Last Updated on February 22, 2024
Indo-Chinese cuisine in the heart of Soho
In the bustling centre of Soho, Fatt Pundit has a reputation as one of London’s premier destinations for Indo-Chinese cuisine, with branches in Soho and Covent Garden. Having been on my list for some time, I was delighted to be invited by Fatt Pundit to their Soho location to try their latest menu. Indo-Chinese cuisine developed when the Hakka people migrated to India from what was then known in English as Canton province in China, today known as Guandong. Combining traditional Chinese cooking methods with Indian spices created a fusion cuisine that has grown to global popularity. Fatt Pundit’s unusual name is explained by the restaurant as being a playful combination of the Chinese surname ‘Fatt’ with the Indian word ‘Pundit’, meaning scholar.
The restaurant is small and intimate, with most tables seated along a softly lit concrete wall inscribed with Chinese characters. The venue was busy on a Friday night yet the service was friendly, quick and helpful in navigating the menu.
The menu opens with the Momos, steamed dumplings served fresh from steel steamers. The Momos are served with a spicy chutney and hail from Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet and other Indian regions. We enjoyed the chicken momo with soy, garlic, and spring onion, and the kid goat with garam masala, cardamom, ginger, and garlic. Before dipping in chutney, we split open the dumplings to allow out the flavours of the tender meat inside.
From the drinks menu, we ordered the Birds Eye Margarita with Reposado Tequila, green chilli and coriander, and the Fatt Pundit Negroni consisting of spiced gin, Campari and cocchi torino. The margarita was delicately spiced and the negroni was an excellent rendition, with a floral fragrance. Later in the meal, we enjoyed a glass of Aconcagua Costa Pinot Noir from Chile.
Following the Momos starters, we proceeded to the main section of the menu which was divided into veg, seafood, and meat, game and poultry. Standouts from the veg section included the famed crackling spinach with sweet yoghurt, date and plum sauce and pomegranate. We then enjoyed the sticky sesame vegetable fritters with sticky ginger which were crispy bitesize pieces of onion, carrot and cabbage. From the seafood, we tried the Bombay chilly prawns with celery, Szechuan chilly and mixed peppers. The morning’s catch, the prawns were coated in a gelatinous sour sauce with a tangy flavour on the tongue.
Whilst Fatt Pundit doesn’t divide their menu into starters and mains, the Malabar monkfish curry and the lamb chops were the heartiest fare of all the portions we tried and certainly should not be missed on a visit. The flaky monkfish was delicately delicious and expertly grilled in saffron butter with freshly scraped coconut in the rich and thick curry sauce. The lamb chops were served as a rack with a mint sauce and were hefty pieces of meat, oozing with juices dripping off the board. The chops were charred with a stone flower masala rib and black bean dust, and our waiter informed us that they were the most popular item on the menu, with around 150 portions served each service. The lamb was tender with nearly no chew to it all and was the piece de resistance of our meal. Indeed, the fish curry and the lamb chops were the stand-out items on the menu and I would recommend a visit to Fatt Pundit on the strength of these two dishes alone.
We were amazed by the Snowflake gelato sizzling brownie – a spectacular finish – the fiery result of a collaboration between Fatt Pundit and their neighbours at Snowflake Gelato.
To finish an excellent meal, we enjoyed a warm and rich cup of saffron masala tea with cardamon and ginger scrapings.
Fatt Pundit certainly lived up to its hype as a shining example in London of Indo-Chinese cuisine with a menu offering a range of exciting options and flavour combinations. Catering to a variety of dietary preferences, Fatt Pundit has some standout dishes on its menu in a comfortable and friendly atmosphere and is well worth a visit amongst the abundance of restaurants in Soho. I will certainly be back.
77 Berwick St
Soho
London
W1F 8TH
02072877900
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