Review: The Red Fort, Soho
Style Points: 3/5
Price: ££
Overall: 3/5
Founded in 1983, The Red Fort is a restaurant on Dean Street that I’ve walked past for many years. Although well established, there are many more exciting restaurants in Soho that have tempted me away from here. However on this particular occasion I decided to take the plunge and try it out.
Red Fort has recently been refurbished due to neighbouring fire damage, and the décor of the restaurant now has a fresh contemporary feel to it, with lots of clean straight lines and a colour combination of deep red and white. However the bar, called Zeena, located downstairs has a more glitzy feel to it.
Daydream Mocktail
Would I Want Seconds?
Known for its Mughal Court cooking, Red Fort uses high-quality and carefully sourced fresh ingredients to produce aromatic sub-continental flavours. They uses a huge tandoor oven and a traditional open-grill for their cooked dishes which adds an smoky authentic flavour to their food. They also serve homemade chutneys, sauces, and even make twenty different types of bread made on a daily basis, and they even serve halal meat.
This attention to detail was definitely reflected in the starters we ordered. Due to my obsession with chaats I tried the Bhalla Sev Puri, which was delicious in its combination of yogurt, tamarind chutney, sev and pomegranates in a crunchy puri. My dining companion tried the Hara Kebab which was composed of spinach patties lightly filled with cheddar, onion and coriander which works well as a light starter.
However the mains were slightly less impressive. I tried the Methi Paneer which was made with home-made cottage cheese and dried fenugreek leaf in a creamed tomato sauce. I also ordered the selection of rice and breads to go with this. My dish was creamy and due to the depth of flavours they obviously used a high quality selection of ingredients. The flavours were also very traditional and made good use of the aromas that come from coriander and cumin.
My dining companion tried the Saufiaan Paneer Tikka which, strangely for a main course dish, was served dry without any accompanying sauce and would have worked better as a starter. They had also taken the chutneys away that come with the starters so we couldn’t even use those as a sauce. This also meant that we had over ordered on the rice and bread too.
With the main courses out of the way we decided to share a dessert and chose the Funky Pie, mainly because I hadn’t tried one of these before. It arrived as a good sized pie filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with strawberry pieces and crushed nut. The menu also included a good selection of hot and cold indian desserts including Gulab Jaman, and Mango Kulfi.
In addition to the food, the Red Fort also has a very extensive wine menu covering most of the major wine producing countries as well as a strong selection of well-made cocktails too.
Bhalla Sev Puri
Hara Kebab
Methi Paneer
Pilau Rice
Selection of Breads
Funky Pie
Could I Afford Seconds?
The Red Fort is well priced for the high quality of food they serve. Starters range from £7 to £9 and are a good size. However the prices for the main courses vary widely, as vegetarian main courses are between £7 to £15 but meat dishes from the charcoal/grill section can cost a lot more. The cheapest option is the Salmon Tikka at £19 but the Zaafrani Lobster costs a whopping £42.
In addition there is only one option for accompaniments, as diners can only order a Selection costing £6. This includes saffron rice with cumin, steamed rice and a selection of well-made breads including Peshawari naan and Makkai roti. However for those who do not want all of this there is no option, resulting in a pricy basket of bread.
Yet despite this they do offer a redeeming pre-theatre menu which offers two courses for £15 or three for £18, which is amazing value for menu, especially considering the prices on the a la carte menu.
Overall: 3/5
The starters were really well flavoured but the main course didn’t quite live up to the high standard. In addition some of the main dishes were a bit widely priced. However, although there are now many new-age hip Indian restaurants in Soho, the Red Fort stands out from this crowd as it is an established restaurant serving traditional and authentic Indian flavours. So if its tradition you’re looking for, I’d definitely recommend the Red Fort, especially for their pre-theatre menu.
