Last Updated on October 7, 2026
India’s regional flavours, served in Blackfriars
4.5 out of 5.0 starsBulbul, the new Indian restaurant from chef and restaurateur Rohan Dsouza and restaurateur Twinkle Keswani, is an wonderful exploration of India’s regional cooking. This is their first restaurant outside India and it’s neatly tucked away in the back streets of Blackfriars. It draws on two years of travelling into home kitchens and local markets, visiting toddy shops and street-side eateries, while collecting recipes, stories and techniques along the way. The result is a menu that is not is a greatest-hits collection of familiar dishes but rather one which moves freely and elegantly across India – from Dsouza’s native Goa to Rajasthan and beyond – with dishes rooted in the places and people they came from.
What I loved was that there is no attempt to modernise or reinvent dishes for a London audience. My introduction from our waiter was very clear, “We are not here to reinvent Indian food. We’re simply cooking it in a way that feels right to us today.”
The restaurant is housed within a converted 130-year-old printing press. It’s underground and without a scrap of natural light and that could easily make it feel enclosed and cavernous, but the interior has been designed to embrace the darkness rather than fight it. Mumbai-based Right Brain Design Studio has taken the Indian forest as its starting point, bringing in saturated colour, layered textures and contemporary art.
A huge floral installation by Oorja Studio meets you at the entrance, while bespoke carpets by Jaipur Rugs add another layer of pattern and texture as well as create a plush and cosy vibe. The sofa-style seating is unusual but surprisingly comfortable. The low, relaxed position feels like a contemporary nod to the tradition of sitting on the floor to eat as my grandfather would have done.
I particularly loved the staff uniforms which are designed by Mumbai fashion label Papa Don’t Preach. They are contemporary but distinctively Indian and add to the feeling that Bulbul has a strong visual identity and statement to make.
But obviously I came for the food!
The menu has been shaped by Dsouza and Keswani’s travels around India, where many recipes existed simply in the memories and hands of the people who were cooking them. There were nothing written down, no exact measurements, just intuition, repetition alongside years and years of practice. This is the idea that is central to Bulbul, and one that gives the menu so much interest.
Goa features very strongly. Dorothy’s Braised Goan Chorizo Sausages and New Potatoes comes from Dsouza’s childhood, while Aunty Marie’s Goan Shrimp Balchao is based on a home-kitchen recipe aged for 48 hours.
My guest and I chose from across the different sections aiming to try a little of everything without getting too full:
Tamil Nadu Forest Pepper Crab Dosa – the crispy rice flour pancake was served alongside buttery crab meat tossed in a robust pepper masala, inspired by Tamil Nadu’s spice regions. It was served with fresh coconut chutney and gunpowder.
Mushroom & Onion Bhajji – Gram flour fritters with fresh coriander and mild spices, served with truffle yoghurt.
Kasundi Monkfish Tikka – Brixham monkfish marinated in Bengali kasundi mustard, yoghurt and garam masala, charred in the tandoor.
Dhaabe Ka Butter Chicken – Tandoori chicken in a buttery tomato gravy, inspired by the kind Chef Yash still pulls over for, on long highway drives across North India.
Lobster Ghee Roast with Cauliflower Poriyal Purée – A South Indian pairing drawing from Mangalorean ghee roast masala and mustard, cauliflower and coconut puree.
Ambur Biryani Chicken – inspired by the royal kitchens of the Nawabs of Arcot, slow-cooked meat, short-grain rice and spices. This was served with a side of nutty aubergine gravy and onion raita.
Dal Bulbul Slow-cooked black lentils and crispy, flaky Lacha Paratha
The monkfish was beautifully cooked with the fish retaining its character and flavour while taking on the spices and seasoning. I was actually very surprised how much of the monkfish I could still savour as most Indian restaurants may as well be using any old white fish. The subtle fish flavour gets completely lost but that was not the case here.
The crab masala was the standout spoonful for me. While the dosa could have been crisp rather than English pancake consistency, the generous, buttery, silky crab filling was a filling of dreams. I am so glad it was brought out in a separate bowl. I wish I had ordered another round to take home for a midnight snack on sourdough toast.
My dining companion chose butter chicken as it’s a firm favourite but it was unlike anything he had tasted before. Sweet, savoury, buttery and smoky with gentle spicing rather than serious chilli heat. The chicken biryani was equally fragrant and satisfying.
I lost myself in the creamy dhal. I always order it when I see it on a menu. Firstly because I can’t bring myself to add the butter and cream needed to give it that luscious, silky texture and secondly because it is a genuine test of how good the kitchen actually is. It is exactly the sort of dish that can get overlooked and indeed here it is offered as a ‘comfort side’. But I was very pleased to see the kitchen give as much attention to it as the more elaborate offerings.
The mushroom bhajia brought another texture to the table. Superbly crispy and spiced well, making for a good contrast to the softer dishes, but it was far too crumb like for my liking. I would have liked chunky mushrooms for more substance.
And finally the lobster. We had most certainly been decadent with this choice and boy was it worth it. The spicing again was absolutely spot on allowing us to taste the lobster and lick our fingers clean from the subtle, garlicky masala.
Overall the dishes have plenty of flavour and it is good to see purpose to the seasoning and technique. After all the menu promises a lot. But the carefully sourced ingredients retain their identity well rather than disappearing beneath a blanket of spice.
The same regional thinking extends to the cocktail list, which is wonderfully theatrical. Drinks are built around key ingredients which are presented in a box to sniff and taste. The Feni and Rice combines Goan feni with pandan liqueur and toasted kolam rice vodka. I absolutely inhaled this! My second drink was an ice-cold Guava and Mogra Martini blending gin, dry vermouth and strawberry soju rested over guava with sous vide mogra vodka. A bit of a mouthful of a process and one which was made more to my liking with a squeeze of lemon. There is also a dedicated Indian gin section and a selection of Indian single malts.
What the whole team have created here feels very polished. The restaurant is clearly an ambitious venture, but the food really didn’t feel engineered to impress. The front of house and service team are able to articulate the stories and cooking traditions behind the dishes and in a country that is still learning to understand the subtleties of regional Indian food, this was a very welcome experience. And by doing this Bulbul widens the conversation for all of us without abandoning the absolute pleasure of eating and drinking. More importantly, the narrative made me want to go back and learn more.
Victoria House, Part Ground & Lower Ground Floor, 25 Tudor Street, London EC4Y 0DD
For reservations call 0208 713 1085 or email hello@bulbullondon.com
For similar Indian dining experiences try Trèsind, Kanishaka, Romy Gill at The Pem
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