Tayyabs is the sizzling heart of Whitechapel.
Tayyabs comes from humble beginnings.
In 1972 a small grillhouse opened in an old greasy spoon cafe on Fieldgate St, serving homestyle Punjabi cooking to the Pakistani immigrants of Whitechapel. It wasn't long before the rumours of the excellent food spread first to the junior doctors of the nearby Royal London Hospital, and then the wider city.
An old newsagents and a pub were swallowed up over the years to house hungry diners. More recently, a basement was excavated, then another floor upstairs, then yet another vast space out back. And yet like road traffic on a new motorway, the increased room has just created increased demand. Thousands of people now pass under that famous blue neon sign every day.
Flickr: mjhbixby6 / Via Creative Commons
But it's all about the chops.
And if you have to ask why it's in such demand, then you haven't eaten there. Signature dish and jewel in the Tayyabs crown are the lamb chops, smoky and sizzling from the coals. Drenched in impossibly rich and complex spicing, they are bedrock for Tayyab's vast influence and reputation in the city, and are unmatched anywhere else.
And don't stop there.
The lamb chops, part of the mixed grill which also includes punchy chunks of chicken tikka and spicy seekh kebabs, are of course a must order. But the rest of the menu contains some equally astonishing dishes. Try the Dry Meat, a bowl of thick, sticky reduced beef stew, salty and intense, and the Tinda Masala, a vegetarian dish of baby pumpkins in a tomato-chilli sauce.
Don't forget the sides.
Thanks to the huge turnover and hordes of eager customers night and day, none of the food is lying around for more than a few seconds and most is cooked to order. So the bread is always fluffy and fresh, shiny with ghee and addictively moreish, and the crisp roti are always piping hot.
Flickr: 55935853@N00 / Via Creative Commons
No comments:
Post a Comment