Until recently, there was a distinct lack of South Asian restaurants in Barnsbury. Thankfully, ex-Roti King chefs Prince Durairaj and Glen Leeson decided to do something about it. They found a pub on a quiet corner, formerly The Cuckoo, and crowned it The Tamil Prince. Not long after this coronation, we headed north to get a taste of the action.
Surrounded by moody blue-grey walls, the table we snagged offered a glimpse of the busy kitchen. Onion bhajis hit the table first, and each brittle bundle was plunged into cool mint yoghurt before being devoured. The chicken lollipops that came soon after, however, stole the show. These succulent sceptres, encased in a fiery, ruby red coating, were utterly addictive and only returned to the plate once the bones were bare. Pints of Helles soothed any lingering chilli (it is a pub, after all).
These lofty heights, however, would remain unsurpassed. An uttapam (think Indian okonomiyaki) fell a little flat, despite the aromatic pulled beef embedded in its dough. An excellent chickpea curry followed, but ran out about halfway through the planet-sized bhatura that accompanied it. Finally, the lamb chops were superb, their fragrant marinade having been expertly charred on the grill. But, as good as they were, £32 for half a rack’s worth felt a tad on the steep side. Things then slumped again with a forgettable kheer drink dessert.
The Tamil Prince has all the right ingredients, but a couple of tweaks are needed. Although friendly, the service felt a little random, with sides arriving long before the mains and hence getting cold. Similarly, the pricing was a little strange: aside from the costly lamb, a small portion of rice clocked in at £4.50. We will, however, be going back. Partly because these tweaks are only minor, partly because we can’t stop thinking about those chicken lollipops.