Last Updated on September 14, 2025
A Journey through Pakistan over Sunday Lunch at Lahori
What better way to learn about the nuances of Pakistani food than with a bespoke tasting menu? The Pakistani Food Trail, a leisurely lunchtime gastronomic journey of Pakistani cooking, was hosted at Lahori Church Street, a premier Pakistani restaurant in Marylebone. We were lucky enough to be invited to join Chef Abbas Ahmed who cooked up a feast of dishes from across Pakistan at £30 per head for this special, one-off Sunday lunch event devised by food and hospitality consultant Humayun Hussain.
Chef Abbas Ahmad was born in Cantt, Lahore, Pakistan and arrived in the UK at 18 years of age. With a culinary lineage stemming from his father, also a UK chef, he promptly joined The Painted Heron in Chelsea as an apprentice under chef-patron Yogesh Datta to learn the art of Indian sub-continental fine dining and stayed for 12 years. Amongst his stellar list of London restaurant stints are Bangalore Express, Mela and Dishoom.
Humayun Hussain is a longtime former food and hospitality journalist turned consultant in the same field. Karachi-born, British Pakistani Humayun has written extensively for national media, been an Inspector for the AA Restaurant Guide and made various TV appearances including twice with Gordon Ramsay. In addition, Humayun has been a panel judge for various awards shows and events. Humayun continues to offer a food and restaurant consultancy service to clients.
To start off the meal, my companion and I ordered a mango lassi and a salted lassi, which proved to be a refreshing drink to start a leisurely summer afternoon.
The meal started off with yakhani shorba as the amuse-bouche. A saffron-infused light mutton broth, it tasted really rich and interesting. As a prelude for our lunch, it didn’t waste any time showcasing the rich spices in the cuisine.
The starters comprised of fish taka tak, tilapia finished off on a griddle with onions, tomatoes and green chillies and shammi bun kebab which is a lamb and lentil mince kebab in a bap. The fish was very indulgent albeit rather spicy for my palate, but complementing the dish with lassi toned down the spice level to something really delightful. The shammi bun kebab felt like an exotic burger and just had right balance of satisfying flavours.
An aloo chana chaat tokri was served mid-course – a tangy salad of potatoes and chickpeas with mint and tamarind. I really loved the presentation which made the salad all the more delightful to consume and the nest-like structure holding the salad tasted like really posh potato sticks.
The main course comprised charsi chicken karahi on the bone which is chicken flash cooked in a wok with tomatoes, green chillies, coriander and ginger as well as quail egg nargisi kofta salad which is quail eggs enveloped in lamb mince koftas in a rich gravy. These were accompanied by a selection of sides including peshawari saag which is creamy and light mustard greens with nuts, chikar choke which is chickpeas and lentils, golden pilau with black chickpeas, fennel and ghee as well as nan/roti. An extravagant feast, the main course was really hearty and filling.
Our Pakistani food trail finished off on a sweet note with mango rice kheer, a cooked rice pudding made using fresh Pakistani Chaunsa mangoes. It was the perfect ending to a flavourful gastronomic journey.
If you get the chance to join Humayun on one of his hosted lunches or dinners then clear your diary and go! You’ll enjoy delicious food and learn all about the specialities of whatever part of the Indian sub-continent he’s taking you to. Meanwhile, if you are now craving a taste of Pakistan, do try Lahori, a Maida Vale restaurant offering authentic Pakistani & Indian cuisine
Lahori
2-4 Gateforth St
London
NW8 8EH
020 7723 1008
Leave a Reply