These family-run restaurants are the best in London’s Indian food scene

The Sethi siblings (Karan, Sunaina and Jyotin) are the masterminds behind London restaurants like Trishna and Gymkhana

Sitting across Karam Sethi at the newly-opened Brigadiers restaurant in London’s Bloomberg Arcade, I’m taking notes on what to order from the menu. An array of Indian barbecue dishes, small plates and beer on tap is just the ticket, I’m told. Brigadiers is another feather in the cap for the JKS restaurant group, which runs restaurants like Trishna, Gymkhana and Hoppers, and is jointly run by siblings Jyotin, Karam and Sunaina. The Sethis grew up in north London, with summers spent at their grandparents’ home in Delhi. Homemade meals, freshly prepared with local ingredients, gave them an appreciation for the diversity of their heritage. But it was at the city’s clubs that they found the culinary inspiration they really needed. In 2013, they launched Gymkhana, a Michelin-starrestaurant on point with its decor, service and, most of all, food, which is authentic in taste and universal in appeal. Be it the duck dosa or muntjac spiced biryani, the dishes are unapologetically Indian. Its cult status is backed with a fan following comprising the Beckhams, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ed Sheeran.

In 2015, the trio launched Hoppers, a more casual Sri Lankan restaurant in the heart of Soho, where a two hour wait is unavoidable. A second outpost was imperative. Their Marylebone outlet allows diners to enjoy equally delicious hoppers, pol sambal and bone marrow varuval. “We create restaurants based on the food we would like to eat. Hoppers represented a cuisine that was not very well known in London,” explains Karam. Food is at the forefront of everything they do. Young and ambitious, the Sethi siblings have a keen eye for what works in the food business. While Karam oversees the menus, Sunaina is operations director and sommelier alongside her brother Jyotin (a former investment banker), who also works as the group’s finance director. Jksrestaurants.com

Harneet and Devina Baweja of Gunpowder

Devina and Harneet Baweja

For the Bawejas, it was a move from Kolkata to London and their shared love for good food that egged them to turn restaurateurs. In the heart of Spitalfields, Gunpowder opened in 2016, upping the ante on Indian cuisine in London with a menu that merged home cooking with street food. The husband-wife duo put as much attention into their produce as they do on developing the menu—the aloo chaat, sigri-grilled broccoli with a delicious mustard sauce and the Karwari soft shell crab are just some of their signature dishes. “People are so well travelled that they want to know where the dish is from and how it is cooked,” says Harneet. “The simplicity of cooking tandoori chicken on coal can make all the difference to the flavour—it’s what makes food special.” In 2017, the couple opened Madame D, exploring the flavours of the Himalayas, which was followed by Gul & Sepoy, an experimental Indian eatery. “Putting together our menus is a collaborative effort and sometimes it means giving up on the nostalgia we grew up on, for what ultimately works on the menu is what will appeal to our customers,” says Devina, who also works as the digital director at VICE. Travel has been a constant inspiration—a trip to Florence gave them the idea to serve fresh baked goodies and open Custard, an Indian-style bakery inspired by the old coffee houses across India. Custard serves nostalgia on a plate with chicken puffs, sausage rolls and egg sandwiches as well as little treats like naankhatai and chikki.
The duo recently released their debut cookbook Gunpowder: Explosive Flavours Of Modern India (Kyle Books, 2018), and are set to launch the second outpost of Gunpowder next year, at a much larger space and with a new regional menu. Harneet tells me, “We are brave enough and foolish enough to take on the world and think we can win!” It’s a clear win, given that their food has been championed by the likes of Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver. Gunpowderlondon.com

If you’re looking for consistently great Indian food in London, Dishoom delivers a punch. Starting out in Covent Garden in 2010, cofounders Shamil and Kavi Thakrar tapped into the Irani café culture of Mumbai and created a little space serving delicious, accessible food that was perfect for a quick bite. “When you think about the relationship British people have with India, it’s a longstanding one that goes back hundreds of years. When it comes to food, the first thought that comes to mind are curry houses. We felt we could do more to change that perception in London,” says Shamil, a Harvard grad, who honed his entrepreneurial skills in his family’s rice business, Tilda.

Today, with five outposts across London (the largest at Kings Cross seats 250 diners), and a menu that spans breakfast, small plates and dinner, Dishoom has it all covered—think bacon naan rolls, bhel puri, berry biryani and nalli nihari. Kavi adds, “We are committed to making it better every day. Our mantra is that we should deepen and never dilute, which means being careful about how we expand, and never at the expense of quality.” The cousins are setting the pace for a brand that speaks volumes on consistency. “We are proud of the business we’ve built. Our Covent Garden restaurant was a learning curve; for a business to grow rather than plateau, we understood that it’s the guests and our team that need our attention,” adds Shamil. Food, decor and service are all vital but it is the authenticity, nostalgia and flavour packed into their menu that makes Dishoom a unanimous favourite. Dishoom.com