london

October 14 2019

Fatt Pundit, London

Food, Indian, london, travel chicken tikka masala, gourmet, MICHELIN, rustic 0

Hey, Foodwala’s… another tale of the trials and escapades of Alfie Foodwala and on this occasion Shai Foodwala.

The other day I was perusing the local bookwala, and I stumbled upon a book called the Art of Flavour by Danial Paterson, I was much intrigued with this tome so I took it off the shelf, dusted it down and expectantly opened it up, the blurb in the ketab said…

“science of cooking from an olfactory and culinary perspective”

It got me thing… particularly about the past… (cue the wavey blurry thing on TV to show the past), I was on my grandfather’s plantation in the deepest darkest Punjab and we were having lunch under the trees and enjoying the gentle breeze.

I asked my grandfather why a particular food was sweet and why another food was savory, My grandfather was a very patient man and eventually, he said let’s go for a wee drive.

We got into his ancient Land Rover and we set off into the plantation, we first arrived at the mango plantation, it was harvest time and we got out and went to the first mango tree and took off the large plump perfectly ripe Sindrie mango, he cut a slice and we silently eat it, it was the sweetest mango I had tasted , my grandfather explained the different nuances in the sweetness.

Next up was the lemon grove, we did the same thing and again my grandfather explained the sour flavor, I was enthralled by his knowledge and the way he explained.

Further, into the plantation, we came across Oranges which were 12 weeks from harvest and still green, my grandfather cut a tiny slice and told me to gently lick the orange flesh with the tip of my tongue, it was the bitterest thing I have ever tasted, even more than when you accidentally bite into a paracetamol tablet!!

My young tongue was smarting from the bitterness so with a gentle chuckle he took out some salted peanuts and gave me them to offset the bitterness.

Eventually, we reached the outbuilding on the periphery of the vast estate and some of the labourers were having their lunch, my grandfather sat down at the table with his men and joined in, they were eating a humble meal of Palak Paneer with chapati, at the table my grandfather explained that the savoury taste was actually called Umami.

On that day I learned about flavour profiles just by hanging with my grandfather and spending the day on the farm and eating the most delicious, organic and natural produce.

This week we went to Fatt Pundit in Soho, who boasted the fusion of East Indian and Chinese flavours

Here we go, first up was the Crackling spinach chat, I tried this for the first time and it was delicious fresh spinach leaves, flash cooked in oil and then topped with yogurt, chat masala and pomegranate, the result was a feather-light chat with an amazing flavour profile.

To be honest I have not come across crackling spinach before so I was very pleasantly surprised.

You learn something new every day.

The chicken momo was lovely and moist and when you bit down the momo exploded with a delicious rush of chicken and its juice,

Since the Kid Goat Momo was not halal, I was reliably by Shai Foodwala that it too was sensitive, moist and delicious.

The momos were the exact opposite of the momo I tasted in Soho Wala last week.

This victorian looking contraption is where the momos are steamed.

The Chicken Kolkata was chicken shredded with copious amounts of fiery chili and garlic, the resulting flavors was amazing not too hot but hot enough, the garlic notes were prominent without leaving a bitterness.

Chinese style stir-fried King Prawns with Szechuan masalas. Again the King Prawns were cooked en point and the fiery Szechuan spices gave a nice kick, all in all wonderful.

Since West Bengal is allowed to consume beef this dish is a rarity in India, however, the beef was stirfried in cashews and chillis giving some serious Kung Po vibes, again could not fault it.

We washed all the fiery masalas down with this delicious Guava Sour Mocktail, whereas Shai Foodwala had the full-fat alcoholic version.

In Conclusion

I loved the Fatt Pundit, the food was true and fiery, the Momos were moist and the curry was flavorsome.

It definitely reminded me of the Chinese we used to have in Faislabad when we were growing up.

The service was cheerful, knowlagable and efficient.

The only downside was that it was “tapas” style sharing dishes but it was very expensive, we left with a £100 hole in the wallet.

Halal Rating

Fatt Pundit serves alcohol.

Chicken and Lamb were certified Halal by the management.

Kid Goat is not halal

October 4 2019

Soho Wala, Soho London

Indian, london, pakistani food, travel alfiefoodwala, chicken tikka masala, food, rustic, soho 0

21 Great Marlborough St, Soho,
London
W1F 7HL

Hey, Foodwala’s… Welcome to another trial and escapade of your truly, Alfie Foodwala

I was back in the big smoke of London once again with Larry Foodwala, we share many things in common, we are both restauranteurs, we love food and we love watches.

While we toured the watch houses of New Bond Street, admiring all beautiful baubles behind the armored window’s a similar window shopping story came to mind.

Cast your mind back to the bleak midwinter of 1969 and my grandfather decided it was cheaper to drive overland from Pakistan to Glasgow, so he trussed up his 1965 Mark 1 Ford Transit and set off for Glasgow with my Chacha Nasim Foodwala and Larry’s dad Anwar Foodwala, when they reached Istanbul the van broke down with a broken axle and had to be repaired, the repairs took all their spare cash and took 3 weeks to fix, as parts had to be brought in from England.

While Nasim and Anwar had plenty of time to explore they did not have money to eat more than one meal a day so they passed the time by touring the eating houses of Istiklal Caddesi peering into the steamed-up window and salivating at all the delicious street food until they were shooed away by irate owners.

It was ironic that 50 years later Larry and I were doing the same thing but instead of looking hungrily at piles of the delicious hot steamy mounds of food we were doing the same but with Rolex’s and Pateks and this time we could purchase as well as just salivate on the other side of the glass.

All this window shopping made us rather peckish and as an homage to my chacha and uncle, we decided to go to Soho Wala, who are purveyors of street food from the streets of Lahore and Bombay.

We kicked off the proceedings with steamed Chicken Momo’s, these are Nepalese steamed dumplings, stuffed with chicken and steamed in a flour shell, the momo was served in a steaming bamboo pot, however, these momos were premade and were dry and a little bit stodgy. not an auspicious start.

The Gulafi Kebab has its origins in the mountains of Anatolia and the recipe was given the Mogul Jahangir by the Turkish ruler as a peace offering, ideally the Gulafi kebab is tempered with finely chopped onions and bell peppers and the moisture then make the lamb kebab melt in the mouth, these kebabs were dry and tough, again i suspect they were premade and heated up.

The Rajasthani Lamb Laal Maas is supposed to be a deep, complex rich lamb stew, exuding fragrance and slow-cooked flavour, however, this tasted like a simple lamb curry served in curry shops the world over, so far 3 misses, things don’t look good for Soho Wala.

Next up was the delicious Keema Pao, this is a staple of the Bombay street food scene, The keema as spiced just right and the buttered brioche buns were moist, soft and delicious.

things were looking up!!

The chicken biryani was another hit, the chicken thigh pieces were soft and delicious and the biryani spices were deliciously balanced with the right amount of masalas, where no masala overpowered the other. overall the biryani was delicious and the pomegranate raita helped to add a coolness to the spices.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, Soho Wala was a hit and miss affair, the Kebab, momo’s and Laal Maas were definitely a miss however the Keema Pao and biryani wes a hit.

It could be possible the time of day we visited or Soho Wala is situated in a hotel and could be that the food coming from the central kitchen had a distance to travel and went cold and dry in the service process.

The service in Soho Wala was friendly, if not a little unsure.

Halal Rating

Soho Wala serves alcohol.

Chicken and Lamb were certified Halal by the management.

August 1 2019

GAMBA, Glasgow

finnieston, Food, london, mayfair, Provençal, travel alfiefoodwala, emirates, fish, glasgow, gourmet, MICHELIN, oysters, salmon, seafood 0

Hey, Foodwala’s…Welcome to another tale of Alfie Foodwala

On this occasion, I was honored to be joined by a brother from another mother, or specifically Ralfie Foodwala, all the way from the metropolis of Dubai.

I have always loved what mother Acqua has provided us, be it Freshwater clams or Wild Alaskan Salmon or prawns from the depths of the Indian Ocean or Scallops from the wild West Coast of Scotland. I loved the diversity and the fragility of the delicate creatures.

I suspect I got the love of Seafood actually from Papa Foodwala, some of my earliest memories is waiting for my dad to pick me up and us going on our next culinary adventure, I can always remember dad impeccably dressed in his Yves St Laurent shirts and his Saville Row suits and we would fire up his Fuji White Jaguar XV12, which he changed annually!! and we would go to his favorite place, The Danish Food Centre on St Vincent Street.

When dad used to walk in it was like the scene from Goodfellas where he would walk through the restaurant and he knew everyone by name and if there was a line waiting to be seated dad, the manager would take dad in through the side entrance and magically an empty table would appear!

I was always mesmerised by this opera, but dad was always humble and down to earth, he would then take me up to the open seafood display and we would choose which fresh fish was going to be our lunch, the display always looked fresh and shiny, the aroma of the fish was like fresh sea air, none of the fishy smells associated with old fish.

It is the enjoyment of having lunch with dad and the love of the enchantment under the sea that brought me and Ralfie to Gamba

We kicked off the proceedings with six Holy Island, Northumberland Oysters, we gingerly topped the fresh quivering mollusks with tobasco and shallots and downed them all in one…. absolutely amazing the tangy salty jelly tasted of fresh pure ocean…deelish!!

Next up was the Seabass Tartre, fresh raw seabass flavoured by goats cheese and tomato and topped with a chilled tomato and basil sorbet, wow!!

what a combination of textures and flavours, the tomato sorbet added a chilled fresh element to the raw seabass, it was absolutely wonderful.

The slivers of Yellowfin Tuna was next up, Yellowfin tuna lends itself perfectly to the Sashimi style if you cook Yellowfin Tuna it becomes like cardboard, so it lets itself perfectly to be eaten raw, the Tuna was firm and flavorsome, the flavour was enhanced with a touch of wasabi and virgin soy sauce.

The Monkfish was firm light and firm and lobster tasting while the seared scallops were sweet and buttery and the accompanying soy jus was a perfect accompaniment.

The Delicious Freshwater Stone Bass fillet was light in texture and cooked to perfection, the accompanying King Prawns were seared and tossed into the greens, the citrus butter sauce was light and delicious.

In conclusion, The fruits of the sea are notoriously difficult to get right, the margin between cooking it just right and overcooking it is minuscule, it is something a chef with talent and nuance can pull off.

the Chef of Gamba has the talent, the journey of flavours and textures was magnificent, the choice of fish, which were away from the usual suspects was a masterstroke, the blend of temperatures was educational, to say the least.

The Service was equally good, friendly yet not overly familiar, elegant yet not stuffy

I loved Gamba, definitely Enchantment under the Sea.

June 15 2019

Swadish, Glasgow

Food, Indian, indian food, london, travel alfiefoodwala, chicken tikka masala, gourmet, MICHELIN 0

Swadish
33 Ingram Street,
Merchant City,
Glasgow, G1 1HA

Hey Foodwala’s…its been a while since my last Foodwala post, what with Ramadhan and other business commitments but anyhow here I am in my full glory!

I was listening to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who incidentally also hails from my ancestral hometown of Faisalabad and I was absolutely struck by the mesmerising lyrics.

Please forgive my translating skills

“Ye jo Halka halka saroor hei… This gentle exhilaration I am feeling

yeh teri nazar ka kasoor hei… Is the fault of your glance

ke sharab peena sekadia”… it has intoxicated and besotted me

so what Nusrat foodwala is alluding to is that in a society where alcohol and female company is taboo he still feels the effects of intoxication purely from a single glace of a ladies eyes.

The point I am making is that when you are so intuned to your feelings the sheer nuance of what you love, will give you a euphoric rush, whether its a particular food, or a flavour or a caress of someone you love.

So my epic journey starts by traveling East…to the Merchant City and the newly opened Swadish restaurant which prides itself as modern, I was at a loss at this modern Indian cuisine when it had Chicken Tikka Masala and butter chicken on the menu, and Goulati kebabs, the recipe of which is over 700 years old.

Mokee Foodwala and I kicked off the proceedings with the Gelauti Kebab, the kebab was an eyewatering £10.

The Gelauti kebab was first created for a Sultan who due to old age lost his teeth but still had a love for Kebabs, so his chef created silky smooth kebabs by turning the lamb mince into a pate and then cooking it on a tandoor, thus creating kebabs of such smooth and silky texture that the aging sultan could enjoy it.

The Swadish version was not as smooth and silky as I would have expected, definitely not as smooth as the ones in Farzi Cafe, which I reviewed a few months back nor as amazing at Bademia in Mumbai.

Next up were goujons of haddock dipped in sesame and ajwain, I personally felt the choice of using Haddock left the ajwain overpowering the delicate fish, a more robustly flavoured fish should have been used, the Avacado salsa was a nice touch and was flavorsome.

The Lamb Shank Rogan Josh was the absolute star of the meal, the 8-hour lamb shank just fell off the bone and the freshly constructed Rogan Josh was absolutely rich, flavorsome and decadent.

This was definitely our favorite, we scooped up the delicious Jus with the Mozzarella, Gruyere Cheese and Truffle Butter Nan, altogether it was a flavour sensation for our tastebuds.

The Butter Chicken was gentle in its flavour with nuanced cardamom tasting notes running through it and the Soft Burrata cheese giving the sauce a gentle silkyness.

After the star attraction, the Butter Chicken felt like an afterthought or played second fiddle.

We finished off with some Strawberry Bhappa Doi, I was expecting steamed yogurt with a consistency of creme brulee and infused with cardamoms and saffron, but we got something entirely different, more like Greek Yogurt with Strawberry.

I definitely preferred the Bhappa Doi at Kutir in London and Bikenervala in Dubai.

In Conclusion, The chef patron clearly is very passionate, with the innovative ingredients and attention to detail.

However there are some things that did not make sense to me, the restaurant price point is clearly at London Michelin level however we received paper napkins where i would have expected starched Linen and the soft drinks were served in cans where I would expect a glass bottle at least.

The service was friendly and efficient.

The price point of Swadish is about 20% above the competition, admittedly the product is excellent but the Glasgow customer might find this hard to palette .

March 7 2019

Berenjak, London

Food, LEVENT, london, travel KEBABS, soho 0

Hey, Foodwala’s… welcome to another tale of epic adventure and high drama

You must be thinking has Alfie Foodwala finally taken leave of his senses!!

Well bear with me and all will be revealed, as you may have gathered I love kebabs, not those Saturday night kebab shop abominations but the handcrafted masterpieces only found being made by artisan kebabwala’s

I love the kebabs from Turkey, Levant, Persia, and Pakistan I am obsessed with not only how the kebabs taste but the ingredients that go into the kebabs and also the history behind them kebabs.

One day I will dedicate a Youtube channel where I will travel the kebab world sampling the kebab specialty of the region and narrate the amazing history behind each kebab.

When I visit a kebab restaurant or stall I have a strange feeling of de ja vue, it’s like I am visiting my roots, so I decided to decide to investigate my ancestors and find out where my roots are actually from before Glasgow and Toba Tek Singh, Pakistan.

To my absolute astonishment, Alfie Foodwala lineage can we traced back to Alexander the Great, via Ayreeyah on the Turkish Syrian border and Persopolis in Persia, no wonder I love kebabs so much, as the places I have mentioned are the cradle of the kebab civilization.

So to celebrate this momentous occasion I decided to visit Berenjak in Soho, this Persian kebab restaurant is from the stable of the JKS restaurants, who own superstar London Eateries such as Gymkhana and Trishna but it is a labour of love of the head chef Kian Samyani, who incidentally is a fellow kebab obsessive.

The restaurant is designed as a Tehran Kebab Dhaba (whole in the wall) and the decor is equally designer distressed, some could say it’s pretentious but I actually like the eccentricity.

I kicked off the proceedings with some Mast O Esfena and hummus

Mast O Esfana £5
Hummus £5
Taftoon £1.50
Sangak £5

The Mast O Esfana is the Greek yogurt, spinach, and Saffron dip, it was certainly decadent, freshly chopped baby spinach and garlic were folded into the luxurious think creamy curd, it was delicious with the sourdough taftoon bread.

The Hummus was interesting, the jury is still out if I liked it, the viscosity of the hummus was very smooth, I missed the graininess of hummus and it was topped with caramalised shallots giving a slightly sweet hue to the hummus, The sweetness was great to start of but became slightly tiresome as I tucked in. The hummus was eaten by the pebble baked Sangak bread.

If you are watching the carbs then give Berenjak a wide steer.

Next up I ordered the Goat Keema Koobedah but was informed the goat was not halal, only the chicken and the lamb was halal so I opted for the Lamb Chenjeh, which is also known as the Jewel of Persia!!

I know from experience lamb is incredibly difficult to grill, if the lamb is cut against the grain and not marinated properly the lamb become tough and chewy, on this occasion the lamb was marinaded well and when it was cooked over the coal grill the fat and the juices were not allowed to escape thus resulting in a deliciously moist and tender kebab with a caramalised crust on the outside.

The accompanying house rice was served with a dollop of goats milk butter and lent itself perfectly to the Chanjeh kebab.

In conclusion, the food was delicious, even with the slightly modern disneyesque slant to the proceedings, however, if I compared berenjak to the two old men of Patogh in Crawford Place then Patogh would come on top due to the sheer flavour of the kebabs.

The service was friendly and knowledgable and Andre was efficient.

February 28 2019

Kutir, London

Food, Indian, indian food, london, travel MICHELIN 0

Hey, Foodwala’s…. welcome to another tale of the travels of Alfie Foodwala.

I had a profound thought the other day whilst I was driving to Kinloch Rannoch to judge the 5-star Dunalister hotel for the Prestige Hotel Awards… that’s right I also judge restaurants and hotels for various top awards companies in the UK.

I was driving down the same road that is featured in the James Bond Skyfall the stunning beauty of Glen Coe literally stopped me in my tracks or rather stopped the Mercedes I was driving in its tracks and I got out. I was absolutely over overwhelmed by the beauty and shared the moment by taking a photo and sending it to Goblee Foodwala in Dubai and Mokee Foodwala in Aberdeen.

Now you must be thinking what is the point of this story and how it can possibly relate to my latest restaurant escapade. Bear with me and all will be revealed.

So I was in the middle of this stunning valley and I thought to my self how did I come to this point, how did I get to go to the most amazing restaurants and hotels and meet the most wonderful people and eat the most amazing food.

And to put it simply, I read the book called The Secret, in the book it said visualise in your mind’s eye what you want, what you really really want and whether it’s your dream house or dream car or your dream job and the brain is so powerful it will lock in the picture, then subconsciously it will start influencing your decisions in your everyday life until you start to achieve what you started dreaming about.

In my case it was having an amazing family, driving a new Mercedes and traveling all of the world eating at the best restaurants and staying at the best hotels and my dreams are coming true.

i was reading the other day about the Michelin star Chef Rohit Ghai, he was the head chef in Jamavar and his dream was to open his own Michelin stared restaurant, his dream came true when he open Kutir.

Larry Foodwala and I decided to venture into deepest darkest Chelsea to check this restaurant out.

Kutir is located in a townhouse in a side street in Chelsea, its decorated in muted greens and with beautiful murals on the walls.

We kicked off the proceedings with some popadoms and dips

We felt that the poppadoms were slightly stale, which is very surprising for a Michelin star restaurant.

The dips and chutney were delicious particularly the pickled onion chutney.

The salmon was seasoned en pointe so that the natural creamy salmon flavour was still evident and the masalas were play homage to the hero of the dish. The mooli and creme freche raita was wonderful.

The Tandoori Supreme of baby chicken was again lightly seasoned, however, we felt it was a wee bit under seasoned and the breast meat was a little bit on the tough side, which again was unusual for a breast of baby chicken.

The ginger pickle lent itself nicely with the chicken and the bed of Puy lentils.

Sea Bass Kokum (bottom)
Chicken Tikka Masala (top)

The Seabass Kokum was delicious, the coconut cream infused Jus was so well balanced that the delicate flavour of the sea bass was enhanced.

The Chicken Tikka Masala, which was incidentally first created by Mr. Ali at the Shish

Mahal in Glasgow was a little raw in its execution, the chicken was cooked perfectly, however, the spices felt less nuanced as compared to the rest of the meal.

My stand out element to the meal was the Kaali Dal, it was creamy and buttery in its execution however the lentils still had a nice bite to it.

Bhappa Doi

The Bhappa Doi was brilliantly executed, the steamed yogurt fudge was creamy and flavorsome, the honeycomb lent itself very well with the Bhappa doi

I loved the homemade Pan Kulfi, the rose golkund and fennel was subtle as it was delicious, the pista kulfi was less of a hit, it was lacking in the tasting notes.

In Conclusion, London has some absolutely stellar Indian Restaurants, like Gymkhana and Indian Accent, however Kutir, as delicious as it was fell in my opinion short of the two i mentioned, however, it was on par with Kahani.

We are very well looked after our by our very knowledgable French Waiter, Quentin

January 24 2019

Farzi Cafe, London

Food, Indian, london, mayfair alfiefoodwala, burgers, business, chicken tikka masala, emirates, gourmet, grill, MICHELIN, middleeastern 0

Hey, Foodwala’s…welcome to another episode of the Tales of Alfie Foodwala.

Other day I was back in my spiritual home of London.

I was walking from Knightsbridge to Mayfair through the St James area of London and I was admiring the stately buildings of government and royalty.

I passed the Commonwealth Monument on Constitution Hill and I noticed the names of the commonwealth countries etched in the blonde sandstone and includes India and Pakistan.

That got me thinking, The Gorawala’s had ruled over the Indian Subcontinent for eighty-nine years and built some amazing infrastructure projects like the biggest irrigation canal network in the world and built the rail network thus joining every corner of the empire.

The British Raj also bestowed bureaucracy on its Indian subjects so they could rule.

So what did the Britishwala’s get in return… other than £35 trillion( yes trillion with 12 zero’s!) they released the grateful Indian subjects?

they adopted some Indian words into their vocabulary?

Did you know the world Doolally is an Indian word meaning someone of a feeble mind

or hullabaloo meaning making too much sound

and swastika which ironically means wellbeing and healthy…go figure

The jury is still out if the Indians got their money worth.

anyhow all this counting of zeros and history got me feeling hungry and I stumbled upon Farzi Cafe, which is billed as Indiafied Englisher food.

Farzi cafe originates in New Dehli and it caters to the bright young things of the Indian Elite, who are often called Chutney Mary’s and Pickle Joe’s

They are called this for their air of superiority and the love of all thing English.

I kicked off the proceedings with this interesting Dal chawal arancini, the spiced lentils and rice were mixed with parmesan and shallow cooked in oil and topped with green chutney and papad.

This was a very innovative homage to the Italian Arancini and it worked wonderfully.

Next up The Galouti Slider caught my eye, The Galouti Kebab is an ultra soft and smooth kebab which is spiced with Ginseng and fifteen other spices. The Galouti slider was absolutely awsome, the kebab patty was smooth and well seasoned and the kebab had just enough Umami flavour to offset the spices and the butter brioche bun was soft and pillowy, the caramalised onion relish was a nice touch giving it a sweet note to the slider.

The main event of the evening was the Veal ‘osso Bucco’ Ishtu, The veal shank was expertly marinaded as not to overpower the delicate tasting notes of the Veal and then the South Indian Ishtu jus was poured over the veal to give a smooth velvety shorba.

The veal absolutely melted in the mouth and the coriander kulcha was perfect for the mopping of the sauce

A definite hit.

In Conclusion, Farzi Cafe London is very different from its sister branch in Dubai, where the Dubai restaurant dazzled the diners with its presentation theatrics and the substance and the food was somewhat lacking however the owners have very shrewdly acknowledged the mature palate of the London clientele and focused the theatre towards the cuisine.

The Service was friendly and efficient, and I was greeted by a genuine smile from the hostess which seemingly is a rarity these days.

November 15 2018

Padella, London

Food, london, PASTA BOROUGH MARKET, HIPSTER, italianfood, london, mediterranean, PADELLA, PASTA 0

Hey, Foodwala’s welcome to another tale of Alfie Foodwala.

This week yours truly was asked to judge the SPICE restaurant awards, so I will be traveling the length and breadth of our fair land eating at restaurants who have spice as their common element.

Anyway, I was again down in London this week and as I was flying down on British Airways I found myself reading the M&S inflight food booklet and I noticed to my amusement they were selling courgette spaghetti and other veg based pasta knockoffs.

I pointed this out to my Italian friend sitting next to me and his expression was akin to someone putting diesel in a Ferrari 250 GT California, In other words, it was sacrilege of the highest order.

He said in his expressive Roman Italian that the vegetable pasta “could not touch the cloth” of the flour and water concoction and the vegetable pasta was invented by some clever marketing people paid by the vegetable industry to arrest the decline in sales of vegetables by rebranding vegetables for the fickle and fad are driven health food market.

he said no self-respecting nonna would ever contemplate serving this to her brood.

To further emphasise this point I decided to go to a Pasta cafe run by Artisan pastawalas, I walked up to Padella and noticed people waiting outside the restaurant, from where I could see it just looked like a few folks so I decided to join the wait, however, I followed the hungry queue and it went theme park style well into Borough Market.

I decided to wait and 30 minutes later I was shown to our places overlooking the bar.

The menu is only small, six antipasti and ten pasta dishes.

This Tuscan Gnudi Gnocchi was an expert blend of steamed potato and semolina dumplings finished with creamy nutmeg butter and black pepper, simple yet delicious.

Tagliarini, Dorset crab, chili and Lemon
£11.50

The thin ribbon-like pasta was tossed with soft flaked Dorset Crabmeat and dried red chili and zest of Lemon.

This was absolutely delicious, the subtle flavour of the soft shell crab was complemented by the parmesan and the lemon acidity helped balance the opposing flavour elements.

In other words, posh mac and cheese but this was like no other mac and cheese I have tasted, the worm-like pasta was chewy and the cheese and black pepper sauce was simple yet delicious.

In conclusion, It is what rustic Italian food should be, simple yet delicious where the ingredients are the symphony and the chef is the conductor. The pasta concept was unremarkable yet the execution was exceptional.

The service was friendly and simple, they took the order, put the full plate in front of me and took the empty away, simple like Padella.

November 1 2018

Gymkhana, London

Food, indian food, london, mayfair, travel alfiefoodwala, gymkhana, lunch, MICHELIN, sethi 0

Hey, Foodwala’s… Welcome to another episode of the tales and tribulations of Alfie Foodwala

Today is a special tale of Alfie foodwala, as I am joined by Papa Foodwala in Mayfair, Papa Foodwala taught me all there is to know about the finer things in life.

Papa Foodwala used to have Saville Row bespoke suits sent to Glasgow when everyone else was still in C&A. and drove a Glacier white Jaguar while his compatriots drove Ford Cortina’s.

So this was very much a trip down memory Ally for Papa Foodwala.

Papa Foodwala was very much in charge of our tour and we started with breakfast in Dominique Ansel’s bakery in Belgravia, Papa Foodwala regaled me with his stories of arriving in London in the 70’s with so much excitement.

The sights and sounds of London used to motivate him.

Papa Foodwala did not only come to London for Saville Row, but he also came to London to see how he could improve his restaurants and stay in front of the competition, while his competitors looked at each other for inspiration, Papa Foodwala was cut from a different cloth and looked to London and New York for inspiration and was in first name terms with Terrence Conran.

All this reminiscing and walking around Knightsbridge and Mayfair got us famished and we decided to stop for lunch at the Michelin starred Gymkhana in Albermarle Street.

We decided to go to Gymkhana as Papa Foodwala was the member of the original Gymkhana in Lahore and apparently, there is a 23-year waiting list for membership.

We walked in on a whim and without a reservation, Amanda the very charming hostess politely informed us that the restaurant was fully reserved today, however with some Foodwala charm and gentle persuasion Amanda found as a table.

For a fully booked Michelin star restaurant, the staff was very polite and friendly, definitely no snootiness.

Potato Chat, Chana Masala, Tamarind, Sev

We kicked off our Gymkhana lunch with deconstructed Potato Chat with Chana Masala, the chat was lovely and tangy with the homemade tamarind Jus giving a delicious sweet and sour note to the aloo chat and chana masala.

The Bombay street food staple, Pao Keema was playfully changed with Kid Goat replacing a Lamb, the keema was delicious and earthy in flavour yet delicately spiced the Pao buns were buttery pillowy and perfect for scooping up the keema.

The garden vegetable mash filling of the paper thin dosa was very understated and gave a chance for the creamy coconut chutney to shine. The spicy Tomato chutney provided a juxtaposition between the mild and spicy elements.

The succulent white meat of the Bream was expertly side kicked with the fresh mint and coriander coating and the acidity of the cherry tomato, lime and chilli kachumber helped elevate the elements of the fish.

The light artisan paneer was sandwiched by a spiced cashew paste and again the deep creamy flavour of the paneer was cut with the sweet fresh corn chat.

The Kabuli Channa and paneer biryani was intensely flavorsome yet delicately spiced, the biryani was not as good as DUM biryani in Soho but the accompanied Dall Tarka and dum alloo was delicious

King Prawn Moilee, saboodana and Narial milk

This dish was definitely WOW the succulent soft prawns were in a perfectly balanced coconut moilee shorba and was my highlight of the entire meal, I would just eat the jus with a spoon.

In Conclusion,

Gymkhana lived up to its billing as the best Indian restaurant in London, the food was simple yet complex.

The execution was flawless and the service was friendly without being overfamiliar and the waiting staff was knowledgeable.

As Papa Foodwala explained to me, the yardstick for how good Indian food in a restaurant should be is the term “Ghar Ke Jesa” (just like at home) the food should be like you receive at home, simple, flavorsome and without colouring and excess oil, Gymkhana epitomised this 100%

I preferred Gymkhana to Jamavar and Indian Accent and was way better than Kahani