How Bazaar

Our first evening in London had not been carefully planned nor had reservations been made. Because our hotel provided little in terms of concierge service, we ruffled through printed pages of friend’s recommendations to search out a great first dinner restaurant to enjoy. I think my exact words were: “We can’t just go around the corner, we’re in LONDON. No night can be wasted!”

No pressure.

We settled on an Indian restaurant in Mayfair, with a recognizable enough address that any cabbie could locate it. Then we set out on a walk to get some exercise on a day mostly sitting on an airplane. We headed south along Charing Cross in the direction of Covent Garden, passing by pubs overflowing with happy hour revelers, a dozen theaters, and finally came out to Trafalgar Square in the gorgeous early-evening light. Each time I caught a glimpse of Big Ben or Parliament breaking through above a building I stopped to take yet another photo! It’s so exciting to be in a city where recognizable landmarks and monuments constantly jump into sight.

We kept walking toward the river, thinking once we got there we might have an uninterrupted view looking back north at the city. But the Thames isn’t like the Seine in this way—it’s not a sight to be seen but a means of passage and work—sure enough when we finally did get to the water we discovered there wasn’t even a path along it and were stuck. On the way, we passed through St. James Park by the duck pond (a goofy name for a pond filled with exotic, elegant birds like the black swan preening right next to us). We used the London Eye as a guide since it towered above buildings, showing the way to the river. As we came around the corner in front of Westminster Abbey, the sun was just setting, throwing a stunning pink glow on the intricate white façade. At 8pm, just as we were eagerly growing closer to Big Ben, the hour chimed and it felt like we were being reminded twice in the same moment that this was special. Once we reached the Thames behind Parliament, it was getting dark and time to hitch a ride to Mayfair.

Chor Bizarre was filled with Indian artifacts to the point I was pretty sure every table, chair and piece of flatware was imported. The atmosphere was fun and lively, a giant party celebrated near us and we were seated in imperial-feeling hand-carved chairs. The menu told us that Chor Bazaar is a ‘theive’s market’ hence the unique decoration of the space. When they opened the first restaurant in Dehli, they wanted to capture the spirit of the old and new city through the unique experience of the theive’s market, so Chor Bizarre was born.

I must say I was dying to try a London Tikka Masala as I’ve heard there’s no better place in the world to try it besides Dehli, regardless of how cliché it might be. Sure enough, Chor Bizarre had their own take on the dish with flaming brandy. Once that important aspect was settled, we sat back to enjoy delicious papadums with spicy pickles—we loved guessing what was in the pickles since you can only eat so much at a time and I was 99% sure I ate the top of a lemon rind—and crispy samosas.

The highlight for me was the second starter served: a lamb, yougurt and potato patty with such a unique texture it took me about 20 minutes to finish a 3” disc. The potatoes must have been mashed with the lamb, then ever so slightly fried so that the outside was perfectly solid yet impossibly easy to break into the meat. The lamb flavor was unmistakable but not overpowering, crucial in my book. And of course, accompanying mint chutney was delish.

Feeling like this was our 5th or 6th meal of the “day” including traveling all day Thursday and Friday with little sleep, we selected a chickpea dish and some naan to complement the chicken tikka massala. Everything was prepared beautifully and with a fresh crispness you miss in takeout (duh—I need a good Indian restautant in SF!) I loved the sweet red onions on the spicy mango chhole. I’m pretty sure I used the naan to sop up the remaining masala sauce before anyone was able to clear a dish, it was that delectable. The brandy made it a really different flavor, more sweet without sacrificing the tang of tomato.

I was half asleep in the cab on the way back to the hotel from the 2.5 hour long meal, but we passed through Picadilly Circus in its Friday night glory and I was awed, yet again that day. It’s like Times Square on crack. But it made me proud to be in advertising seeing it have such importance in the public space!