"Meaning ‘kitchen’ in Swahili, Ravinder Bhogal’s three-year old Marylebone gem has been a blast of fresh air in the male-dominated world of Modern Indian. Firstly there’s the imaginatively homely, unapologetically feminine look of pink walls, printed tablecloths and mirrorwork cushions that’s a far cry from ‘gentlemen’s club’ or ‘colonial’. Then there’s the menu full of influences and ingredients from South East Asia, Middle East, East Africa, and Britain. Bhel with sweet potatoes and apples is a marvellous balance of crunchy and tender, sweet and spicy. On a regularly changing menu, there might be delicate courgette flower tempura stuffed with Kerala-style crab and coriander-coconut chutney; and brightly spiced aubergine salad with caramelised (and currently fashionable) foxnuts. Warm, paan-flavoured madelines, served with Kenyan chai, are worth the wait it takes to bake them fresh. While many Modern Indian restaurants are stuck in the era of truffle oil and sun-dried tomatoes, the cooking here pushes the cuisine into the 21st century." - Sejal Sukhadwala
