"Restaurateur Rajesh Suri and chef Dayashankar Sharma’s contemporary South Woodford venue isn’t North Indian as such — its ambitious idea is to showcase cooking inspired by the Grand Trunk Road, an ancient trade route that stretched between Kabul to Kolkata, with a menu spanning North Indian to Bengali dishes. The room is tastefully decorated with antique temple carvings, terracotta figurines, jaali screens, and a shiny bar. There’s vibrancy and freshness of flavour here, whether in own-made coriander or tamarind chutneys that drape Punjabi chaats, ajwain seeds that perk up Amritsari tilapia, or baby okra that somehow manage to keep their grass-green colour and just-firm texture despite being cooked with vinegar and beetroot. There are comforting classics, too, such as slow-cooked Lucknowi lamb shanks aromatic with saffron and cardamom, bottle-gourd koftas soft as velvet pouches, and dhaba dal whose earthiness is a good foil to spicier dishes." - Sejal Sukhadwala
