Vatavaran is a contemporary Indian restaurant that opened earlier this year on Beauchamp Place in Knightsbridge.
The restaurant was created by Michelin-starred chef Rohit Ghai and is the sister restaurant to popular Chelsea restaurant Kutir.
With a name meaning “atmosphere’, the interiors have been designed to pay tribute to the beautiful landscape of the Himalayas with earthy textures, ambient lighting and an entire floor named the “Meadow”, made to showcase the scenic landscape of the region.
The menu at Vatavaran offers a fresh take on Indian fine dining, combining traditional flavours with inventive presentation and technique.
Guests can expect dishes such as tender goat shami kebab, aromatic butter chicken, delicately spiced sea bass, and a range of vibrant vegetarian options that showcase local and seasonal produce.
As for the drinks, the cocktail menu also features a broad selection of Indian-inspired cocktails, along with classics to be made on request.
The Shikhar Bar on the top floor provides the luxurious setting to sip these vibrant drinks with a textured copper ceiling and rooftop views.
Compared to its sister restaurant Kutir, Vatavaran offers a more “going out” feel, with an open plan dining area and chic interiors.
We sampled the ‘Chef’s Selection’ menu, which showcases some of their champion dishes, with the option between a selection of dishes for each course.
Starting off we tried the Aloo Tikki, a dish of crispy potatoes with tamarind and pomegranate seeds, and the Goat Shami Kebab served with roasted plum and black cardamom.
We absolutely devoured both, and each had such a great balance of flavour and texture, but I will attest that the potatoes were a personal favourite.
But for me I think one of the hero dishes from the menu had to be from the Grill course, with the Salmon Tikka – a very popular dish – served with Kokum beetroot garlic, coconut and chutney.
I’ve had plenty of Salmon Tikka dishes over the years, but this one completely hit the spot, as it was flavourful, succulent and had an underlying sweetness from the coconut that made me want to eat it all over again.
For mains we both went with the Butter Chicken – another of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, recommended by server Aryan.
The restaurant mames their Butter Chicken with a vine tomato sauce, served with Kashmiri chilli for a little kick and yoghurt for some coolness, and came served with a selection of breads, rice and tadka dal.
The Butter Chicken scored a 10 out of 10 when it came to flavour, whilst still having a little spiciness compared to some I’ve tried, and was a real winner.
Finally, to finish with something sweet, the Pineapple and Concur dish with coconut jaggery and the Raspberry Phirni dish really closed the meal off nicely, with a little fruity kick and a lot of flavour.
This month is a particularly great time to visit Vatavaran, as they are offering a special Diwali tasting menu from October 17 to October 19, 2025.
Guests can choose between the Brook (Signature) menu, featuring highlights like lobster vermicelli with coconut and curry leaf, harissa chicken, lamb barbat, and butter chicken, or the vegetarian Meadow menu, with dishes such as aloo chaat, paneer tikka, gobhi truffle, and masala paneer.
Both menus are rounded off with festive desserts like chocolate and hazelnut lemon curd meringue, phirni with raspberry sorbet, or malpua with rabri.
