Restaurants

By Roopa Gulati

Needoo Grill is a stroll away from New Tayyabs, one of London’s best known curry houses.

Run by a former manager of Tayyabs, this new spot offers the staples – smoky grills and Punjabi curries. But it also delivers earthy vegetarian dishes made with care and consideration – and that’s its point of difference.

There’s little about the frontage of this small café to distinguish it from the many other ‘Indians’ in Whitechapel.

The kitchen counter is located at the entrance and you need to walk past the grill to get to the main seating area.

But the interior decor, like the cooking, is big and bold. Black, sparkly granite tiles, red leatherette banquettes and plasma screens contrast with the functional wipe-clean tables, folded paper napkins, and metal pitchers filled with water.

Homely karahi chicken delivered the goods with a russet-hued fried onion masala spiked with chilli and toasted cumin – a marvellous match with hot tandoori rotis.

The vegetable dishes hit the spot – crushed potatoes, cooked with tender cauliflower florets, tomatoes, ginger and fresh coriander was comfort cooking at its best.

Just as enjoyable was tarka dal, finished with a tumble of fried onions and warming cumin; it demonstrated a deliciously nutty and smoky character.

Grills are signature dishes, but our tandoori lamb chops were a let down. Although bashed with a mallet and steeped in gingery lime juice to aid succulence, they were disappointingly overcooked. Let’s hope our experience was a one-off oversight on the cook’s part.

Diners on our visit included a boisterous mix of young families and groups of friends. Needoo Grill does have the vibe of a community meeting place, and – unlike Tayyabs – hasn’t yet been discovered by the City suits. And if you fancy a tipple, it’s BYO.

Time Out London Issue 2045: October 29-November 4 2009