The Times
Charlotte Ivers followed a recommendation to a new spot in town tipped by a friend for its “Zone 5 food. What this means is that they serve up the kind of cooking you get in outer London, where Indian people, and indeed people in general, actually live” – which in turn means the flavours have not been turned down central London softies, and the prices have not been turned up.
It’s a tiny place, whose concise wine list – “Casillero del Diablo (red) and Casillero del Diablo (white)” – pushes Charlotte towards the “authentic experience” of a ‘desi aam panna’, “a tangy, refreshing drink made with slow-cooked fresh raw mango pulp…full of ground masala”.
The rest of the menu from chef Priti Prakash, from Surat in the west of India, is “thrillingly varied” and “entirely vegetarian”. Charlotte is particularly taken by the dal makhana – a dish of black lentils in cream and butter that has been subject to a UK “arms race to make the richest. This is the opposite, far less creamy… It’s a revelation: you get much more of a taste of the lentils. It’s deeply savoury, almost refreshing.”
Chunks of paneer cheese and onions in a silky tomato sauce are also “done perfectly”, as are the “butter-soft and tender” chickpeas. “All are hot, none too hot.”
Charlotte Ivers - 2024-10-20
Drinks
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