Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai

The Chef’s Table at Pahli Hill is a sensational treat. Chef Avi’s talent for innovative cuisine is matched by his storytelling gifts. Gluten-free and vegetarian options were seamless and no problem. The vibe was festive and high. Passionate sommelier and attentive servers. We’ll be back.

I recently got very obsessed about the Michelin's Guide list of restaurants in London that have a Bib Gourmand status and that's how I found out about this place as I hadn't seen any foodie influencers promoting it and none of my friends knew this place either. As a massive foodie and a lover of Indian food, I naturally had to come try it out and see what my own verdict would be. I made a reservation in advance with 3 friends for a Thursday night for an early birthday celebration. It's not too busy at 7pm and I absolutely loved the interior design. We got seated downstairs and I fell in love with the vibes instantly. It's got the old school Indian pictures and posters to give a retro vibe but it's also kinda of giving a modern stylish finish at the same time. The staff was super attentive and friendly. When I told them one of my friends had a gluten allergy they immediately went away to scrap off a few items on the menu and clearly flagged to us what we shouldn't order to avoid those dishes. We took some time to decide because the entire menu looked amazing but the staff member never once rushed us. In the end, we went for the summer chaat and the mengalorean bun with crab sukkha as starters, switching out the bun for some gluten free Indian style pancakes. They were absolutely fluffy and soft and the crab sukkha was so flavourful and not seafood-y and got a really good kick to it. The summer chaat was absolutely fantastic, one of my personal biggest highlights of our whole dinner I must say. It's so refreshing with the honey figs and peaches. We also ordered the tandoori chicken tikka which was so juicy and tender and well-marinated. We were off to a great start. For mains, we had the saag paneer and fish curry with lamb biryani and a sourdough roti on the side. Again, everything was absolutely delightful. Didn't know spinach puree could have so much flavour and the fish was so tender it basically melted in my mouth. Curry was rich and not overly spicy and the lamb biryani had a good amount of lamb meat in it. The sourdough roti was flaky and fluffy and well-made, went well with the curries. For dessert, we ordered the signature carrot halwa vanilla ice cream which was the absolute highlight for me in the entire meal. I have never had something quite like this before! It's almost like an elevated carrot mash with crushed pistachios sprinkled all around the vanilla ice cream to give it a nutty flavour and crunchy texture. And the flavours were so pleasant they just all worked so well together it's basically like a symphony in my mouth! My friends and I had the best time in this restaurant thoroughly enjoying our dinner and we all agreed that this was probably one of the best modern Indian restaurants we have ever had in London! I will be sure to come back very soon to try the other menu items :)