Review: Lahore Kebab House in Whitechapel

Given that my favourite curry place in London (Nutmeg in Pimlico) had closed down recently, curry craving triggered last week and P & I decided to check out a new place called Lahore Kebab House (LKH) in Whitechapel.

Location is slightly interesting as I'd not been to this part of London before, but Lahore Kebab House thankfully wasn't too hard to find, and its just at the edge of a T junction and very easy to spot. Be warn though that there are many "Lahore **insert your favorite word**" named curry houses all nearby that area, capitalising on their reputation. So its Lahore Kebab House or nothing at all, make sure you get the right one!

LKH is a halal establishment hence they do not serve alcohol, however, they have a Bring-Your-Own (BYO) policy and its definitely a plus point in Britain. There's even an off-license shop just right next to it, very convenient if you'd like a cold beer with your curry. The place seems pretty newly refurbished and clean, and was rather full upon arrival at 730pm, another good sign.

For starters, we had a Seekh Kebab each (£1 each), made from lamb minced, really nicely spiced and grilled just right with very little charred bits. Meat was juicy though a tad salty for me, other than that really enjoyable. Wished I had space for more starters like samosas and bhaji...

Hankering to try out their famous lamb curries, I ordered Karahi Gosht (£7) - a lamb dish with medium heat curry (which was all I could get as a description from the waiter)

whilst P had Lamb Curry (off the bone) (£7), one of their signature dishes ...

Chapati/Roti (£1.50) was just the perfect accompaniment for me ... :)

Though the curries look the same, mine was thicker and slightly sweeter, but has good level of heat and was great with roti. P's lamb curry would be better off with pilau rice I feel, as it kind of makes the bread soggy, just a personal preference :) Overall, I felt that the lamb curry was nothing to shout about really, the rest of the items in the menu is worth trying as well. This place would be great for a big group, since you get to try out more varied dishes and starters. Prices has apparently increased due to popularity, and services are VERY quick though slightly cunning in the sense that they tend to place bottled water on your table in hope that you'd consume them instead of ordering yourself. And when we ordered them to take it away, another waiter just pops it right on our table 2 seconds later! Must be some sort of strategy, LOL

Overall, authentic curries, loved it to bits, worsens my craving (since I wanted more!), price wise reasonable to moderate for central London, I'd say probably expensive for the location. Definitely worth a try despite the location which isn't that convenient to get to by tube.

Lahore Kebab House
2 Umberston Street, Whitechapel (just off Commercial Road)
London
E1 1PY

Indian Rissotto

I am surprised if this is not invented already. But it's actually NOT exactly risotto. What I did was cook my normal curry, this time it's prawn tikka masala and boil the basmati rice. The difference is that instead of serving them separately, I pre-mixed them together in the pan for ease of P who does that anyway messily in his plate. A surprising positive result as the dish looked more appetizing than served separately actually, provided you eat it right away of course before it turns cold and mushy!

Authentic Sri Lankan Food

Rice Boat is one of the newer additions to the bustling food scene here in Cambridge. It serves Kerala cuisine, a state in southwestern India. As both my supervisor and course mate were Sri Lankan, rest assured it should be the authentic stuff I'm trying.

On the menu, you find some familiar items from Malaysian cuisine like Biryani rice, Chapatti, Pratha and assorted curries. You can check out the menu here. This is something I tried with the recommendation of my supervisor. It is called Puttu, which is ground and powdered rice, steamed in a bamboo tube, with a pinch of salt and a little grated coconut. Sounds pretty healthy eh? It is made of wild/red rice, hence looks a bit brown as shown below. I have just scooped a tablespoon of curry on top of it for picture purposes :) Apparently the way to eat it is the crush it with the back of your fork till it is mashed up and mix it with curry. Don't underestimate this little thing, it is REALLY filling!

But it was an excellent experience trying out a new cuisine, broadening my food horizon again :D