Hankies Haymarket Restaurant Review









Hankies Haymarket has recently opened, in addition to their other branches and pop ups in London. We had not had a chance to visit any yet, so an impromptu date night provided the perfect excuse to check it out. Hubby had been after a Roomali roti since we were in Malaysia, I think after seeing all the roti canai, so this was my main reason behind picking Hankies, otherwise our go to for Roomali roti is always Dishoom.



A Roomali roti is made by pulling and rolling out a thin dough, that is then spread out but over an upturned Karahi to cook, resulting in a thin, slightly elastic and charred bread to accompany your Indian food. Compared to more traditional tandoori breads, a Roomali roti is a lot thinner and closer to a crepe in texture.


We visited Hankies on a Saturday evening and as soon as we entered the venue, after being greeted by a friendly front of house, we were greeted with upbeat background music. The decor is simple with clean lines using wooden panels to divide the areas, rich jewel tones in the accessories add to the luxury vibe of the place.


We were seated in the main dining area, which has low level lighting above each table and comfy cushions on the bench seating. The actual restaurant is very large and great space for events, including a private dining room for 68 people.

In addition there is a well stocked bar and lounge area, that would be perfect for pop into for just a drink if you did not plan on eating. However with the food being as good as it was I would recommend taking a seat and settling in for the evening.

All of the menu is designed to be tapas style, so the portions are a lot smaller, this worked really well for a table of 2, as we got to try out a lot more options, with lots of different flavours.





And if all the food, drinks, beautiful setting was not enough for you, they have a huge flower wall in the toilet, perfect for those Instagram selfies.

Starters

  • Bhindi Bhel - £3 - this was delicious, I was expecting the traditional crispy okra fingers, but they were small crispy discs. 

  • Crispy Gold Cod - £5 - this was actually the only dish I did not enjoy, the fish was too thin and the batter too thick and not crispy enough.


  • Mantu - £5 - these were delicious, little chicken dumplings with crispy sprouted dhal on top, the textures in each mouthful were top notch. 

  • Tomato Chilli Kachumber - £3 - sweet tomatoes, avocados and lots of fresh baby herbs
     
  • Chilli Lamb Chop - £9.50 - deliciously cooked, perfect spicing and really good quality lamb. 
  • Beef Sheekh - £5 -  a nice balance of sweet and savoury with a hint of chilli 

  • Roomali Roti - £2 -  a great accompaniment to help with the spice level and mop up all the sauces left on your plate. 


Mains

  • Hankies Dal - £4.5 - This was good, more closer to a homestyle black dhal, than the heavier restaurant style. 

  • Chive and Garlic Prawns - £5 - a really generous portion, perfectly cooked and subtly flavouring. 


  • Karahi Ghost - £7 - again a really good size portion for two people, well cooked lamb and a thick gravy perfect with a naan bread.

Desert 

  • Midnight Jalebi - £4 - little crispy black sesame seed swirls, soaked in a sugar syrup and served with ice cream. Just the right size and hit of sweet after a meal. 
  • Qulfi Falooda - £4 - one of my all time favourites, and this version did not disappoint. The best end to a meal for me.


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