Ambassadors Clubhouse, London W1: ‘A restaurant that wants to lead you astray’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

I tried to refuse dessert, but the staff would hear none of it

Ambassadors Clubhouse is now open, with its knowingly ostentatious title, lavishly anti-minimalist decor and swanky, off-Regent Street location – if you ever wept at the door of Momo in the 1990s after being told your name’s not down, you’re not coming in, but Kate and Naomi are, now is your chance. Ambassadors Clubhouse is the newest Indian venture from JKS, the people behind Gymkhana and many more: BiBi, Trishna and Brigadiers, among many others. It’s no exaggeration to say that London would have a very different dining landscape without siblings Jyotin, Karam and Sunaina Sethi, so if anyone can make a go of the former Momo site, with its capacious dining room, outdoor terrace, private dining rooms and underground nightclub, it is JKS.

This is a site that demands full commitment to making each nook and cranny matter, otherwise, it is essentially a dark, creaky rabbit warren. Luckily, the Sethis’ grandfather actually was an Indian ambassador, stationed across the world, but with a summer party mansion in Dalhousie, formerly part of the historic Punjab, by which this paean to grandness, cocktails and snacking is inspired. This is a restaurant that seemingly wants to lead you astray, with three types of margaritas, one of which you can buy by the 1½-litre bottle for £200. There are shots with names like “Bad Chaat” and “Old Monk Café XO”; a “Patiala Peg” is served tableside with ceremony, along with an accompanying legend about the Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh who invented it.

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