Lahore Kebab House

All discerning foodies based in London will undoubtedly agree that the best Indian* in the capital can be found at either New Tayyabs or Lahore Kebab House. These two are the kind of places that if you were to take friends there for the first time, they’ll be gobsmacked by the food; guaranteed and no two ways about it.

I’ve been coming to LKH for a very long time, from a shabby onset to what they claim now as modern (beg to differ). The dining room compared to the one at Tayyabs was obviously kitted out to a budget, very canteen and yes, humdrum. The diners here are more sedate and mature whereas at Tayyabs, a much livelier and sparky crowd is the norm. The service is consistently erratic and occasionally slapdash. What might seem like a fair amount of waiters hovering around like flies, only two of them (alpha supervisors, I assume) are allowed to take your orders. So beware of the fact that you might well be waiting for a considerable time when it starts to get busy. Another annoying practice of LKH is the food can turn up in the wrong order, i.e. the main dishes turning before your samosas or bread appearing when you’ve literally finished the meal.

On the small matter of l’eau, the cocky waiters tend to plonk a bottle of their House mineral on your table before you’re even allowed to mutter tap… Don’t let this kind of cheap trick overcome your dining rights, we vehemently stuck to chlorinated sky juice.

The starter of Seekh (sic) Kebab was beautifully seasoned, ethnically (I tink!) spicy and very moreish.

I ordered the Grilled Lamb Chops with Lizzie in mind, especially I’d more or less remarked on her blog that they were the best. Sorry, not on this occasion as they were tough and chewy. Ms Hollow Legs I no longer wear a beret as I’ve eaten it to preserve me dignity. Apologies.

Jab de Hutts chomping on chops and he bit more than he could chew; he devoured a bit of his tongue as well!

The Mehti Chicken was ‘OMG, super brilliant’; this is the kind of curry that spoils you forever and concludes that the effort from your local Indian is in no way the genuine article but purely inferior.

For some inexplicable reason the Sag Aloo finally turned up after we’ve polished off the chicken (bloody typical of LKH). As always the mishap is once again forgiven for the spinach and potatoes were fantastic.

LKH is no longer what it was, I don’t mean the food but the value of the meals. Like all cuisine of this sort it’s best to turn up in large numbers whereby the term good value can then be fully justified. In absolute terms, LKH is still second to New Tayyabs.

* Dismiss all lectures on the validity of being Pakistani, for the sake of generalisation this is still the most appropriate.

My previous outing at Trusted Places.




2 Umberston Street
London, E1 1PY



www.lahore-kebabhouse.com




Video shot (06/08/08)
Starring Jab de Hutts-