Pounding Heart in Esher celebrates the flavours of Asian cuisine in a warm, welcoming, vibrant and fun environment.
From our recent review we would give them a ten out of ten… easily.
The food, drink, service, ambience and décor at Pounding Heart really blew us away.
We were already excited to visit the restaurant as it had just received a nod at the Surrey Awards in the ‘Best Pan-Asian Restaurant’ category. “This was an understatement! This was by far the best pan-Asian cuisine we’d had in the whole of the UK and even during one of our testers’ recent trips to Asia (that‘s saying something!)
CHINESE CUISINE
The menu is wide and varied and has something for everyone from classics such as Aromatic Crispy Duck with Pancakes, Chicken Chow Mein and Sesame Prawn Toast.
On the recommendation of Pounding Heart’s charismatic owner Ajay, we opted for several of the sharing dishes on the Chinese section of the menu to start.
We had ‘Salt & Pepper King Prawns’ which were to die for. The king prawns were huge and cooked perfectly with a dusting of salt and pepper.
The ‘Shredded Chicken Style’ was bursting with flavour and contained lashings of onions, spring onions, peppers and chilli. A healthy and light dish.
The ‘Vegetable Spring Rolls’ were delicious too. You could tell all the produce was fresh and made that day – and the veg cooked perfectly al dente with a crispy coating. The Sweet Chilli dipping sauce made for the perfect accompaniment.
The Satay Chicken was another firm favourite with our testers. It was presented beautifully with large, succulent chicken breast chunks mounted on 4 skewers and drizzled in the most delicious sweet, peanut sauce. This was also served with a side salad and extra satay for dipping.
We also went for the ‘Japanese style Gyoza’s’ which were juicy and mouth-wateringly good. You can get dumplings/gyozas at Pounding Heart, filled with either Chicken, Pork or Vegetable and they come with cabbage, Chinese chives, ginger, and garlic – a perfect taste explosion.
INDIAN CUISINE
There was again lots of choice on the Indian section of the menu including
India’s famous Chaat (street food) which dates back to the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan, with its aromatic spices and tangy sauces; Chaat brings together the diverse flavours of India and is great for sharing.
We opted for the ‘Authentic Chicken Tikka’ which was served on a sizzling hot plate and contained boneless chicken breast pieces, marinated in spiced yogurt. The chicken was deliciously spiced, tender and cooked to perfection. All our tasters agreed this was a standout dish on the menu.
We also went for ‘Butter Chicken’, a house specialty-chicken tikka in a rich tomato butter sauce with a hint of fenugreek – giving it a slight spicy kick but not too overbearing for those that prefer milder curries. These were served with freshly cooked naan bread, boiled rice and Gunpowder Potatoes.
Unfortunately, after all this we were getting rather full after these 7 plentiful dishes but we were so tempted by the look of the ‘Rajasthani Lamb Chops’ and ‘Lucknowi Lamb Biriyani’ that we have booked in to come and try some more of the award-winning and diverse menu next month!
TO DRINK
Pounding Heart is known for its delicious and wide-ranging cocktail menu with classics such as Negronis, Daiquiris and Cosmopolitans as well as interesting in-house mixology creations such as the Spiced Porn Star Martini (with Jalapeno syrup), Rhubarb & Strawberry Gin Collins Fizz and Bubba Spritz which contains Absolut Vodka, Bubble Gum Syrup and Lime Juice topped with Prosecco – so deliciously light and refreshing.
All the cocktails at Pounding Heart are reasonably priced around the £10.50 mark. Although if you fancy coming in for a pre-dinner drink the venue runs happy hour from 5pm-7pm at the weekend where you can get 2 cocktails for £12. And from midweek nights Tuesday to Thursdays this is extended from 5pm- 9pm.
The wine and champagne list is extensive at Pounding Heart too, with 15 offerings including 7 Fires Malbec, Blass Chardonnay, Whispering Angel and Laurent Perrier Rose among the other top sommelier picks.
TO DANCE
As well as serving the best food and drinks, Pounding Heart plays host to the best in Surrey DJ’s on Friday and Saturday nights for those that like to dance off their dinner! Friday nights sees purveyors of house music such as DJ Paul Linney and DJ Fifi Forte come together to present ‘So Deep’ while Saturday nights sees the best in local R&B DJ’s fire up the dance floor.
Pounding Heart also offer Bottomless Brunches and themed parties. Stay tuned to Surrey Rocks calendar pages for more details on their upcoming events.
IN SUMMARY
Pounding Heart surpassed our tasters’ expectations and we will definitely be back soon for more top notch pan-Asian cuisine. As well as their superb gastronomy offering; Pounding Heart is a fun, lively venue and a great place to meet and mingle with a fun and welcoming crowd. As their slogan goes “Arrive as guests and leave as friends.” We couldn’t agree more.
CONTACT
Pounding Heart
110 High Street, Esher, KT10 9QJ
01372 700901
