Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai
Fitzrovia, London
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Avinash Shashidhara honed his craft at Claude Bosi’s Hibiscus (RIP) and the River Café but has gone back to his roots at this comfortably relaxed Indian restaurant on the site of the once-legendary Gaylord curry house. Pahli Hill (named after a Mumbai suburb) looks and feels just right, with its glowing lights, fragrant aromas, colourful Indian paintings and woven cane chairs. Limber up with a cocktail or two in the subterranean Bandra Bhai bar before returning upstairs for a menu of regional sharing plates executed with skill, precision and subtlety. Anything from the grill or tandoor is a sound bet, perhaps Cornish monkfish (marinated in mango pickle) with monk's beard, grilled corn and lime or meltingly tender lamb cutlets, spiced with black pepper, cumin and curry leaves – all mollified by a cooling mint raita. Other top calls have included crisp Pondicherry fried squid with pumpkin and Guntur chilli chutney, a gorgeous ‘home-style’ fish curry packed with mussels and halibut, and a dish of Chettinad-style veal shin with black pepper, fennel and chilli, best eaten with some flaky flatbread fresh from the tandoor. Service does its job admirably, and there are plenty of thoughtfully chosen spice-friendly wines to match the food.
