Shaftesbury has announced the forthcoming arrival of Asma Khan’s Darjeeling Express to Kingly Court in central London, opening spring 2017.
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 (pictured), 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 1206 sq ft restaurant with an open kitchen, will offer diners a chance to see the unique kitchen, run by housewives. Most of the women began as part-time assistants when Asma started her business 4 years ago and have stayed with her over the years forming the foundation on which the success of Darjeeling Express has been built.
Once open, 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 an ever-changing menu.
Darjeeling Express joins late night bar, Disrepute, as Kingly Court’ latest opening. Kingly Court, the innovative well-established dining and social hub in Carnaby, is part of Shaftesbury’s ethos to develop Carnaby as the leading dining destination in the heart of London’s West End.
The three-storey food hub is now home to 22 restaurants, cafés, bars and food operators, all centred around an open-air courtyard which offers year-round al-fresco dining thanks to a retractable roof that allows the courtyard to be open throughout the summer months, yet sheltered in the winter.