Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai

It could have been a rather tricky task setting up a brand-new restaurant in a building which, for 51 years, housed one of London’s most recognizable Indian restaurants, Gaylord. Braver still, was the choice to stick with the same cuisine. Thankfully, Mortimer Street’s Pali Hill doesn’t disappoint and will provide a very pleasant surprise to any ex-Gaylord regulars wanting to check out the new kid on the block.

Named after the Mumbai suburb, Pali Hill is the first UK restaurant from New Delhi-based Azure Hospitality, and aims to celebrate the area’s diverse culinary heritage. It’s clear as soon as you enter Pali Hill, that at its heart, this is a place all about sharing food, having a good time and not worrying about getting your fingers covered in spice.

The décor hasn’t been overcomplicated; bright flashes of yellow contrast with an otherwise muted colour scheme, while eye-catching colourful prints line the walls. The open kitchen is the focal point of the buzzy dining room, as a constant stream of dishes leave the pass, wafting aromas of butter and spice to all corners.

Head Chef Avinash Shashidhar’s menu is built around sharing, meaning that you can feasibly try a fair chunk of the menu, without breaking the bank. Small plates arrive first and include a fantastic papadi chat – a melange of textures which has us constantly digging in to try and find more of the crispy disks of fried dough to lather in spiced yoghurt and chutney. The Pondicherry spicy fried squid didn’t pack quite as much of a punch as we expected but did come with the delightful bonus of spiced crispy kale.

Larger dishes included a rich John Dory curry lifted by the addition of mussels, and a highly photogenic cone dosa. Our dish of the evening however, had to be the fantastically peppery Chettinad style veal shin which fell off the bone and was asking to be ridded of every last ounce of slow-cooked bone marrow. A flaky flatbread proved to be the perfect implement to absorb any remaining patches of the complex sauce. The short dessert list brings us an almost cakey carrot halwa accompanied by a boule of smooth pistachio ice cream.

The wine list does well to navigate the difficulty of pairing with spice, while still providing options, and our off-dry Riesling drinks nicely with our food. It’s well worth trying a cocktail from the list too, with our favourite being the refreshingly sweet ‘Mick Jaggery’.

Pali Hill is a fantastic demonstration of the amount of variety that Indian food can offer, and is well worth a visit if you’re looking for somewhere a level or two up from a standard curry house. Just make sure to leave plenty of room, as once you read it, you’ll want to try as much of the menu as you possibly can.

Taking over the site that, for over half a century, was Gaylord Indian restaurant, Mortimer Street's Pali Hill is the first British site from Indian restaurateurs Rahul Khanna and Kabir Suri. Offering sharing-style plates inspired by the food of Mumbai in a contemporary setting, Pali Hill's seasonal menu covers a lot of ground. It also benefits from a separate underground cocktail bar, Bhandra Bhai, which aims to recreate the vibe of an Indian smuggling den.

The 60-cover space combines traditional elements of Indian design with a some more contemporary elements. The relatively spacious upstairs dining room has a small bar, as well as an open kitchen at the far end, while Bhandra Bhai downstairs is a cosier affair aith soft furnishings a plenty.

The food menu is split into small plates, dishes cooked on the tandoor or grill, and big plates, all of which are designed to be shared by the whole table. Small plates look like hara kebab with spinach, cicoria, rosevale potato and bird eye chilli, alongside grilled dishes like chargrilled Scottish langoustines with spicy shellfish shorba with fennel and tribal green pepper.

Larger dishes vary from Cornish lamb biryani with Bombay onion and cucumber raita, as well as wild sea bass steamed in banana leaf. All the sections of Pali Hill's menu also contain vegan and gluten free options, meaning that there's something for everyone.

When it comes to drinks, there are a number of alcoholic and non-alcoholic house cocktails on offer as well as beers on tap, boozy lassis, and more. There is also a decent wine list which features a variety of different options both by the glass and bottle.

Pahli Hill's convenient location makes it a great option next time you're looking for a decent, but not overly priced meal in Central London.