Review: Grilled by Ajay Kumar brings new heat to Glasgow

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

Or perhaps you'd be familiar with him from dining at the 2 AA Rosette-awarded restaurant, Swadish by Ajay Kumar, a few minutes down the road.
Even without the ability to put a name to the face, the way he mingles confidently with a trio of customers outside while wearing a suave, black chef's jacket leaves little room for doubt.
This guy is running the show, and proud of it.
Pictured: Grilled by Ajay Kumar on West Regent Street in Glasgow (Image: Newsquest)
Inside, the space hasn't changed all that much from its previous incarnation as Meat Bar, with the exposed brick walls, wooden beams and sets of orange leather booths wrapped around a large bar area.
It suits the contemporary flair of Kumar's Indian dishes, letting the aroma of spice and the sizzling sounds emanating from the kitchen assure you that this is different from the other basement bars and restaurants that occupy similar units in town, rather than relying on decor.
Midweek, there are just a few other tables occupied tonight, but that's having little impact on the relaxed vibe at Grilled. The booths add an element of privacy, and I reckon it's the kind of place you could easily nip in for a solo meal without feeling awkward.
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Orders in, a pale rosé wine (£7.50) and pint of Cobra (£5.50) poured, and the nuggets of prawn koliwada (£12) are a promising start, coated in crisp, spiced batter and served with glorious tamarind and jaggery aioli that has a well-measured touch of sweetness.
Pictured: A small plate of Prawn Koliwada (Image: Newsquest) A vada pav slider (£6) takes a more refined approach to the Indian street food staple, with a deep-fried potato dumpling popped into a mini brioche bun. A fresh coriander and mint relish has lost its way a little among such dense, doughy carbs, but it's a fun veggie-friendly starter.
Pictured: Vada pav slider with brioche bun, garlic chutney, and fresh coriander-mint relish (Image: Newsquest)
Reneging on our decision to skip the poppadoms (£5) at the very last minute was the right move. The table would feel naked without them, and bites of wafer-thin crisp topped with sweet, pickled carrot, mango chutney, and spiced onions tie one course to the next as starter plates are cleared and replaced with the main event.
Pictured: Poppadoms with spiced onion, mango chutney and pickled carrots (Image: Newsquest)
A bold testament to Kumar's vision for his new restaurant, there's an entire menu section dedicated to meat skewers in various spice mixes and marinades cooked over a searing hot grill. They are made to order and served as they're ready.
With our choice of tandoori chicken tikka with mint chutney (£14), there's no faulting the chef's pitch-perfect blend of seasoning that clings to generously sized chunks of chicken.
Pictured: Charred tandoori chicken tikka with mint chutney from the 'Taste the Grill' menu section (Image: Newsquest)
But where is that whack of charred flavour and extra texture I'd expected the much lauded grill to bring to the party?
There's a hint of it right on the edges of the skewer, where flame has been allowed to lick at the meat and marinade until it takes on a new dimension of smoky goodness, but ultimately, this dish is just a few seconds of cooking short of the rustic, BBQ-like experience promised.
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Ordered out of sheer curiosity, a small silver pot of grilled fermented hot chilli and garlic chutney (£1) looks deadly, but in measured doses, adds an invigorating, bitter punch to forkfuls of grilled chicken.
It also leads to some dinnertime entertainment, as my partner slowly turns darker shades of red after spooning an ambitious amount of the potent dip onto his final bite of poppadom.
Unless you've got a real penchant for spice, less is more with this fiery little side dish.
Pictured: Grilled duck leg vindaloo (Image: Newsquest)
I'm a fan of Kumar's Swadish restaurant, so elsewhere a curry from his new menu feels like a safe bet. The duck leg with Portuguese-style vindaloo (£16) is just that, with tender dark meat (also cooked on the grill), a perfect partner for warm spice and bursts of sweetness from plump golden raisins.
Though I fear Gaz may have singed his taste buds to the point of no return, we end the evening with desserts of Gulab Jamun (£6) and charcoal kulfi pavlova (£7).
Pictured: Charcoal kulfi pavlova with meringue nest, mango and mint coulis and 'ash soil' (Image: Newsquest)
A Mars Bar-esque block of kulfi in a vivid shade of green with contrasting stripes of mango and mint coulis and ash soil is a lot to process visually.
There's no need to dress up the Gulab Jamun, however, as these deep-fried doughballs swimming in a sticky spiced syrup are plenty tempting with the simple addition of thin grilled pineapple slices. Sugary, comforting and a worthy end to the meal.
Pictured: Gulab Jamun with grilled pineapple and spiced caramel (Image: Newsquest)
It's very early days for Grilled by Ajay Kumar, but in his latest venture, the chef has brought new energy to an area of the city centre that was crying out for something different.
With just a little more firepower, this place could be smoking hot.
Menu: A mix of small plates and curries ranging from whole sea bream in tandoori marinade to rogan josh blackened lamb chops. An entire section of the menu is dedicated to meat cooked on the grill. 4/5
Service: Staff keep themselves busy behind the bar, but are attentive and efficient. 3/5
Atmosphere: This basement space feels intimate despite its size, with booths adding an extra element of privacy. Midweek, it's quiet.3/5
Price:. Small plates range from £5 to £12, while the most expensive curry on the menu will set you back £22. Grilled skewers are priced between £12 and £16. 4/5
Food: Prawn Koliwada and duck leg vindaloo are excellent, but I want more from the all-important grill. 7/10
Total: 21/30
Grilled by Ajay Kumar is located at 142 West Regent Street in Glasgow.