Mowgli Street Food London – I’ve long been a great fan of Nisha Katona. Regular readers will have seen my reviews of her fabulous cookbooks and, as well as being the CEO of Mowgli Street Food, Nisha works extensively as a business and food expert on several projects across the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4. Her work also features across a number of national newspapers. She received an MBE for services to the food industry. It’s Nisha’s ambition to continue growing Mowgli Street Food to enrich lives in the cities she goes to. This is done by creating jobs in a nurturing workplace, sponsoring a child in need for each full-time employee, and dedicating each restaurant to a local charity. The Mowgli Trust has raised over £2.5 million for local and world charities. What’s more, to ensure that her teams keep a global perspective on life itself, each year she flies scores of team members to support her projects overseas.
I was keen to check out her first (and only central) London site (the other in Stratford at Westfield), so went for supper the other day with my Indian mate Seema. It’s located in Charlotte Street, so Tottenham Court Road or Goodge Street are the nearest tube stations. The decor is spectacularly inviting: Lots of fairy lights give a magical experience. Tables are quite close together, though, and a very noisy group at the next table resulted in the lovely manager, Jack, suggesting we move to the upstairs dining area, which was equally pretty, but considerably quieter. We relaxed with a Mowgli G&T – very refreshing, but didn’t fully deliver on the promise of ginger and coriander.
Jack suggested we order a selection of dishes, and explained that the food comes out of the kitchen as soon as it is ready. So if you are planning to go, I’d suggest just ordering one or two dishes to start with – we were rather overwhelmed with all our choices arriving much at the same time. This wasn’t ideal as it meant that a few of the dishes weren’t as hot as they should be by the time we got around to eating them. The concept is very much Indian street food, and most of the dishes are served in small-ish portions in metal tiffin trays. This adds to the casual atmosphere and allows you to try lots of different items on the menu.
We started with Yoghurt Chat Bombs, lightly seasoned puff parcels filled with homemade yoghurt, coriander, and tamarind and topped with a pomegranate seed. They were delicate mouthfuls and deeply flavoursome — crisp on the outside, cool and tangy within. They were delicious with subtle flavouring and a gentle heat from the masala that slowly built up in the mouth.
Our other ‘starter’ was Maa’s Lamb Chops & Fenugreek Kissed Fries. These were thin lamb chops coated with Indian spices, and baked, then laid over a bed of tangy, marinated potatoes that have soaked up layer after layer of flavour. The chops were very crisp and the base was a wonderful ‘hot salad’ that was really packed with flavour.
Aunty Geeta’s Prawn Curry was a tangy tomato prawn curry with fresh peas. It was an aromatic dish that balanced sweet seafood, with gentle heat, and lively acidity. There was a touch of Bengali Five Spice (Panch Phoron) and green chillies in a tomato sauce. This added a warmth without overpowering the freshness and flavour of the prawns. It was very good indeed.
Our final dish was Mowgli House Lamb: slow-cooked lamb that had been slow cooked till it fell apart, simmered with anise, plums and chickpeas. Apparently this was Nisha’s father’s heirloom recipe. It was a deep, rich lamb stew, lightly spiced and with delicate flavours. We opted for Roti Parata to accompany these, as well as a portion of a new dish to the menu – Tangled Greens, shredded cabbage tangled with mustard seed, kale & lemon. This was a lovely idea and looked fabulous, but was rather on the salty side for our taste – perhaps just a slip up in the kitchen that evening.
Wines are well priced and we enjoyed a bottle of Domaine De Pellehaute rosé at £27 a bottle, that paired really well with the food.
Prices are very reasonable, with most of the dishes costing under £10 and sides at under £5. For those with a bigger appetite, there are a few bigger plates for under £20.
Mowgli is a wonderful place to grab a quick lunch or a pre or post theatre meal. A new Lite Tiffin for two people or more, invites guests to enjoy signature Indian home-style food at just 600 calories per person. It contains two curries and a portion of rice to share, as well as a chat bomb and soft drink per person – all under 600 calories each, and at just £15 per head. Within the Lite Tiffin, one can choose from favourites such as Mother Butter Chicken, Aunty Geeta’s Prawn Curry, Goan Fish Curry, or vegan classics like the Vegan Temple Dahl and Tea-Steeped Chickpeas.
There is also a sharing menu at £25 per head.
And for those who can’t get to Charlotte Street or Stratford, Mowgli is now available to order in many UK locations via Uber Eats, so check your location online if you fancy a home delivery.
The Seasoned Gastronome