Lasan, Birmingham 13/01/15

Lasan is an excellent fine dining Indian restaurant in Birmingham. They have won Gordan Ramsay's F Word and have been featured on the BBC Great British Menu. Lasan is a good edition to the Birmingham restaurant. The restaurant is very bright and spacious, nothing like your normal local Indian restaurant!

The service was very good, the waiters persuaded us to go the 8 Course Taster Menu - it was very different so we decided to try it! The tasting menu is £49.95 a head - not cheap but then again, tasting menus never are!




The first course was North Indian Broth of reduced lamb stock, Black Cardamom and Cream.

This was very unusual, but very tasty! It left a nice taste in my mouth before starting the next 7 courses!

The first course was Smoked Duck Somosa, bound with Aubergine Caviar spiced with Ginger and Ground Raw Mango with a Sweet Tamarind Chutney and Cucumber. 

This was a small portion but I guess with 8 courses, they can't fill you up straight away! But, it was very flavoursome. I don't know how they manage to make something small have SO much flavour and the tamarind chutney was so tasty, that was the star of this dish.

Next up was, Soft Shell Crab dipped in Ajwain and Kashmiri Chilli Batter, a Devonshire Crab, Green Pea and Potato Cake with a Tomato and Sour Raw Mango Chutney. 

This again, was packed full of flavour and looked so beautiful on the plate. The edible flower gave it some colour and I thought it was a lovely added touch. The batter on the soft shell crab was so light but crispy and the chilli wasn't overpowering. The Crab and Potato Cake was delicious and the added sour raw mayo chutney was something I had never tried before but it was the perfect blend of sour and tangy and complimented the crab perfectly.

Our next starter was, Tandoori King Prawn marinated in Mustard Tumeric and Lemon, served with Grapefruit, Orange and Fennel. 

The presentation was beautiful and I loved the colours against the black plate. The prawn was cooked perfectly and I was unsure how the flavours would work together but the sharpness of the grapefruit actually really worked well with the fish taste and the marinade was subtle but packed full of flavour. 


The main fish course was Fried Seabass Fillet, on slow cooked Aubergine Spiced with Tumeric and Green Chilli, with a Fenugreek, Coconut and Tamarind Sauce. 

Again, beautifully presented. The seabass was cooked to perfection, with the skin crispy and the fish flaky. The aubergine was cut so thin and then spiced in a way that wasn't overpowering but was full of flavour. I usually don't like a lot of coconut milk but Lasan manage to add flavours in subtly, which shows the chefs are very talented. The sauce was beautiful! The waiters drizzle the sauce on once they have served your course, but luckily they leave you a container with the remaining sauce in, it was too delicious not to have anymore!

Our next course wasn't actually on the tasting menu but as neither of us like mutton, the waiters lovingly swapped a dish for us. So instead of the mutton we had Kukkar Makhani which was a spiced chicken breast marinated with different Indian spices. This was so tasty and the chicken was so tender and soft. It was cooked to perfection. 


The final savoury course was Slow Stewed Venison Haunch and Roasted Loin, Curried Pumpkin Pureé, Shallots, Wilted Chard and Okra with a Mughlai Style Pickling Gravy.

This again, was presented so beautifully. The venison was cooked so well, pink and tender. In the mini pot was the slow stewed venison which was packed full of flavour and I loved how it was served on the plate. The whilted chard and okra was one of my favourite parts of this and complimented the whole dish really well. And WOW the pumpkin puree, you would never think to put pumpkin with all these flavours but it worked, and it worked well. The dish was served with mushroom rice and garlic & coriander naan bread.

Desert and the last dish of the evening was Bombay Mess which is, Mango Mousee, Raspberry Sorbet, Berries, Mango, Meringue with a hint of Cardamom and Thai Basil. 

Again, the presentation was outstanding - almost looked too good to eat, definitely not a mess! This was a lovely way to end the meal, all the flavours were very fresh tasting, helping to cleanse the pallet. It was crushed meringue, sorbet, so many different berries, slices of mango all with hints of cardamon and spices. Stunning desert and I could've eaten two to myself!

I can say, I did enjoy every part of this tasting menu - many thanks to the team at Lasan for changing one dish for us too, really appreciated that. It's not cheap at £49.99 a head but then again where else could you get 8 courses for that price? The portions are small but packed full of flavour and I can't fault the effort the chefs and team put in to create this exquisite,  unique and beautiful menu. 

Disclosure: I was invited to Lasan to try their food complimentary. As always all opinions are honest and my own.