Cinnamon

Welcome to nouvelle Indian cuisine on the grand scale in this brilliant new restaurant where contemporary meets traditional within a smart sophisticated setting in the Granite City, offering cuisine that extracts the best from both with clear evidence of time, dedication and care taken in creating dishes for a menu which changes monthly and retains the interest of an increasing number of loyal and satisfied customers. Khalis Miah and his team have established a landmark restaurant in this prosperous city by the sheer integrity of the whole operation, visible from the moment you enter, and which lasts through the lingering memories of a satisfying and happy occasion.

Cinnamon opened in June 2005, and from the very outset became notable for its wide approach to ingredients and choice of dishes. Within four months of opening they had been awarded Aberdeen City restaurant of the Year. Originating from a country that has such an enormous coastline it is always a source of dismay to me that in general terms Indian cooking does not take enough advantage in Britain of the wide availability of high quality seafood, but that is certainly not the case at Cinnamon where the fruits of the sea are all over the menu.

Prices are cleverly thought through in such a way that the extent of every pocket is taken into account, ranging from the whole lamb leg, or whole duck through summer island prawns to more modest golden oldies such as rogan josh.

Small bites and appetisers include the popular hara thika kebab, a lamb and chicken tika tandoori first tossed with lemon and lime then charcoal roasted and finished in the pan with green chillies, offering a distinct mint flavour. A haddock kebab is marinated in yoghurt, sesame oil and lime juice with lemon grass. One of the most popular street snacks in Bombay is bataada wada, mashed potatoes mixed with subtle spices, shallow fried in batter - save the air fare and taste it at Cinnamon.

The extent of the cuisine, particularly to someone like myself who just loves Indian cuisine, is outstanding. Let's take some of their 'seafood experiments' (do I detect a note of the Heston Blumenthals - actually no!), starting with Kalti metti prawns, tiger prawns blended with South Indian spices dressed with lemon and honey, or Malabar fish curry, locally caught salmon marinated, then charcoaled and cooked with yoghurt malai sauce. What really caught my eye was the crab bhoona, a fairly hot dish of minced crab prepared Goan style in fresh herbs and spices with a hint of lemon grass.

Amongst their less maritime experiments is a burnt green curry, chicken tossed with burnt spinach and mixed with a rare blend of spices and herbs, or the aromatic chicken curry flavoured with garam massala and coriander, then finished with mushrooms, green peppers and onions.

Excellent value set menus with carefully thought out dishes that compliment each other, for a minimum of two people, make for good party fare. This is very much a family run restaurant, but on a scale that is well able to deal with parties of all shapes and sizes. The volume of support it receives speaks for itself.

Their attractive and easy to use Website will keep you up to the moment with that regularly changing menu. If it's not there - ask. They love a challenge.