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Us Londoners are spoilt for choice when it comes to good Indian food in the capital. From Michelin-starred fine diners to stellar Desi pubs and sumptuous street eats, there’s something to satisfy every South Asian culinary craving.
Now, the Big Smoke’s Indian food offering is about to get even better. That’s because the duo behind award-winning dining spots in Goa, Kerala, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Leh have launched their first international outpost, and they’ve chosen London as the location.
Chef Rohan Dsouza, who began his career in London working with Marco Pierre White, and restaurateur Twinkle Keswani, have transformed a 130-year-old printing press into Bulbul, an opulent new eatery in Blackfriars bedecked in a serious amount of animal print.
Its lavish interiors (think brushed velvet sofas, golden napkin holders and even an indoor water fountain) are something of a contrast to its unostentatious culinary offering, which draws on regional Indian dishes ‘from home kitchens and culinary traditions that have quietly endured for generations’.
Aunty Marie's Goan Shrimp Balchao, for example, apparently comes from a home kitchen recipe – ‘the kind that exists nowhere written down’, the team behind the new haunt have said. Bulbul’s Mewari Laal Maas, a slow-braised lamb in bold red chilli and spiced gravy, is made with Mathania chillies which grow exclusively in the desert state of Rajasthan. To undertake this culinary feat, Bulbul’s kitchen is run by three chefs (Dsouza included) all from different regions of India.
As for the drinks, think classic cocktails with an Indian twist, like the house Negroni made with nannari-infused gin and sandalwood hydrosol, plus a dedicated Indian gin section and full Indian single malt selection.
Currently in a ‘soft launch’ phase, find Bulbul at 25 Tudor Street, EC4Y 0DD. Its official launch is set for September 1.
Did you see that this north London gastropub has the best breakfast in the city, according to Time Out?
Plus: Taiwanese restaurant Din Tai Fung has revealed its fifth London location.
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