Vermilion

Vermilion is something else. It doesn’t just look far out, the kitchen serves up some of the most memorable dishes this side of an Indiana Jones adventure. 

In the mood for some technicolour dim sum? Vermilion’s got you. How about prawn toast reimagined as a bao bun? No problem. Pan-fried mermaid with black opal shavings? Not yet, but they’re probably working on it. 

Some dishes on this pan-Asian menu look flat out bonkers, but they rarely miss the mark. The flavours are bold and the ingredients fresh – nothing is sacrificed on the altar of glitz. 

When the Vermilion kitchen stays traditional, as with the Mumbai street lamb chops, it works and works well. The meat is tender but charred in all the right places, while the spiced-yoghurt marinade adds a slightly-hot tinge, nicely balanced by the mint sauce dip. 

The Thai lime and fire sea bass is impressive too. The large but delicate piece of fish comes in a carefully balanced sauce, made from lime, chilli and garlic, jazzed up with a good amount of tangy fish sauce. Plus, it comes with an artfully sliced up half-lime, and who doesn’t love that? 

If you have a sweet tooth and a carb compulsion, the pistachio and date bread comes heartily – repeat, heartily – recommended.

It’s best described as a nuttier, busier version of the age-old Peshawari naan, and best eaten stuffed with Mumbai lamb and jasmine rice, drizzled with mint sauce. If you’re against the mixing of sweet and savoury then avoid, but if you like your bites decadent, this is the one. 

Speaking of sweet, the desserts section ups the ante. The buttery mango sticky rice onigiri is surprisingly demure, look-wise – well, apart from being bright blue – and brings the diner down to earth, gently. It’s a delicate blend of Thai, Japanese and tropical flavours: mango, coconut, soft sticky rice. See? Vermilion knows how to pace the razzle-dazzle. 

Alternatively, Under The Volcano is a big daft blast of alpha energy and all the better for it. Hot salted caramel melting through chocolate, peanut butter ganache, cashew nut crumble, silky ice cream, edible flowers and enough calories to keep you going for a week. All the best things in life. 

Vermilion isn’t a shy, retiring type of restaurant – it’s bold, glam and sometimes silly. We love this stuff, and unless you’re dead inside, you should too.