Coming to Newport Coast: Tamarind of London

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The British are coming. The British are coming. And they're bringing Indian food. Tamarind, a Michelin-starred London restaurant that also got kudos from none other than Gordon Ramsay, is opening at Crystal Cove Promenade in Newport Coast. In the Irvine Co. press release that even this blogger received, its landlords stated that the restaurant is slated to debut this summer.

It replaces Rich Mead's Sage on the Coast. The plaza, as you may already know, is home to high-priced eateries such as Mastro's Ocean Club, Bluefin and, yes, Javier's.

And from the looks of how the cuisine is presented at the London restaurant, this sister location will do single-plated meals, garnished to be photogenic, not apt for family-style sharing. The roster does seem impressive. The focus is on Moghul cuisine of North West India, which relies on the use of the tandoor oven.

There will be, of course, every Brit's favorite, "Britain's true national dish," chicken tikka, whose origins, some theorize, came from Glasgow, but there will also be a grilled portobello-mushroom naan burger, "a marinated portobello mushroom topped with sundried tomatoes, leeks and fresh oregano, goat cheese, grilled zucchini, and oven roasted tomato," and Tali Macchi, "a pan-fried fillet of sea bass with asparagus and raw mango on a sauce of tomato with mustard, curry leaves and coconut."