Ever in search of the Lost Curry, I ventured via Tube to London's East End for fiery Pakistani lunch fare at Tayyabs (touted for years in Time Out), 83-89 Fieldgate St., neighbor to a local mosque and synagogue, side by side.
Seated near the kitchen, I ordered chicken tikka, tarka dahl (uber spicy, yet patron next to me asked waiter for a pile of extra chiles to sprinkle on his), juicy seek kebabs and naan—all sizzling great but not the equal of nearby Lahore Kebab House, my gold standard for East London kebaeries and the only Pakistani I've ever sampled that rivals and might top Shalimar in San Francisco.
Tayyabs clientele an uproarious mix of business suits, women in burkas, locals. Later, for the record, outside on Whitechapel Road, I saw a couple holding a Jack the Ripper Tour map, fitting, as the fiend did his infamous business in the area.
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