Késarum Indian Restaurant — Restaurant in Southampton

Wow! I took a journey out of my comfort zone and experienced a taste sensation.

I looked at the menu and felt disappointed that there was nothing familiar nor anything I really fancied trying. I considered getting up and going somewhere else, but I decided it was my birthday and I was going to just immerse myself in the experience that is Kesarum.

We had the nibbles to start. I didn't think I would like either, but I loved both and could happily nibble on them all day. The mini masala appalam 'cornetto' was a taste sensation. The savoury of the cone the sweetness of the perfectly crisp ripe fruit was divine and I am not usually keen on the sweet and savoury being mixed. The chakradhara were crunchy and subtly flavoured. They reminded me of poppadoms in flavour, but without all the oil. We had another helping of these between our main course and dessert. Honestly I could happily have munched on the whole jar all evening.

For main my husband had the 'paneer' chettinadu and I had the 'lamb' chattinadu. Again, Wow! I don't even know where to begin. It was beautifully put together in a way that wouldn't look out of place in a Michelin starred restaurant. My photos really don't do it justice. The textures and flavours were just fantastic. The 'lamb' was the best lamb I have ever had. My brain questioned whether what I was eating was even vegan it was so reminiscent of food from my omni years. All the elements complimented each other perfectly. The paneer was equally good. We tried each others food, so I can say I would not hesitate to order either dish again. In fact I was tempted to order a second helping.

Now what I will say is that if you dine here, be prepared to wait for your food, be prepared to wait between courses. This is a small team of three; two brilliant and talented chefs and one super friendly, kind, informative and polite front of house. If you are in a hurry go somewhere else, but honestly that would be your loss.

We had the second portion of chakradhara between courses. It was also the first week of their new winter menu and quite honestly you can tell that the will only accept perfection leaving the kitchen. Which by the way you get to peer into with excitement when you visit the loo. To see two masters plate your main course is really special. They were lost in their art and almost didn't notice me eyeballing as I slowly walked by.

Anyway I digress! Back to the food!

For dessert we decided to order one of each and share both. They were both delicious, but we both agreed that the ragi brownie beat the Paniyaram in the race for best dessert. Both were really good with a tart element to cut through the remaining decadent sweetness I desire in a dessert.

I feel I could wax lyrical about my Kesarum experience for hours. These three people think outside the box and have reinvented authentic historic Indian cuisine worthy of at least one Michelin star.

A taste sensation that was a treat for the taste buds. I am so glad that I took a leap of faith and let the food educate my pallet because it really was a phenomenal fine...

I have never tasted food so beautiful or flavourful. Everything was presented beautifully, every mouthful was full of flavour and each dish was balanced beautifully- for example fried foods were never too oily, several flavours of warming spice and sweetness and sharpness would combine, even in desserts- for example there was a lime sauce with the brownie that added a layer of tartness against the chocolate. The drinks were beautiful, tasted rich and sweet and full bodied and my after dinner whiskey was even imbued with smoke which was a great experience for the eyes and the taste buds. The venue is charming and classy and the staff (mainly the host/waiter/bartender we spoke to) were friendly, professional and attentive. Worth every penny! We're already planning visits back whilst the 2022-2023 winter menu is available.

Ps. Spice wise if you can handle Kimchi or Siracha you will be fine. The spiciest thing we had was the jackfruit side but the dish it came with was well balanced. The spice also purely enhances the other flavours at play and there are options for cooling side dishes if you need. I'm a spice fan and my Husband's level of spice is cucumber, and we both thoroughly enjoyed our dishes.

The place is also fine dining so whilst we walked away satiated you don't necessarily feel stuffed. If you have a larger appetite or are very hungry from the day I'd suggest you get a side of rice, but that shouldn't put you off ordering. I had a 'lamb' curry and it came with rice and bread and filled me up, and my Husband had the Mangaloru Sanna (pic) which is beautiful but he felt he needed a little more.

If you have ever been to the Wild Food Café in Covent Garden, London or The Jetty, Southampton this is a similar style in portion sizes and...

I have a cilantro allergy. In Europe they refer to it as "coriander" or "Chinese parsley" Unfortunately for someone like me, most of the dishes come with cilantro pre-mixed in which leads me to think that perhaps it isn't entirely as fresh as advertised. Im fairly sure that this restaurant is not only vegetarian but is vegan. The staff member, Moresh? Sorry I'm horrible with names. He was extremely helpful and friendly. He helped work with me and my party to fit our needs. Again my memory is terrible with names, but i do remember getting the second appetizer, and the last item listed for a main course. Each came with a wine pairing and were portioned to be individually enjoyed, but the appetizers would have done well if a party of 4 shared two of them. The main course was a little spicier than intended

I can say that i don't think i enjoyed the wine being a pairing for the most part, as the food we were eating was overpowering the wine completely. Perhaps the suggested pairings weren't full bodied enough to sufficiently taste satisfactory. The wines themselves were very good, and the food was delicious. I would love to come back and have more of each, just not with the exact two pairings i had.

I am gonna repeat that, the food was delicious. The fried cauliflower balls in the beginning were very filling and satisfying, being able to control the heat with the dusting of pepper on the plate and the peppers around them. The second course, the fried cauliflower was still good and a little crunchy, but the side of rosemary cream that we got extra of from the kitchen was AMAZING. I loved it.

Thank you guys for being flexible and for a great meal! Hope to see you in Nashville :)

Excited down to three stars.. We had food...