16 Albemarle Street
Mayfair, London
W1S 4HW

T: 44 (0)207-629-9802 or 44 (0) 207-629-8542
e. chorbizarrelondon@oldworldhospitality.com
w: www.chorbizarrerestaurant.com


Chor Bizarre has the reputation for being one of the best North Indian restaurants that London has to offer. This seems like quite a strong statement, but once you taste the sumptuous cuisine of Head Chef Mandeep and his crew, you will understand the reason for Chor Bizarre's high reputation.

When you enter Chor Bizarre, you are instantly taken to a far away location. The name itself means 'Thieves Market' and there's hardly a spare corner in this restaurant; every space seems to be occupied by quaint, eclectic Indian statues, carvings and every other trinket imaginable; this calabash of items set the tone of the dinning experience.

I was led to my table by the Maitre D and I took my seat upon a large bronze throne and embraced the scent of food coming from the kitchen, looking forward to my meal. Being that I have never been a fan of Indian food I must admit that I was extremely skeptical at the beginning, but was instantly won over by the starter and the staff... as well as the Indian bracelets handed to me before my exit.

To get our taste buds ready for our interaction with India, we were given the Purani dilli ki papri chaat - which is a combination of semolina and wheat biscuits served with soft lentil dumplings, covered in yoghurt, chutney, ginger and hot spices. I put my faith in the head chef's hands, and left it up to him to decide my meal for the evening, after advising him that I do not eat meat, I was entirely at his mercy.

My starter was a combination of king prawns (Jhinga Lasooni) and red snapper that was lovely. This was served with Gobhi methi malai; deep friend cauliflower florets cooked with ginger, fresh fenugreek, green peas and fresh cream.

The main course moved me towards the Beghare Baingan which is saut egg plant simmered in piquant peanut, tamarind and sesame sauce. By the time this came around I was already close to exploding, but the food looked and smelt so delicious that I had to keep indulging and prepare to suffer for it in the morning, if needs be. Just when I thought that I had come to the end of my meal, the chef sent out the Sufiyani Salmn; a velvety morsel of salmon flavored with a blend of royal cumin and dill.

My experience with Chor Bizzare was amazing, the closet you'll get to authentic Indian Cuisine in London. The location is great also, being in the heart of Mayfair. If you want to try something different, I'd definitely recommend Chor Bizarre, but make sure you don't eat for the whole day leading up to your visit as the portions are large and you'll no doubt want to try a bit of everything.

Written by Christy Black