Britain has a long and storied history with Indian food that stretches back over two centuries, during which it has become interwoven with British food culture arguably more than any other international cuisine. But much of what we call ‘Indian’ food is a pale imitation of the real thing; an Anglo-Indian hybrid. This is certainly not the case at Darjeeling Express, where chef Asma Khan serves up the royal Mughlai dishes she inherited from her family.
Having first launched in 2017 at an intimate site in Soho’s Kingly Court which quickly became so popular that customers were having to book tables weeks, if not months in advance, Khan decided in 2020 that it was time to move to a larger site post-coronavirus lockdown. Darjeeling Express is now found in a much roomier 150-cover space in Covent Garden where both a set dinner menu and a more casual Deli-style lunch menu are offered. While delights such as chicken momo (steamed Darjeeling dumplings) with sesame and chilli chutneys, prawn malaikari and steamed hunza apricots with cream are sure to go down well with diners, so too are crowd-pleasers on the lunch menu including a chilli cheese toastie.
Food isn’t the only reason Darjeeling Express stands out from the crowd. Walk into the restaurant and you’ll quickly realise that it’s staffed by an all-female team of chefs. Like Asma herself, many of her team are mothers and 'second daughters' – expert cooks who have been feeding their families for decades. As a result, Darjeeling Express feels genuinely homely, and food is cooked with real love and care.
Despite the change of location, Darjeeling Express at its heart is still a refreshingly simple sort of restaurant. The simple drinks list barely covers more than a page and the slick yet simple dining room has been kept relatively stripped back and relaxed, letting the wonderful, aromatic, colourful food cooked with love by Asma and her team take centre stage. For those of us not lucky enough to grow up with an expert Indian home cook in the family, it's an absolute joy to experience.
In 2019, Darjeeling Express became the first restaurant in the UK to be featured on hit Netflix show Chef’s Table.
A percentage of all the profits at Darjeeling Express goes towards Asma’s Second Daughters fund – a charity that sends packages to second daughters born in India and helps to support their education.
On Sundays Asma hosts a biryani supper club at the restaurant instead of the regular menu, where her signature biryani is unveiled in the dining room and served to everyone at the same time in the traditional ‘dawaat’ style.
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