An Indian restaurant crawl along London’s Elizabeth Line
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
This article is part of a guide to London from FT Globetrotter
The first major phase of London’s highly anticipated Elizabeth Line opened in May, boasting wide platforms, shiny new trains and snazzy purple moquette seat covers. Recent days have seen the latest stage of its opening, including a new stop at Bond Street station, and improved connections throughout. The line runs from Shenfield in Essex and Abbey Wood in south London to Heathrow and Reading in the west in a vaguely “X”shape, putting several lesser-known areas on the map.
Although it was at one point the largest transport engineering project in Europe and has taken more than a decade and billions of pounds to complete, my first thoughts about the Elizabeth Line were not about infrastructure development and taxes. As soon as I looked at the map of all the stations, I realised that it seems tailor-made for an Indian restaurant crawl.
There are small, homely, inexpensive venues that serve Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Gujarati, Kerala and Tamil communities in Romford, Ilford, Manor Park, Forest Gate and Whitechapel in east London, and Punjabis in West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall and Slough in the west. Many have settled in these areas since the early and mid 20th century.
Restaurants in central London are a different beast altogether: a combination of mid-price contemporary and ambitious high-end Modern Indian venues, targeting affluent tourists, trendy young professionals and multimillionaires who divide their time between Mumbai and Mayfair. So the Elizabeth Line offers a perfect snapshot of London’s diverse Indian dining scene. These are some of the highlights, from east to west, all nearby or at most a 15 minute walk from an Elizabeth Line stop.
Mumbai 7 (Seven Kings station)
118 Aldborough Road South, Seven Kings, London IG3 8EZ
Good for: Speciality Mumbai dishes and theatrical food presentation
Not so good for: Those who want alcoholic drinks as they don’t serve any
FYI: London restaurants with “Mumbai” or “Bombay” in their name rarely serve food from that city, but this one is a genuine exception
About 12 minutes’ walk from Seven Kings station via a quiet residential side street, this unique new restaurant is an astonishing find. Its name refers to the seven islands that made up Bombay during the colonial era, and it’s owned by an enthusiastic young Muslim who set it up as a tribute to his father’s hometown. The stylish, moodily lit, two-room venue serves the kind of dishes found in ambitious restaurants in present-day Mumbai: chaats presented theatrically over dry ice with movie-like special effects, and “inside out” samosas in ice cream cones. All menu items are a nod to the city’s most famous dishes, their names referencing locations and vendors renowned for cooking them.
From a chatty menu sprinkled with in-jokes and colloquial expressions, try the prawns cooked in the style of Mumbai’s Koliwada community of fishermen, and the toll-naka dal fry: yellow split pigeon peas, chana dal and moong dal with mini pakoras floating on top. And that dramatic chaat? It’s a not-to-be-missed extravaganza of three street-food snacks made from crisp puris, potatoes, yoghurt, chutneys and fine sev that’s a riot of savoury, tangy, sweet, soft and crunchy.
There’s a glossy non-alcoholic mocktail bar that’s a huge hit with local Muslim diners — do give the gorgeous, freshly made fruit-and-ice-filled drinks a try.
Apni Rosoi (Ilford station)
155 Cranbrook Road, cranbrook, London IG1 4TA
Good for: Great-value traditional Punjabi food
Not so good for: A quiet meal — be prepared to banter with the talkative owner
FYI: Although the restaurant officially opens at 4pm from Tuesday to Sunday, the opening times can be somewhat leisurely, so don’t get there on the dot
The history of this cosy Punjabi venue — conveniently located five minutes’ walk from Ilford station — broadly mimics that of many of London’s first Indian restaurants. The no-frills café started out as a fish and chip shop, before the owner added curries to the menu, eventually turning it fully Indian to reflect the changing local demographic. That owner (somewhat reticent to give us his name) is something of a character — a chatty Punjabi Cockney geezer who rapidly fires off pearls of wisdom about topics ranging from the changing face of the neighbourhood (his main customer base) to 1960s Bollywood movies without drawing a breath.
There’s a shortish menu of homely curries, such as the classic chickpea that comes with thick, fluffy deep-fried flatbreads; and moreish snacks like earthy, green chilli-accented cassava kababs. Both of these are worth ordering, especially the kababs, which I haven’t seen anywhere else in London and could be the chef’s own creation. In winter, you’ll find the classic seasonal Punjabi speciality of mustard-greens curry served alongside maize-flour flatbreads — a firm childhood favourite of North Indians all over the world.
Chai Ki (Canary Wharf station)
Crossrail Place, London E14 5AR
Good for: Cocktails, snacks, small plates and sharing platters
Not so good for: Thali-like large meals — they’re not really the point of the place
FYI: Entrance to the “secret” roof garden on Level 1 of Crossrail Place is via lifts located between Notes Coffee Roasters and Sticks ‘n’ Sushi just before Chai Ki
If there’s any restaurant in London with a strong association to the Elizabeth Line, it’s this brightly lit, contemporary café with wooden furniture, potted plants and a bar area to one side. (Its name curiously translates as “Of Tea”, perhaps referring to it being a sibling of Roti Chai — “Flatbreads and Tea” — near Marble Arch). It’s a few seconds’ walk from the Elizabeth Line exit (separate from Canary Wharf station’s main exit), and its Crossrail Place address is a reminder that the Elizabeth Line originally started as Crossrail.
Delicious on-trend small plates include saffron-bright jackfruit biryani with pieces of pulled pork-like layered fruit that’s become a popular meat substitute, with black raisins and fried onions; grilled aubergines in satay-like Hyderabadi peanut sauce called salan that’s very fashionable in London right now; vibrant hot and sour samosa chaat with tamarind chutney, chickpeas and pomegranate seeds; masala fries with a light sprinkling of podi (also known as “gunpowder spices” — another modish ingredient); and chicken simmered with pickling spices. Malai cheesecake startles with the light, fresh simplicity of its clotted cream topping.
Don’t miss the lovely roof garden at the top of Crossrail Place, filled with ferns and banana trees (and punctuated with information posters about the Elizabeth Line’s key stations).
Fatt Pundit (Tottenham Court Road station)
6 Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7NA
Good for: Contemporary Indian-Chinese dishes
Not so good for: Traditional Indian or traditional Chinese
FYI: Chinese is India’s number one most popular foreign cuisine, and Indian-Chinese is an Indian take on dishes introduced by Chinese immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries
If you’re looking for mildly spiced dishes — or keen to discover Kolkata’s hugely popular Indian-Chinese tradition — this trendy branch of Soho’s original, about 15 minutes’ walk from Tottenham Court Road station, is a great place to start. It’s a small, narrow place constantly abuzz with the chatter of young Indian and non-Indian professionals.
Steaming-hot, prettily crimped beef and vegetable momos served in bamboo baskets, crispy okra stir-fried with garlic and dried red chillies, crunchy chicken lollipops, chilli paneer piled up on lettuce leaves and vegetable Hakka noodles are perked up with a range of sprightly chutneys and sauces. Don’t miss the ledikeni: lozenges of saffron and cardamom-infused, gulab jamun-like mithai made from paneer and semolina, said to be named after Lady Canning, a British artist and the first vicereine of India.
BiBi (Bond Street station)
42 North Audley Street, London W1K 6ZP
Good for: Experiencing one of the best Indian meals in town
Not so good for: Spontaneous dining; advance booking is essential (though bar stools — more suitable for a quick bite — are more easily available)
FYI: Dinner is a choice of £75 or £105 multi-course tasting menus (regular, vegetarian or pescatarian); à la carte is only available for lunch
Chef Chet Sharma’s smart, glossy Modern Indian, named for his grandmothers, about ten minutes’ walk from Bond Street station, is a must-visit. It opened during the pandemic, around the same time as a dozen other Modern Indian restaurants — but immediately stood out, subsequently winning awards and accolades. The reason for its success is that it marries the intensity of bright, strong flavours, a range of complex techniques and attention to detail with a light-hearted playfulness.
Nashpati bhel is a clever take on a tamarind-laced street-food classic, its assertive heat cooled down with ice crystals of accompanying pear granita. A slim slab of fresh paneer on black truffle purée is garnished with a mosaic of green chillies and onions. These are currently two of London’s most famous dishes, but simpler fare such as galouti kabab rolled up in a thin roti with green chutney and tart red onions are also delicious and fun to eat.
Laguna (West Ealing station)
123 Uxbridge Road, London W13 9BD
Good for: Traditional north Indian food
Not so good for: A quiet meal
FYI: It’s one of few venues that serve Indian afternoon tea in London
About 15 minutes’ walk from West Ealing station, Laguna is a long-established brand hugely popular with Punjabi and Sikh communities as a catering company and events space. There’s a slick restaurant on site buzzing with a mixed crowd of locals; in the events room, large family gatherings of sparkling shalwar kameez-clad women and men in brightly coloured turbans can sometimes be seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
A large menu of classic and contemporary north Indian fare includes chicken curry with black pepper, prawns with spinach, aubergines sautéed very simply with garlic, mushrooms in rich tomato-onion gravy, and cardamom-scented dal makhani that’s one of the most delicious in London. Also worth lingering over are leisurely Sunday buffets and afternoon teas.
Takaa Tak (Hayes & Harlington station)
StayCity Highpoint Village, Station Approach, Hayes, London UB3 4FL
Good for: Old-school curries
Not so good for: Anything too experimental or innovative
FYI: This is one of the Indian restaurants located closest to an Elizabeth Line station
Part of a Staycity serviced apartment hotel, this Punjabi venue is just outside Hayes & Harlington station, located on the first floor with outside seating on a spacious terrace. Inside is a mish-mash of industrial warehouse and corporate-chic looks, livened up with prettily painted stone tiles. The name Takaa Tak comes from a curry named after the sound a ladle makes against the insides of a pan when ingredients are stir-fried.
Stick to old-school “curry house” classics, which are done very well here, including railway mutton curry, bhindi do pyaza, dal makhani, aloo kulcha and even pulao with some of the grains coloured bright orange, like in Indian restaurants up until the 1990s. The venue isn’t just for people staying at the hotel; local Punjabi and Sikh families also come here to celebrate birthdays.
House of Flavours (Reading station)
32-36 King’s Road, Reading RG1 3AA
Good for: Well-executed pan-Indian dishes
Not so good for: Indecisive diners — the menu is enormous
FYI: It’s worth booking a long weekend in Reading to discover the town’s high-quality Indian restaurants
Walk past Reading’s beautiful Abbey Quarter, which houses a library and a medieval church, and in less than 10 minutes you’ll find an impressively varied concentration of fine Indian restaurants in and around King’s Road. This spacious venue is lively with smartly dressed locals, who come here to enjoy the vast eclectic menu of delicious regional dishes served on spice chest-like glass-topped tables filled with individual spices.
Try rarely seen Scottish salmon curry, lobster perked up with Bengali five spices, fresh fenugreek leaves strewn with grated paneer and Hyderabadi baby aubergines cooked with a spicy and tangy sauce flavoured with mustard seeds and curry leaves. There are also vegetable kababs that look a bit mundane, but are spiced vigorously enough to wake up the taste buds.
Which Indian restaurants on the Elizabeth Line would you recommend? Share them in the comments
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