Review: Colonel Saab's new Sunday brunch (as a gluten-free diner).

Colonel Saab's Trafalgar Square restaurant has launched a brand new luxe brunch experience, Jenna Farmer, our resident gluten-free journalist visits to put it to the test.

The capital might be full of Brunch spots, but there's always room for another in London. Now it's the turn of Colonel Saab and its Trafalgar Square restaurant (which lies just off The Strand), which has just launched a new plated brunch option.

Following the success of the original Holborn branch, which opened in 2021, Colonel Saab Trafalgar Square opened a few years later and blends traditional Indian flavours with modern culinary techniques. Colonel Saab features museum-style interiors with antique maps, rare lithographs, handcrafted artefacts, and vintage photographs, creating an immersive cultural dining experience.

Their new brunch concept is a 'plated brunch buffet,' which means within 10 minutes of arrival we were served a range of six delicious Indian street food style starters, the majority of which were gluten free.

Our dishes included crispy Zimikand & Beetroot Tikki  (a pan-fried patty made from zimikand and beetroot with a delicious chutney), Dahi Sev Puri  (a popular Mumbai street food snack consisting of small crispy pastry shells topped with yogurt, fine crunchy chickpea noodles), Bombay Vada Pao  (often called the "Indian burger"), Amritsari Fish Finger (in a spiced, chickpea batter and fried) , Dahi Bhalla Papdi Chaat (soft lentil dumplings) and Madras Chicken Cutlet . Many of the dishes were naturally gluten-free, but in the case of dishes that did contain gluten (such as Bombay Vada Pao) the waiter was quick to source an alternative to ensure that I wasn't missing out!

Zimikand & Beetroot Tikki, just one of the dishes on offer for the plated buffet starter.

Then it was on to the mains, which was kept simple by choosing from a choice of several curry dishes (such as a fish based Nadan Meen Curry or vegetarian Falhari Kofta Curry), all served with steamed rice, lentils and (for the non-gluten free diners) Roti. I opted for the Nadan Meen Curry, a tangy, sharp fish curry bursting with flavour and zing, whilst my partner opted for the Falhari Kofta Curry, a rich, spicy and aromatic dumpling-based curry.

Whilst it wasn't the focus of the review, the restaurant was very accommodating with sourcing child-friendly portions for my 7 year old too (and even cooking him chicken nuggets when the spice proved too much!)

Almost too full for words, we almost skipped the included dessert but couldn't resist trying the creamy beyond words Almond Rice pudding, which was both vegan and gluten free. Other options for included dessert were the Dark Chocolate Silk Cake with Thandai crumble, candy floss, fresh berries and a vanilla bean ice cream.

Not only was every dish in the new brunch absolutely delicious, the plated buffet means you can try an array of new street-food style Indian cuisine. Its three course option is brilliant value for central London and we know we'll return when we're next in the capital (and, perhaps, if child isn't in tow, also enjoy the excellent value of adding on bottomless wine too!)

Sunday Brunch is available every Sunday afternoon between 12-3pm at Colonel Saab Trafalgar Square. £49.95 per person (with an optional extra of £25 per person for bottomless beer, red or white wine packages). Visit: https://colonelsaab.co.uk/ to book