Darjeeling Express
Indian restaurant · Soho
Top Floor, Kingly Ct, Carnaby, London W1B 5PW, United Kingdom
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22121195/darjeeling002.jpg "Darjeeling Express by Michaël Protin/Eater London")
Highlights
Bengali & Hyderabadi fare, all-female kitchen, home-style cooking
Bengali & Hyderabadi fare, all-female kitchen, home-style cooking
"While Darjeeling Express has wildly outgrown its original supper club roots, the Kingly Court spot hasn’t lost its homely feel. Chef-owner Asma Khan still plays host, checking on diners and bringing raita to cool the spicy Bengali aloo bonde. The warm, terracotta room and intimate booths turn a casual lunch into a two-hour affair, and an after-work meal into a stay-until-closing night. Book dinner for the colourful set menu thali which is a highlight reel of Darjeeling Express’ best dishes." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley, daisy meager, sinead cranna
"Some restaurants seek out fame but Darjeeling Express is so good that it happened naturally. Head chef and owner Asma Khan became a Netflix star, A-list fans followed, and this all-female Indian spot in Soho still makes some of the most luscious paneer korma around. Khan still walks about the comfortable restaurant, welcoming guests, offering to bring raita to cool the excellently spicy Bengali aloo dam, and making you feel like you’re eating at a really fun, really popular friend's house." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, heidi lauth beasley
"Darjeeling Express’ keema toastie sets the standard for Soho lunches. The always-popular Indian restaurant in Kingly Court makes one of London’s meatiest, most flavourful varieties of toasted sandwich. It arrives cut into four perfect three-bite squares, with the marks of a good grilling on the outside. The peppery minced mutton softens the white toast and is best dunked into the green coriander chutney which comes alongside it." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley, sinead cranna, daisy meager
"A London Indian restaurant led by groundbreaking British chef-restaurateur Asma Khan, who is coming to New York for a single-night dinner on Monday, April 14. She’ll be cooking from her newest cookbook, Monsoon, which is about dishes from the Bengal region of the subcontinent. The $75 dinner is already sold out." - Nadia Chaudhury
"The royal thali at this Kingly Court Indian restaurant is a highlight reel of Darjeeling Express’ best dishes. There’s still some choice and happily, it’s an edible pick-your-own adventure where every scenario is going to be good. Mini poppadoms, an array of chutneys and sauces, two curries, and five sides are all part of the £65 platter. The fact that it feels like you’re at your cool friend’s house instead of a restaurant is just the bonus on top." - jake missing, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak
