I've heard it said more than once that some of the best Indian food in the world can be found in London. To be honest, I don't know Indian food super well. Growing up in Ohio, I mostly ate my mom's home cooking. If we did eat out, it would usually be Chinese food, Japanese food, or maybe Italian. I had my first Indian samosa at my Indian American friend's graduation party. It wasn't until college that I had a falafel, bulgolgi, and so many other dishes for the first time.
To be honest, I had to convince Bryan to eat at an Indian restaurant while we were in London. Despite the fact that Bibi has 1 Michelin star and was highly recommended by his best friend, Bryan was still a bit cautious. He's traveled to India several times, and each time he struggled to find food he enjoyed.
Bibi London is a modern Indian restaurant that's relatively upscale. It's located in the lovely and quaint neighborhood of Mayfair. Before opening Bibi, Chef Chet, (who also has a PhD from the University of Oxford!) worked at some impressive places (and some of my favorite places in the world!), such as Mugaritz, Simon Rogan's Umbel Restaurant group, and the Ledbury.
We went at lunch, where we were given a choice between two set menus: a three course and a five course. We opted for the five course, since we wanted to experience more variety of dishes.
The way the set menus work is that for each course there is a choice between two options. For us, we each chose one, therefore allowing us to try 10 dishes in total!
1. The Snacking Course: a Number of Small Bites
We began with a number of artfully designed and beautifully crafted bites. These were familiar flavors presented in new and creative ways. I loved the papadum with the fragrant herb-based sauce. Other bites, like the ikejime trout dokhla or the hamachi nimbu pani, seemed to take inspiration from Japanese and French ingredients and concepts.
2. The Seafood Course: Scallop or Red Mullet
3. The Red Meat Course: Lamb or Beef?
I <3 Bibi?
I had brought my nice camera, using it to snap away photos of the food and the surrouding spaces. All of a sudden one of the chefs started posing for my photos. Before you know it, the staff were chiding Peppe for his oddly shaped heart, fixing it so that I could get the perfect photo. XD
Thanks Peppe!
4. Second Meat Course: Signature Dish (Goat + Chicken)
The Signature Dish
We both ate this dish up. It's one menu item that is always there. It's part of all the set menus, and you can even get it a la carte.
5. Dessert Course
Shah Babur’s Saffron Egg
Bibi London - General Thoughts
I don't get to each Indian food a lot, and certainly rarely get to eat it in London. In this case, I was duly impressed. In fact, I still think about that amazing Sharmaji's Lahori Chicken. I think I'd come back just for that dish! I also loved the Green Chili Scallop, as well as some of the snacks at the beginning. All in all, it's definitely worth visiting. The food's creative and delicious. Book early, since this place can fill up, especially on weekends!
Bibi London
42 North Audley Street
Mayfair, London W1K 6ZP
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