The word "gymkhana" might bring back memories of children's horse events to many, but this upcoming London restaurant has a particularly good pedigree behind it.
It's from Karam Sethi, the chef behind Trishna - the Marylebone Indian restaurant that's been getting rave reviews, right up to winning a Michelin star in this year's guide. Now he's taking the concept of colonial gymkhana clubs as a running theme of his new restaurant which will serve modern Indian food, combined with British ingredients, with a focus on the tandoor oven and sigri charcoal grill.
Dishes will include club style nashtas (Indian all-day snack fare), club sharing plates of tandoori kebabs and sigri grills, and seasonal curries and biryanis in the Dum Pukht style. Traditional Indian breads will be cooked on the tandoor and tawa skillet and there will be a feast menu available for groups- with game bird feasts, a Goan suckling pig feast, a Lucknowi kid goat raan feast and a tandoori guinea fowl feast.
It will also feature modern interpretations of traditional East Indian punch tavern drinks - which will inspire the design of the ground floor. The bar will focus on a range of spirits, tonics and mixers from the sub-continent, including feni and arrack while Trishna Sommelier Sunaina Sethi is behind the wine list.
Gymkhana opens in September at 42 Albemarle Street.
