Farzi Cafe, London

8 Haymarket
London
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.

£6
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.

£8
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.

£16
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.
FARZI CAFE
-
8.3/10
-
9.5/10
-
7.9/10
-
8.3/10