Indigo Shoreditch review, Bollywood dining in London
I recently came across a very cool, retro-style cafe – Indigo Shoreditch – which served traditional Indian street food.
Indigo Shoreditch had me at hello. With the promise of dosa – an Indian pancake that I LOVE – I was enticed. And the rest of the starters, mainly Indian vegetarian, got me was hooked.
The place itself exudes old Bollywood, lots of yellow light, the sign looks like that of a movie theatre. In fact, Indigo Shoreditch is next to the RichMix studio, a very trendy artsy place which shows movies new and old, as well as hosting the odd gig.
Dining with a friend, we opted for a hefty food-fest of four starters and a dosa to share.
The gol guppa, or pani poori – crisp rice flour balls filled with spiced chickpeas with a tangy watery tamarind sauce, were just divine and one of the best versions I’ve tried (I’ve had many a gol guppa, BTW).
The samosa chaat was also delicious, but so freaking hot that I needed some natural yoghurt to quash the chilli.
I was less enamoured with the channa masala, chickpeas in a spicy tomato sauce with deep fried rotis. The dish was pleasant enough, but the chickpeas seemed few and far between. I much preferred the versions served at Chawallas, which had a delicious homemade bread, and Sagar Veg, which had a delicious generous chickpea curry (you can read about both of them here).
The Pav Bhaji, a spiced vegetable mash served with butter fried buns was slightly disappointing. The buns were a bit sweet for my liking, and the vegetable lacked the texture of the version I make at home (which reminds me, I must upload the recipe soon).
Despite being fairly full, I just needed to try my darling dosa. However I’m sad to report that it was a little disappointing. The pancake was over browned, and the spicy mashed potato filling was very skimpy. This was in stark contrast to the crisp and light generously-filled dosas I’ve tried before.
So while I’d visit again (I promised hubby I’d take him), I’d opt for a double round of delicious gol guppas rather than a dosa. I’d possibly try one of the meat mains, but I think my preference would be to opt for the snacks rather than a full on meal at Indigo.
Indigo Shoreditch in a nutshell
Price – starters are £7, mains around £8, so a bit more pricey than your usual Indian vegetarian faire (that’s the price you pay for being in a trendy hotspot I guess).
Halal – yes
Great if… It’s spicy gol guppa and samosa chaat you’re after. So more of a pre-movie snack place than a full on dinner.
Not so great if… You want a filling, hearty dosa, check out my other Indian veg restaurants for that.
About the Author
HalimaBobs
I’m a British-Bengali Muslim mum-of-two. My pictures aren’t filtered and neither are my words. I’m not a makeup artist, chef or lifestyle guru. I’m just me, sharing honest beauty reviews for brown skin, halal restaurant finds, travel inspo, mum life hacks, easy Bengali recipes and more. If that’s your bag, keep reading!
