"Ostentatious as a Bollywood babe’s wedding trousseau, this restaurant and bar is one of the most glamorous places to drink and dine in London. It moved to its current St James’s site a few years ago; but the original opened in Chelsea in a blaze of positive publicity in 1990. Owners Namita Panjabi and Ranjit Mathrani called it ‘Anglo-Indian’, a term used for someone with a mixed British and Indian ancestry, or their culture and cuisine, but here meant what eventually came to be known as Modern Indian. ‘Chutney Mary’ was a curious choice for a name though: a derogatory term for a girl from Bombay’s lower class who wears gaudy clothes and speaks in a fake accent to appear more sophisticated. It was the first restaurant to highlight the regional origin of every dish it served. Today, instead of breaking new ground, the menu is littered with items found in other Indian restaurants, like as tokri chaat and truffle khichdi — though they’re done very well. There’s a Goa On The Rocks cocktail from the original 1990 drinks list, but barely any food from that era." - Sejal Sukhadwala
