Zumbura (Clapham)

• Ll notice about Indian restaurant Zumbura nestled in the well to do idyll of Clapham Old Town is that in almost every way
• Deep turquoise and bare brick walls embellished with wild flowers in slim glass vases
• S a wooden bar of organic form laden with ingredients used in the kitchen including the namesake fruit zumbura (pomelo in Urdu) and fresh tamarind
• Brass light fittings with bare bulbs adorn the walls
• The Cinnamon Club and Michelin starred Benares) was drafted in to help achieve Ahmad&rsquo
• If his intention is for the food to taste like no other found in Indian restaurants
• Battered in chickpea flour and lightly fried were entirely without grease
• A nod to the Indian street side favourite that is chaat bread fried to a crisp and puffed rice
• Potato cakes were smooth and delicately spiced rounds
• It all feels like it was made moments before
• My preferred choice when making humous) braised over time with onion and mango powder was an earthy
• A yellow daal cooked with curry leaves and garlic
• The bowl quickly excavated with the help of warm parathas and naan making up the bread selection (£
• Opaque hunks of coley spiked with mustard seeds and fenugreek was great (£
• The kullia stew of lamb and turnip was arrestingly aromatic
• Milk and sugar (not too much) topped with pistachios (£
• T go far wrong with ice creams or sorbets either pistachio intensely represented
• Indian cuisine and I was really eager to try it
• The whole point of Zumbura is to share the experience of food and flavour
• You get plates which are the perfect size for sharing
• We started with a couple of amazing signature cocktails
• Lychee juice stirred with chaat masala
• The mix between the crispy chips and the creamy yoghurt was just amazing and the fritters
• Braised pointed gourd with crunchy seeds
• An Indian restaurant with a difference
• CEO Aamir Ahmad has created a restaurant that offers the food he enjoyed whilst growing up with his Indian born parents in London
• The restaurant itself is very visually appealing with its wooden tables
• This tapas style of eating has become fashionable in the past years (see HerFavFood's review of Dishoom) and is great if you enjoy trying a variety of dishes
• We started with pakoras and chaat which both proved to be delicious
• The restaurant also gave us complimentary vegetables with dips to snack on with our starters which was a lovely touch
• The main course I chose the aloo ki tarkari (potato curry) with rice and namuna (peas with garlic and ginger)
• The curry was very light with understated spices which after years of heavily flavoured Indian food I'm not used to
• I felt the sauce was quite thin and whilst pleasant
• I'd like to point out that this could very well be exactly how the dish tastes in North East India and this is simply my personal preference
• I would hugely recommend the peas which were the tastiest
• I opted for the gajjar ka halwa (warm creamed carrot pudding) which was a very different taste sensation for me
• A few spoonfuls were enough but it ended the meal perfectly
• The tapas style of Zumbura is great if you have a certain budget
• It is definitely affordable and well worth visiting to try a different type of Indian cooking with subtle spices and interesting ingredients
• 7 which is reasonable for London and the Molly Moo Moo is well worth it
• Indian restaurants are often one of the best options for vegetarians as they offer the most amount of choice and Zumbura didn&rsquo
• There were several other options I could have chosen so it is a good destination for veggies and carnivores alike
• The variety within the menu was a great change from what us Brits often expect from the local Indian restaurant and Clapham is lucky to have a restaurant offering something unfamiliar and appetising
• Just as the starters were being served
• After a warm welcome from the waitress I was offered cocktails as a liquid starter
• A blend of Stoli Vanilla and passion fruit with a shot of Prosecco on the side (£
• An array of tasty dishes were presented before us along with a bread selection (£
• My favourites were the Black chickpeas braised in onion and mango powder (£
• 4.50 and an incredibly creamy lentil Daal with curry leaves and garlic dressing (£
• Prepared so they were just crisp and not soft and slimy
• Delicious scooped up with the paratha
• 8.00) were also served along with hari murghi
• Main dishes were the kullia
• I went and sat at the bar with the co owner Aamir Ahmad
• Making the best of a small space
• He said that most westerners were unaccustomed to the strange bitter flavour
• Like all the best restaurants
• Has a menu that is simple and short complimented by an excellent wine list carefully chosen by the owners themselves
• Some places are worth making that extra effort to seek out and one such place is Zumbura
• S associated with Indian dining and gone is the ghee
• Yes there is some spice in the dishes but it is just so different and completely what you would not expect from your Indian place
• My favourite was their take on lamb curry and healthier pitta breads
• They cocktails are not o shabby either so go for it
• We luckily bagged a pew at the carved out bar counter and perused the menu with watering mouths
• The fried poori was the outright winner however
• These were served piping hot along with cooling sauces
• We arrived slightly earlier than our companions and were happy to indulge in a couple of cocktails while we waited for them
• I went for a Himalayan Ice tea which was delicious and refreshing but tasted quite alcoholic
• The stand out dish was a fish curry with fenugreek
• Zumbura in Old Town is an Indian restaurant with a difference
• The decor and atmosphere is clean and pleasant and the flavours from some of the dishes quite exquisite
• My co writer Tom was less enamoured from his visit
• I'm not sure my co diners were as fussed as me
• Modern and somewhat romantic setting with decent service
• Cambodian beer was good but again pricey for a small bottle
• I'm not sure this is one of them
• The food here is outstanding
• My favourite dishes are the lamb chops
• Oh and the naans are so fresh and yummy

Read More