London: Darjeeling Express restaurant has officially opened the doors to it’s new Covent Garden restaurant.
Chef and Owner of Darjeeling Express, Asma Khan, was the first British chef to feature in Netflix's Emmy nominated Chef's Table. Her episode gained her an Emmy Nomination and a 2020 James Beard Award nomination.
The opening of the 90 seating Covent Garden Restaurant marks a momentous moment in the restaurant’s journey which started as a Supper Club in Asma’s home in 2012.
Asma leads an all-women kitchen team of housewives who have been running the Darjeeling Express kitchen since the Supper Club days.
“It is incredibly humbling to finally reach the day when we can open our doors and hearts and welcome guests to our restaurant. The nine month wait has been painful and it is a victory of hope over despair. The restaurant has been a home, refuge and an oasis not just for us but for many of our regular customers. It is with such joy that in the last month of a very difficult year we finally can say ‘Welcome to Darjeeling Express.’ We wait to serve you,” says Khan.
Taking influence from the railway routes across the Indian subcontinent, the restaurant offers three eight course tasting menus. These are the iconic Biryani Tasting Menu, Calcutta to Darjeeling Menu and the Phulwari (Garden) Menu. Darjeeling Express will be offering two seatings every evening at 5pm and 7:45pm.
Darjeeling Express restaurant will also serve a Brunch Menu every Sunday. The three course Brunch Menu features classic street food favourites and is a tribute to the cuisine of 1930s undivided India- from Karachi to Dhaka via Hyderabad. The Brunch Menu is open for bookings and a few tables are also reserved to accommodate walk-ins.
Deli by Darjeeling Express, also located in the Covent Garden venue, has been operating since November 2020 as a take away and collection only service and is open every day now from 11am - 4pm for seating as well. The popular new hot snack venue serves masala chai, hot toasties and desserts, inspired by the dishes served in buffet carriages and available at food stalls in railway stations across India.
Khan and her team are planning a number of events and online activities to ensure everyone is able to experience the warmth of Darjeeling Express until they are all able to come to the restaurant and experience it in person. Further details on these activities will be made available on www.darjeeling-express.com.
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About Darjeeling Express
Darjeeling Express started as a dinner for 12 guests at home, serving Indian food lovingly cooked from family recipes that go back to generations.
Asma Khan is the Owner and Chef of Darjeeling Express. In 2015, she opened a pop-up in a Soho pub to much acclaim, and Darjeeling Express, the Kingly Court, London restaurant opened its doors in June 2017. A year later, her debut cook book “Asma’s Indian Kitchen” was published by Pavilion on 4th October 2018. The book was the winner in the U.K. category for food publishing in Indian cuisine in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.
Business Insider named her Number 1 on their list of "100 Coolest People in Food and Drink". The Evening Standard listed her in The Progress 1000 as one of London’s most influential people 2019. She has been included in the eighth edition of the GG2 Power List – profiling Britain’s 101 most influential Asians and she is now the first chef to be featured on Vogue's list of 25 most influential women of year for 2020.
For more information, please visit the Darjeeling Express website at www.darjeeling-express.com . Follow Darjeeling Express on Twitter: @Darjeelingldn
Media Contacts:
info@darjeeling-express.com
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