"On the 170m walk up Brick Lane from the Premier Hub, this critically acclaimed restaurant was the only curry house not to harass me to eat, convincing me that passing the other 22 curry houses was worth it. Was it? The window is adorned with reviews like a heavyweight boxer’s trophy room (See images) with the diners inside tucking in , but is it really The King of Brick Lane”? They have a dedicated vegan menu (1st in Brick Lane) with a mix of traditional vegan specialties and plenty of plant based meat substitute dishes too (see menu) with a Bangladeshi Indian influence. [hidden link] A good measure of a older style trad restaurant is the Thali and it was up there with the best of the best. I’ve read why folk want it to be 5 stars and I couldn’t agree more on flavour alone. Shahi Sahakari Thali £18.95 Shahi Sahakari loosely translates as The vegan king . A thali style platter containing a mixture of uribeeshi biran, bombay aloo, begun daal gatta, chowle achar, chappati and rice… The Bombay Aloo had a warming comforting flavour and the potatoes intact but fluffy and soft. The Begun Daal Gatta was a stunning dish of lentils and aubergine (begun) garnished with a fine selection of herbs. This medium spiced curry really did wow me and I’d like it as a main. The Uribeeshi Biran is the beans of a a runnerbean (uribeeshi) which have been fried (biran) with onions and a blend of spices. The beans have bite and work well with the rice although drier than I’d imagined. The Chowle Achar was a surprise as it’s not listed on the Thali menu! The kabali chickpeas are pan cooked with mixed garlic, ginger, punch poron and blended with spread pickle, accompanied by a delicious thin sauce. They were cooked to perfection and with the chapati were second only to the daal as my favourite. The rice and chapati were nice but I had to order an extra chapati so I could ensure every bowl was wiped clean and finished. Not a morsel left. If I’m to be critical, it was expensive and I’d have preferred the Thali on a Thali plate with a little more rice and 2 chapatis, but I couldn’t fault the cooking."
