To have a spot in London’s coveted Piccadilly Circus, you’d better be bringing something equal parts intriguing and delicious to the table. Farzi Café does that by serving contemporary Indian cuisine in the form of molecular gastronomy.
Self-described as a ‘modern spice bistro’, you get a feel for the high standard of the Farzi experience as soon as you walk through the door. Only the attentive and polite waiters, getting you in the mood for a fine dining experience from the first moment, top the beautiful interior design that had us snapping away.
Gazing over the menu, there are plenty of dishes on there that we genuinely had no clue what they were, which really excites us. If you’re going to be dropping cash on a meal, you want it to be exciting, innovative and surprising. Don’t let this overwhelm you though, if you don’t want to dive into the deep end unguided the amazing staff are more than happy to explain and recommend dishes.
The infamous reputation of the Butter Chicken Bao here had reached our ears before we came, so we started with two of those. We can honestly say that all the rave reviews we’d heard about them did not disappoint. Incredibly soft bao with an almost sticky outer encased the rich and sweet butter chicken sauce, with soft and tender pieces of chicken nestled inside. If Farzi were to make a large version of these and serve them as a main, we would order come back just to eat that. Twelve more bao, please.
Next up we tried the Madras Pepper Prawns, which came out artfully arranged amongst three dollops of aerated thayir sadam. The prawns were large and juicy, rubbed with plenty of spice and served in a sauce with just a hint of heat. Seared Scallops, Dorset Crab Sukka & Chicory Salad followed, which was probably our least favourite of our selection. Though it looked vibrant and promising, the flavours of the Dorset Crab Sukka and the leaves were a little lackluster, although the seared scallops were perfectly cooked and added some substance to the dish.
We love ourselves a good steak, so we couldn’t look past the Masala Rub USDA Rib-Eye, which we ordered with added lobster tail. The steak was truly a quality cut of meat, well priced for the flavour from that alone. Rubbed with masala it was peppery, spicy and just a little bit sweet, served alongside a tasty onion and potato mash.
A carefully curated menu of cocktails, mocktails and traditional Indian drinks like mango lassi are also offered alongside a wine menu. The drinks that we had were light and refreshing to perfectly balance out our flavoursome meal, so we’d highly recommend ordering a drink or two to accompany your food.
Farzi is not the place to come if you want a giant Indian feast that’ll have you rolling out the door, without making a dent in your pocket. But then again, there are plenty of other places around London to do that, and that’s what makes Farzi stand out from the spice crowd.
