Fatt Pundit heads to Covent Garden for second London site
Taking over the former Polpo site on Maiden Lane, the restaurant is described as 'an evolution' of the group's original Soho site that will bring fresh dishes and a new beverage concept to the forefront.
Launched by the team behind London-based Indian restaurants Bombay Chow, Station 31 and Imperial Lounge, Fatt Pundit opened its first location on Berwick Street in early 2019.
Its concept is inspired by the food of Chinses immigrants from Canton and Guangdong who settled in Kolkata and Mumbai and began incorporating Indian spices into their Chinese dishes.
'Signature' dishes at the Covent Garden restaurant will include steamed momos – spicy dumplings originating from Tibet - filled with either beef, leek and chilli, or kid goat, garam masala and cardamom, and served with spicy sesame and red pepper chutney; and the crackling spinach, a dish inspired by Chinese crispy seaweed with spinach leaves fried two at a time, dried out for 24 hours to crisp up, and served with a tamarind, date and plum sauce and topped with yoghurt and pomegranate.
The menu will also feature a selection of small plates, with new dishes unique to the Covent Garden restaurant including crab 65, a take on chicken 65 with soft-shell crab served in yoghurt sauce mixed with spices and curry leaves; and saffron butter prawns, a new take on Soho’s Malabar monkfish curry that's made with king prawns grilled and served with a saffron butter and coconut Malabar sauce.
Fatt Pundit Covent Garden will boast two bar areas serving an 'ever-evolving' cocktail menu created by bar manager Gianluca Capilungo.
Options will include The Hakka Garden, made with peach, passionfruit, vanilla, black cherry and bergamot; the White Tiger, made using Hapusa Himalayan Gin, lychee and elderflower; and The Scholar and the Priest, which combines brandy, black olives and rosemary tonic.
Set across two floors, the restaurant's luxe interiors will be designed to reflect the streets of Kolkata, ornamented with antique Chinese and Indian artefacts throughout.
“We’re excited to be opening our second Fatt Pundit in London’s buzzy West End," says co-founder Huzefa Sajawal.
"It has been a rocky year for us all in hospitality, but we have been overwhelmed by the continued support from our community and are exciting to be moving forward once again.
"In the UK, we believe that Indo-Chinese culture and cuisine is still relatively untapped. We are incredibly grateful for everyone who has dined with us in Soho over the years and shared the story of Fatt Pundit, and through the launch of our second restaurant, we hope to be able to introduce even more people to the rich culture and history, the fantastic flavours and the delicious dishes on offer.
"We’ve been working hard to develop some exciting new dishes and have revamped our drinks menu entirely. We can’t wait to show everything we’ve been working on, and to continue to shine a light on Indo-Chinese cuisine.”
