FORGET Brick Lane, when it comes to impressive restaurants, look no further than Baraka.
The eatery is a stone’s throw away from Bangla Town, yet despite the competition, it more than holds its own. The striking and coordinated decor features beautiful pictures on the walls, with booths for privacy and round tables for family occasions.
The waiters are friendly and polite, but beyond the style, Baraka also has plenty of substance.
We opted for a mix of Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine. On the Bengali side, the starter was shingara, two samosa-like pastries crammed with chickpeas and potatoes.
The Indian option we chose was chicken chat, a generous portion of succulent pan-fried, diced chicken, in a fresh tomato sauce.
The Bengali main course offering was rupchanda, a large pomfret fish in a thick bhuna sauce. Although slightly messy, it was vintage cuisine and lived up to the reputation Bangladeshi cooking has for fish dishes.
The achari gosht from the Indian menu was equally impressive, and bursting with flavour with the use of raw mango chunks, tamarind and pickles. The side dishes of mushroom rice and keema naan complemented the main courses well.
For dessert, we opted for vanilla ice-cream with honey-roasted almonds, and chocolate and vanilla ice-cream with a crunchy truffle in the centre.
It was the perfect way to round off an enjoyable meal in east London without needing to stroll down the much-hyped Brick Lane.
– Nadeem Badshah
Dining was at: London Muslim Centre, 38-40 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1JX. Tel: 020-7426 0550; www.barakaeatery.co.uk
