Last Updated on December 14, 2024
Adventures in Indian food
5.0 out of 5.0 starsWith a head chef whose CV includes Claude Bosi’s Hibiscus and The River Cafe and with a Michelin Bib Gourmand to its name, Pahli Hill promises great things. We went along for dinner and by the time we left we were already discussing what we’d be eating and drinking on our next visit.
Pahli Hill is a pan-Indian restaurant on Mortimer Street in Fitzrovia. Chef Avi Shashidara’s aim is to stay true to the roots of the original dishes while lifting them with gentle twists and the use of seasonal fresh ingredients. The menu of small and big plates, tandoor, grills and sides is designed for sharing.
My dining companion, who doesn’t normally drink alcohol, took a sip of my cocktail and declared it sensational. Simply named Apricot, it’s a combination of Macallan 12, Kinahans, Benedictine, Double Jus and apricot cordial. It’s a real winter warmer, infused with deep heat from the whisky, sweet but not too sweet and powerful indeed. I only managed one but I am now a convert to drinking whisky with Indian food. There’s a talented mixologist at work at Pahli Hill.
My friend meanwhile was confined to the mocktail end of the drinks menu and enjoyed the Rose, a mix of rose syrup and sparkling water, but she had to admit that it was no match for the Apricot.
Pahli Hill’s Papadi Chaat has quite a pedigree. Chef Avinash Shashidhara made it to the banquet on BBC2’s Great British Menu in 2023 with a vegan version known as “Scrambled Snake by the Lake” and inspired by the Gruffalo.
This is one of those dishes that looks like it’s been scattered with jewels and it tastes great too, packed with yoghurt, Delica pumpkin, Camone tomato, pomegranate, beetroot, mint and tamarind chutney.
For our second small plate, we plumped for the First of the Season Ceps. We talked about this stunning dish for much of the journey home, the highlight of our meal. I hope it’s not so seasonal that it disappears from the menu before I can return to have it again. The meaty mushrooms came in a creamy tomato, cardamom, garlic and butter sauce.
Our waiter quite rightly advised us to order the Pahli Hill Flaky Flatbread to go with the ceps. He’d described it as being a bit like a flattened savoury croissant. It was both crunchy and buttery with homemade ghee and a perfect foil for the mushrooms.
Next to the table came the Paper Dosa, a giant paper-thin savoury crepe so large that it barely fit on it. We tore off bits, dipping them into the coconut and tomato chutneys or making pockets filled with drumstick and root vegetable sambar and the creamy, citrusy turmeric potatoes.
From the large plates section, we picked the Pale Aubergine Bharta. This sublime and smoky dish is composed of two contrasting types of aubergine, purple and mashed, toasted cumin, tomatoes, pine nuts, yoghurt and chives.
For our sides we settled on the Beetroot and Coconut Poriyal, Saffron Pulao and Pahli Hill Pickle. The poriyal was a warm and earthy addition to the table and the green mango pickle was intriguingly different to its more common cousin.
My friend was thrilled to spot carrot halwa on the list of sweet plates as it’s one of her favourite things She went into a brief silent rapture after the first mouthful and then uttered the word “lovely”. Here the halwa (sweetened with molasses rather than sugar) is served warm, contrasting with the cool vanilla ice.
I meanwhile was enjoying Chilled Vanilla and Cardamom Rice Pudding. This nutty, creamy, sweet dessert came with a baked fig – a small nod to the chef’s time at the River Café.
Pahli Hill is a welcoming space and a good-looking restaurant, with comfortable mid-century furnishings, lots of leather and low lighting together with interesting posters and art. It pulls off the sometimes difficult trick of offering very serious cooking and professional service in a colourful, ebullient environment. Downstairs is the atmospheric Bandra Bhai cocktail bar, which brings to mind a 1970s secret basement dive, all smoke and mirrors (but thankfully without the smoke).
Our only gripe about an otherwise excellent evening was the increasing noise level as the restaurant filled up with groups of pre-Christmas revellers. The staff, however, acted quickly to move us to a quieter corner without us asking.
We have our eyes on the lunchtime Thali, good value at £16, and set lunch For those wanting the full Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai experience there are also Tasting and Chef’s Counter menus (both £125) as well as A La Carte dining and lunchtime set menus. We stuck to the many delicious vegetarian dishes on the menu this time but there is a good choice of meat and fish options too. Pahli Hill is going on my list of go-to places in town.
Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai
79-81 Mortimer St
W1W 7SJ London
020 8130 0101
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