East London’s Lahore Kebab House
Monday, 10th May 2010 | 7 Comments
I fancy myself quite an expert on regional cuisines of southern Italy. And I’ve got a pretty good handle on Turkish, American, and British food. Mexican and Ethiopian, too–they are all I think about most days. Beyond that, I’m pretty clueless. Put me in any old Chinese, Japanese, Thai or Indian restaurant and I’m a pretty happy camper, proving the old adage “ignorance is bliss” by being exceedingly happy with most everything I order, lacking the experience, context, and knowledge to know if what I am eating is truly good, mediocre, or totally bad.
For this reason, I am completely dependent upon the advice of friends about where to eat cuisines with which I am unfamiliar. I followed Shayma‘s advice on eating Pakistani in London. She had read this post on New Tayyabs in Whitechapel and beseeched me to try their local competitor, Lahore Kebab House. I may be totally ignorant about the nuances of Pakistani cuisine, but every dish I ate there on Saturday night topped Tayyabs. The grilled lamb chops were of higher quality meat and more liberally spiced. The chicken tikka, too, didn’t mess around in the spice department, bringing the heat in new and interesting ways compared to its less complicated Tayyab counterpart. The lamb curry was delicately gamey as all good lamb should be and its accompanying sauce had penetrated the meat. It was a marriage of flavor and protein made in culinary heaven.
The only part of the meal that fell flat for me was the dessert, kheer (rice pudding), which seemed excessively dense and creamy compared to others I’ve had in the past. Perhaps the goal of this dish was texture over flavor? I admit I don’t really know.
Lahore Kebab House
2 Umberston Street
E1 1PY London
Tel: 020 74819737
May 12th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
so pleased that you went here. did you try their seekh kebabs? those are their specialty and the “chaamps” (chops) which you had. the seekhs are tender and succulent. it’s a pity you didnt like kheer, maybe his was too rubbery? lots of desserts from our part of the world are too sweet for non-’desis’- cloying, they say. i can see that. thanks for the ‘honourable mention’. x shayma
May 12th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
yes! we did have the seekh kebabs, its tomorrow’s daily food photo:)
i love super sweet desserts. cassata is my favorite thing on earth. so it wasn’t that. the prob was the kheer wasnt sweet at all. it was super creamy almost gluelike. not like others ive had. next time ill skip dessert and fill up on more meat!
May 13th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
hahahaha gluey! that’s is probably exactly what it was- and some people like it (i can see why many, dont!). turd and glue, what a night!
tee hee x shayma
June 18th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
[...] foods are made with absolutely, positively no aesthetic considerations in mind. This seekh kebab at Lahore Kebab House looks a lot like a grilled turd. Not that I’ve ever grilled one. But, you know what I mean. [...]
July 4th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
I’ve been going to LKH since a friend introduced me back in 1987!
Next time you’re there try the Nihari – it’s an on-the-bone lamb curry. I think you’ll need to visit on a weds/thurs as it’s a special. Fantastic.
July 14th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
[...] Lahore Kebab House: A no-nonsense Pakistani kebab house in East London known for its succulent seekh kebab, spiced lamb chops and fiery curries. [...]
January 2nd, 2011 at 8:01 am
[...] John Pizzetta with egg and spinach at Polpo Charcuterie platter at Bar Boulud Grilled lamb chops at Lahore Kebab House Blueberry souffle at Galvin La Chapelle Octopus, beans, and ricotta at L’Anima Tammyworth [...]