I had the opportunity to visit Farzi Café recently situated in the lively Haymarket area, a three-minute walk from Leicester Square. This was our first time going to a modern Indian restaurant so we weren’t sure what to expect but were pleasantly surprised how the restaurant had taken traditional recipes and given them a modern twist, not only in taste but also appeared as each plate served was beautifully decorated and easy on the eyes.

The restaurant is spread over two floors and decorated with a very elegant and modern approach which really sits well with the concept of their menus. The main dining area is located on the ground level which also houses a very stylish and well-stocked bar. We were seated near the bar area and within close proximity to the partially open kitchen, we were really happy with where we were seated, a little worried at first thinking it would be too noisy but ended up being pleasantly surprised.

We came to try out the Sunday Feasting Brunch menu which is priced at £39 which is ideal for two or more people sharing, this provides plenty of options to try a variety of plates especially good as we didn’t know what to order. There is also an extensive drinks menu with a good choice of wines and cocktails, they also have a very unique twist to cocktails with their own cocktails made for each star sign, which we had to try, I went with the “Taurus Orchards” which was a mix of Indian Aperitif, Calvados Dupont, soda, apple, mango and sparkling wine which tasted amazing.

The service was excellent from start to end, our waiter really went above and beyond to make sure we felt comfortable, knew about the drinks on offer and even took the time to go over the feasting brunch menu. While we were waiting for our food to be served we were so pleased to find out there will be live music during the lunch service, the live performance by a violinist really captured the attention of everyone there and helped create a very relaxed environment.

As soon as the food started coming it really didn’t stop, for starters we got to try a few different small plates, first to come to the table was the Fermented Rice Pancakes which comes with feta, baby asparagus which was an excellent vegetarian option, second plates to come to the table was Masala Egg Omelette which comes with crushed hash brown, green chilly mayo, chervil and the Roasted Pumpkin, Courgette Salad & Goat’s Curd Mousse with honey truffle. The third set of plates that came out were the Bangers & Mash, duck sausage, confit onion, green-pea grits, cobra glaze and the Brunch Quesadilla which comes with butter chicken, kidney beans, smoked cheddar. A lot of plates for starters but small plates which really does give you the best opportunity to try what Farzi Café has to offer.

For the main course, you have three options, a vegetarian platter or a lamb or chicken dish, we decided to go with the lamb shoulder which is a slow-cooked yoghurt marinated shoulder, which comes with apricots, salli potato, rogan josh. The mains are also accompanied by four side dishes, Dal Makhani, Assorted Indian Bread, Brussel Sprout, crispy cashew-nut poriyal and Pulav Rice. The main dish was really a crowd-pleaser, slow-cooked lamb that smelt and tasted amazing. The presentation and taste of the dish really brought home the modern Indian cuisine the restaurant is aiming for. This was one of those dishes you would want to definitely come back for more.

Finally, if you do have any space left over for dessert you do have the option of trying their dessert platter which comes with Candied Sweet Lime Fondant, lemon cannelloni, strawberry shortcake and coconut sorbet. We were so full after the first two courses that we only had a few bites of the dessert. It did taste great, just wish we had left a bit more space for it, maybe next time.

Overall Farzi Cafe was an excellent experience, the Sunday Feasting Brunch menu provides a taster across their full menu and a great opportunity to try traditional Indian dishes brought back to life with a modern twist. The Feasting Brunch menu offers so much food for the price you pay plus you have the option of adding bottomless drinks for an additional £19 which I think is great value for money. This is one of those menus best experienced with a group of friends or family as there is plenty to share.

A: 8 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4BP
T: 020 3981 0090
W: Farzi London

Written by Remisa Asllanaj for Luxuria Lifestyle London and International