Paro Restaurant – Review

Last Updated on December 9, 2023

Restaurateur, Niaz Caan, is not one to rest on his laurels. Earlier this year he published his first cookbook which I was able to review after enjoying lunch at his award-winning restaurant in Brick Lane, City Spice. Now Caan has opened a second eatery located in the heart of Covent Garden. Billed as Calcutta’s love affair, the menu presents a modern take on Indian cuisine. Housed in the prestigious Lyceum Theatre, home to the ever-popular Lion King musical, Paro is perfectly placed to offer pre-theatre or post-theatre dining.

As we arrived for an early dinner sitting, there were several announcements over the theatre tannoy informing ticket holders how much time they had left to take their seats. For those who have come exclusively to dine, Paro has its own sense of theatre with décor that is strikingly photogenic. These are the sort of visuals popular on social media on which platforms the restaurant has been making a splash. This approach is actively encouraged with a message on the menu informing diners that if they show their TikTok or Reel of the experience to staff when the bill is presented, they will get a 10% discount. One enters the restaurant through its bar area with a mural of a Bengal tiger before walking through a short passage with a similar mural. The restaurant is a sizeable space with some 120 covers. A few Greek columns are a bit of an anomaly amidst the décor but I assume these were inherited with the site. Exposed pipework, painted white, along with filament bulbs provide a contemporary touch amidst a ceiling decorated with a hanging garden of wisteria. Architectural plants break up the space into more intimate seating areas.

Paro’s menu is a modern interpretation of the flavour from the region of West Bengal. Dishes are coded as traditional Calcutta cuisine or Anglo-Indian. One can approach the menu in several ways. There is a tempting selection of sharing plates and a few of these would make a filling meal. I can never resist a samosa (here there are lamb or vegetable options) and I was intrigued by potato chops – fried, breaded egg potato balls spiced with Paro’s blend and served with Paro sauce. Then there are onion bhajis – another item very hard to resist – and a uniquely named Toddy Shop tiger prawns.

A second option is to order a thali – a silver tray filled with a selection of small pots of delightful food. At Paro, you can choose between a vegetable of meat thali which includes lamb Rogan, butter chicken and Bengali daal as well as basmati rice, naan and relishes. Also tempting is the tandoori grill which includes curry, tandoori chicken, lamb tikka, chicken tikka and paneer tikka. No one goes hungry at Paro.

Alternatively, the traditional three-course approach can be adopted. The menu has a tempting choice of meat and poultry dishes including Rogan lamb, Gunpowder lamb (mince with tamarind potatoes) and lamb shank, chops and kebab. Bang Bang crispy cheese meatballs are poppadum flowers with Calcutta spiced lamb meatballs in a honey-mustard sauce with grilled fluffy Indian cheese. This is the sort of dish that Caan excels in – introducing traditional spicing and flavours into new forms. All the chicken favourites are on the menu – chicken curry, butter chicken and chicken korma. Dum dum chicken is pan-fried tandoori chicken pieces in a spicy cream sauce with pudina chutney. The ever-popular chicken biriyani is available to share between two diners.  Pescatarians will find prawns three ways as well as a seabass malai. Vegetarians are well catered for with a couple of paneer dishes, vegetable curry and stir fry, kofta, chat and Bally black dhal, slow-cooked for 48 hours. While Spice City has an entire vegan menu, there is less on offer at Paro. There are four vegan dishes – vegan ‘chicken’, a stir fry, a curry and mango chickpea chat on the menu.

Paro’s wine list has around a dozen reds and whites with the house wines at £16 a bottle ranging up to £68 for a Chablis. A bottle for every price point. There is also a small selection of cocktails. We did not try any of these, but my husband enjoyed a Kingfisher beer while I chose my all-time favourite when in Indian restaurants, a thick mango lassi.

As a starter, we ordered a couple of sharing plates – a very good lamb samosa and a cottage cheese roll which was akin to a cigar-shaped, Indian spanakopita albeit with a thicker pastry. Along with a basket of poppadum and relishes, I found the starters to be very filling.

For the main course, my husband chose the lamb shank which is one of Paro’s flagship dishes. It was entirely delicious. Slow-roasted, it is fragrant and complexly flavoured with Paro’s 48 spice mix, chilli flakes, charred garlic and coriander. As tender as can be, the meat was luxuriating in a thick tomato-based sauce, the sweet flavour of the tomatoes rising through the spicy overtones.

I chose another traditional Calcutta dish, Kalibabu king prawn curry. It was described as very spicy but I found it to be moderately so. The prawns were large, tender and sweet and came in a fragrant sauce containing Paro’s 48 spice mix, fenugreek, stewed tomato, chillies, mustard, stir-fried onions and peppers. We had a couple of sides – a small bowl of pilau rice and a Peshwari naan.

Both main courses were very generous in size – I thought each dish was sufficient for two people –  and I ended up taking home half of my prawn dish which my husband enjoyed for lunch the following day. Speaking to Caan I mentioned the size of the portions and he told me that this is intentional. He said that Central London is not known for generous portions and he had set out to do something different in this regard. I found the dishes very well priced for Central London which is no doubt intentional too.

We did not venture as far as the dessert menu on which there are four options. Vegans can enjoy chocolate brownies with ice cream while the other more traditional offerings include gulab jamun, mango kulfi or barfi and pistachio dust.

Service was warm and friendly, the staff was happy to discuss the dishes and to make appropriate suggestions which I always appreciate. The food was well-paced, and the atmosphere was relaxed.

Being located in the heart of theatreland, Paro makes a great venue for pre- or post-theatre dining. A pre-theatre menu is available daily from 11.45 am to 6.30 pm and offers a choice of 5 starters and 8 main courses. Two courses cost £19 while three cost £22. This is very good value for central London. Paro is open daily from 11.45 am – 11 pm except for Mondays and Tuesdays when it opens from 3 pm – 11 pm.

Paro at the Lyceum Theatre,21 Wellington Street,Covent GardenWC2E 7DN

Looking for something different?  We also recommend Notto Covent Garden for excellent Italian pasta dishes at sensible prices