became a great success. The first ever curry in a can was introduced under Veeraswamy Food Products brand in the early 1950s. The restaurant was sold by Sir William in 1967. The food products business under the Veeraswamy name continued to be owned by the couple into the 1990s.

The restaurant decor was updated a number of times, and adopted an ultramodern theme in the late 1990s; however, for its 80th anniversary in 2006, it was redecorated in a 1920s motif. Veeraswamy is currently owned by the Chutney Mary group.

FEW MENU ITEMS THAT FEATURES OFTEN

Raj Kachori – Regal street food, large wheat puri filled with goodies, splashed with chutneys
Scallop Moilee – King scallops in an aromatic ginger sauce – a customer favourite
Crab Cake - flaked crab, ginger, chilli and lime
Sholay Chicken Tikka – Smoked chicken with garam masala cooked in the Tandoor
Venison Seekh Kebab


Awadhi Dum Ki Machchli - Whole seabass marinated with mint and royal cumin and grilled – from the kitchens of the Nawab of Oudh

Roast Duck Vindaloo - Half Barbary Duck slow roasted with Vindaloo masala

Raan Akbari - Lamb shank – tandoor cooked, falling off the bone

Kerala Prawn Curry - Speciality prawn curry, as made by the boatmen of the coastal town of Kumarakom, with a hint of green apple

Lobster Malabar Curry - With fresh turmeric, coconut, green mango

Kashmiri Rogan Josh – an intensely aromaticlamb curry of small shanks of lamb withsaffron and cockscomb flower – A classic

Classic Biryanis

Vegetarian dishes include a Vegetarian Crescent Platter with different vegetarian dishes, Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) in an onion and tomato sauce, a fine Kofta curry.

Unusual Sides include Dal with fresh spinach leaves

These include Caramelised Banana Kulfi (Indian ice cream), Gulab Jamun and some cosmopolitan choices such as fruit jellies and sugar-free homemade sorbets.

Information Courtesy : website veeraswamy

TO BOOK A TABLE : veeraswamy