The chef-owner of Darjeeling Express picks out her favourite Indian restaurants, a great Filipino supermarket, and the bakery where she goes for Sunday treats
EATING OUT
Oriental Canteen
2A Exhibition Rd, Kensington, London SW7 2HF; 020 7581 8831
“This is my local. It serves cheap, home-style Chinese food and the people who run it are lovely. They always tell me how fat I am and I need to lose weight, which is very Chinese. I especially like the roast duck with beautiful crisp skin and the rice is perfect. I eat here a lot.” – Asma
Taste of India
293-295 High St N, East Ham, London E12 6SL; 020 8472 9779
“I often go to East Ham and have dosa [pancake made with rice and black gram] in the South Indian shops.”
Café Grill
35 Brick Ln, London E1 6PU; 020 7247 3838
“I also like Café Grill in Brick Lane. It is very home style and they do great fish curry and potato dishes. The only people who go there are locals.”
Diwana Bhel Poori House
121-123 Drummond St, London NW1 2HL; www.diwanabph.com
“I like this simple café behind Euston Station, especially for their chaat.”
Asher’s Africana Restaurant
224 Ealing Rd, Wembley HA0 4QL; 020 8795 2455
“A vegetarian café run by Gujarati women in Alperton is a recent discovery.”
BUYING IN
Manila Supermarket
11-12 Hogarth Rd, Earls Court, London SW5 0QT; 020 7373 8305
“I go to the Filipino and Thai shops off Earl’s Court Road for chilli, fresh coconut, coconut milk, coconut cream and certain fruits including bananas and aubergine. I especially like this Filipino supermarket.”
The fruit & veg stall outside Earl’s Court station
Earls Court Rd, Earls Court, London SW5 9AA
“I buy almost all my fruit and vegetables from a stall outside Earl’s Court station. The man who runs it always calls me ‘the Indian lady’. He keeps things for me until they are properly ripe. Then he will call out when I am walking by with my friends: ‘It is ready.’ I think I am his best and most regular customer and I worry sometimes that he may not survive.”
Taj Stores
112 Brick Ln, London E1 6RL; www.tajstores.co.uk
“I buy my fish from Taj Stores on Brick Lane. They sell frozen Bangladeshi fish including rohu, which is similar to carp, with lots of tiny bones that are easy to break up and remove as you eat.”
Fudco
184 Ealing Rd, Wembley HA0 4QD; www.fudco.net
“My biggest extravagance is buying saffron from Fudco on Ealing Road in Wembley, close to Alperton tube. It is the most beautiful Spanish saffron. They won’t let me open it before I buy but their quality is always consistent.”
Aux Merveilleux de Fred
55 Northcote Rd, London SW11 1NP; www.auxmerveilleux.com
“This bakery [near Clapham Junction] makes fresh brioche every two hours. I go and buy some with my son as a treat every Sunday.”
Popat Stores
138 & 156, 158 Ealing Road, Wembley HA0 4PY; www.popatstores.co.uk
“The best kitchenware shop with the rudest proprietor,” says Asma. The huge pan she uses to make our keema was purchased here.
Jones, the Butcher
1 Dulwich Rd, Brixton, London SE24 0NT; www.jonesthebutcher.me.uk
Asma uses a butcher in Herne Hill who minces the mutton especially for her. “We’ve built up a great rapport. I have sent him pictures of how I want the meat to be cut so that I have different thicknesses for different dishes. He seems fascinated by me and has totally got me. He sends me videos of him cutting the meat. I am so looking forward to feeding him at the restaurant.”