The popular "Indian Street Kitchen" just off Oxford Street has just kicked off a series of supper clubs in November. Taking place every Monday from now until December, they'll be taking place in the downstairs dining room and will be a chance for the kitchen to explore its creativity. We caught up with owner Rohit Chugh to find out more.
What made you decide to set up the supper club nights?
Since before launching and most definitely after, we've trialled hundreds of dishes. The issue for us, though, is that we remain keen to keep both our Street Kitchen and Dining Room menus simple. That allows us to focus on the consistent quality which our regulars often compliment us on. Most recently, a prominent hotelier from Mumbai commented that she was amazed that, a couple of months after her last visit, our Bengali Macher Jhol tasted just as good and exactly the same as when she was in last. This is something she doesn't even experience in the top restaurants in India itself.
The Supper Clubs offer both me and the team a great chance to be creative. We can showcase some of the menus and dishes we've been working on over the past few months and continue to try out new things going forward. That creativity is core to why we do what we do. The nature of a Supper Club also affords us some flexibility in the kind of dishes and experience we can offer as they are one-off. We have licence to go off-piste now and again.
How will the food differ from the standard Roti Chai menu?
Each Supper Club will be very different and so in some cases the menu will feature dishes that are very much Street / Comfort food inspired and some will be far more experimental.
Much of the 'experimental' inspiration comes from my Mum's cooking and those of family friends. Growing up in the UK, my brother and I would often come home asking our mum to make non-Indian dishes that we'd tried. She would always come up with something, often with an Indian twist. I think that rubbed off on both of us in terms of how we cook and what we enjoy.
To be fair the same thing happens in India itself, with many restaurants Indian-ising Italian, Chinese and other cuisines. Likewise, where there are large Indian communities, cuisines have been created that are inherently Indian but very different. Trinidad and Kenya are two classic examples.
What can we expect from upcoming events?
Here's what's coming in the next three weeks.
- INDIAN SOUL, NOV 5: Music & food compliment each other so well and both are intrinsic to life in India. We are delighted to have teamed up with the Darbar Festival a few times this year and next Monday we will have the unique Indian saxophonist Jesse Bannister playing a live set in our Dining Room. The menu will feature some Indian 'soul food' / comfort dish classics such as Pav Bhaji and Pani Puri.
- CHOTI DIWALI, NOV 12: Diwali is the most auspicious day in the Indian calendar and this year it falls on Tue 13. Diwali is all about out with the old and in with the new. Choti Diwali (or Little Diwali) is the day before and we're kicking off Diwali week with a menu of celebratory dishes including a unique take on Gajar ka Halwa, a kind of Indian spiced carrot fudge cake.
- MASALA MAC, NOV 19: Macaroni Cheese with a green chilli kick and some unique toppings. A classic Indian mum creation which works so well. With it being Thanksgiving week as well, we are planning a few Stateside classics with Indian twists to complete the menu.
Future events include Samsara, Christmas and New Year themes. This week's event is £19 pre person for two courses and £22 per person for three courses. For more details, email supperclub@rotichai.com or call 020 7408 0101.
Roti Chai is at 3 Portman Mews South, London W1H 6HS. Find out more.
