14th February 2017
The Indian-style supper club concept Darjeeling Express, from self-taught cook Asma Khan, is to open a permanent site in Carnaby Street’s Kingly Court this spring.
Located on the second floor of Kingly Court, alongside Dirty Bones and Le Bab, Darjeeling Express is the brain child of self-taught cook Asma Khan, and is her first permanent restaurant. Khan will serve authentic food in large sharing platters, replicating the old fashioned “dawaat” or feast which was part of her family tradition in India.
The open kitchen run by housewives of 1200 sq ft restaurant, will offer diners a unique. Most of the women began as part-time assistants when Asma started her business as a pop up 4 years ago. Darjeeling Express plans to donate to a charity initiative that supports second daughters in Kurseong village in the Darjeeling district in Bengal.
Khan’s ancestry stems from the royal Mughlai and Nawabi School of cuisine. Khan combines her North Indian culinary traditions from her father’s side combined with her mother’s Bengali heritage and family dishes from the Nizam court in Hyderabad. The results are a mélange of authentic dishes such as; Calcutta lamb dum biryani, Khare Masale ka Gosht, Hyderabadi Haleem and Mutton Shikampuri Kabab. Communal tables featured in the centre of the restaurant enhance the feel of family dining with sharing platters and a changing menu.
Darjeeling Express joins late night bar, Disrepute, as Kingly Court’ latest opening. Kingly Court, is an established dining and social hub in Carnaby in the heart of London’s West End. The three-storey food hub is home to 22 restaurants, cafés, bars and food operators, centred around an open-air courtyard which offers year-round al-fresco dining with a retractable roof, open throughout the summer and sheltered in the winter.
“I am excited to be opening my first permanent restaurant in Carnaby’s Kingly Court. To be surrounded by other independent restaurants is the perfect setting for Darjeeling Express to open its doors. Located in the heart of the West End alongside such diverse cuisines is the perfect environment to introduce Londoners to authentic Indian home cooking,” said Asma Khan
Carnaby has become the dining destination of choice for the West End and is renowned for its exceptional mix of over 60 independent restaurants, new dining concepts and cafés.