We had a lot of amazing food on our 2023 trip. We ate at some of the best pizza places in the world, had fish pulled directly from the sea to my plate, shoveled pasta in my mouth that was so good I almost cried, but none of that was my favorite meal of the trip.
The greatest thing I ate in Europe was the lunch tasting menu at Gymkhana in London. I loved it so much that we went three times in the combined 8 weeks we spent in London, including for my 40th birthday.
Gymkhana is a Michelin-star Indian restaurant that is somehow high-end and low-key at the same time. The portions are sizable and the extremely attentive team of waiters don’t look twice at your sneakers (during lunch time anyway).
The lunch menu is a four-course prix fixe menu for £48. The first course is pappadum with a selection of sauces. The pappadum are super crispy and the sauces are delicious. The red sauce is shrimp-based, which they do point out. Side note: they are really good about asking about dietary preferences, not just allergies.
The next course is aloo chat. Listen, I don’t take food lightly and hyperbole doesn’t belong in a food review. That being said, I would die for this aloo chat. I would pull a Peewee Herman and marry it. I would live in the Gymkhana bathroom and pretend to be a local patron so I could eat it every day. It is, without a doubt, my favorite dish in the world. The Husband had the tasting menu every time we went just so I could have two portions. I clutched the half empty bowl to my chest when the waiter tried to clear it.
So, yeah, my favorite food. It’s hot and cold, spicy and soothing, soft and crunchy. I can’t emphasize enough how incredible it is. I’m about to book a flight to London because I’m craving it now.
The next course was an option of four different dishes. The Husband had the Kasoori chicken tikka each time. I had the Achari paneer tiki and the beetroot chops pao. They were both fantastic. I usually hate beets but I wanted to try everything.
The forth dish was the option of one of six dishes, served with saag makai, rice, and naan. The Husband had the chicken butter masala each time. He’s had a lot of butter chicken and this was hands down his favorite. I had the prawn curry and the chana masala.
We didn’t have room for dessert any of the visits, but they gave me a little dessert on my birthday and a little sweet bite on the other visits.
If you love Indian food and are visiting London, you need to make a reservation at Gymkhana. You’ll be so impressed by the service and the food, and you can bring me back some aloo chaat.
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