Trishna

Every once in a while, we come across a brilliant restaurant that realistically serves no practical purpose in our lives. But purpose is very overrated in our line of business. It’s also overrated when you’re really bloody hungry.

Trishna is the older sister to Gymkhana, our favourite high-end Indian in the city. But where Gymkhana is a special occasion dining experience, with a room that feels like something out of a Rudyard Kipling novel, Trishna essentially feels like a casual neighbourhood restaurant. But one that still has very high prices. So it’s hard to justify eating here regularly. That said, we’re going to try, because the food is incredible.

While Gymkhana’s menu leans on game, Trishna focuses more on seafood. So where the magical muntjac (deer) biryani is the star of the show at Gymkhana, at Trishna it’s the magical brown crab. The Dorset Brown Crab (its formal title) is a large mass of crabmeat topped with a sprinkling of chives and a dollop of chilli for good measure, and it’s one of the better things we can remember eating. The combination of the super fresh crab, the light Indian spices, and the continuous hit of heat causes what can only be described as a stirring in your mouth, and you’ll be thinking about it long after you finish it. If you’re a big fan of crab, then this is your signature dish. For life.

photo credit: Jamie Lau

In other words, you’ll absolutely want to order the brown crab. But you’ll also want to order so many other things here—the fish curry, one of the excellent veggie sides, the lamb chops. All of them are really, really good.

Of course, by the time you add on some of those, plus rice, a naan, and a drink, your meal will easily hit £70 or so. So you might very quickly run out of justifiable excuses for eating regularly at Trishna. But the food is also good enough that we’re going to encourage you to get creative, because dinner here is worth it. Convince your boss you really need to impress those clients. Invite your rich relatives to visit. Look for spare change under the couch. You’ll think of something.

Food Rundown

Dorset Brown Crab

Hot, spicy, and satisfying in ways you didn’t even know was possible, eating this is like what we imagine it’d be like to cop off with Diego Luna. Get this and take another portion home with you. Worth every penny.

photo credit: Jamie Lau

Coastal Bhindi

There are plenty of tasty veggie dishes on the menu, but this okra dish is where it’s at, and where you need to be at all times. It’s very spicy and exceptionally good.

Tandoori Lamb Chops

This is the far superior, far meatier, far more succulent version of the ones you have had anywhere else. Anywhere else but Gymkhana. But they’re just as good.

photo credit: Jamie Lau

Meen Manga Curry

No Indian meal would be complete without a curry dish, and this is probably one the best fish curries you will probably ever have. Get it.

Dum Hogget Biryani

The lamb Biryani at Trishna is as good as you’d expect it to be, and for you delicate little flowers there’s a pot of yoghurt to cool it down.

photo credit: Jamie Lau

Naan

Yes, you do need this.