New Tayyab

[Suzi Edwards]

It's just really strange. I booked online on the 24th January but today thought "I'm going to confirm that reservation". So despite the fact I have notification from them saying I have booked, the guy said "our computer system doesn't have it so either you're wrong or we're wrong but I'm not inclined to fit you in"

Clearly a time when "computer says no" and "waiter says no" equals "Suzi says aaaaargh"

I wouldn't mind, but he might have apologised. Luckily the guy at Chowki found the whole situation highly amusing and was really helpful. He even cheered me up.

[Winot]

So, the bloody New Tayyab has "lost" my reservation for 14 people this evening. Apart from the guy on the phone is possibly the rudest man I have ever spoken with, I guess I'm not going to be eating here. Ever.

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Suzi,

That's incredibly annoying - commiserations.

I love the food at the Tayyab but they've simply got to learn that the correct response is "I'm sorry, but we don't take reservations". Anything else is dishonest.

[Suzi Edwards]

Funny thing is that I googled them and another site (can't remember which) says that reservations are needed every night of the week. I just wonder if they've got really popular so have implimented that policy. Doesn't change that what they did was shoddy, nor does it help that Chowki really let me down with a meal that was nowhere near as good as the ones I've had there before.

Oh woe is Suzi.

[SamanthaF]

The big problem with Tayyab at the moment is the renovations they are going through.

Let the guy's finish and every thing will be back to (chaotic) normal.

But, as we all know, it's well worth the pain and the wait.

[Bapi]

The big problem with Tayyab at the moment is the renovations they are going through.

Let the guy's finish and every thing will be back to (chaotic) normal.

But, as we all know, it's well worth the pain and the wait.

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Amen to that Sam.

I did ring them on the day I read your post and asked if they could help you out. Suzi. But they said that they were " having problems that evening".

Made me realise that I should book for when I go this week. I used the phone instead though!

[Suzi Edwards]

Bapi, thanks so much for being my knight in shining armour and trying to get me squeezed in!!! That means a lot. Thank you!

[Bapi]

Bapi, thanks so much for being my knight in shining armour and trying to get me squeezed in!!! That means a lot. Thank you!

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Didn't see this Suzi- you are welcome. Had a quick meal there last week which was excellent.

And during which we were invited to the Re-opening tonight. This should see the number of covers increase dramatically, so I'll let you know what it's like.

B

[Bapi]

Bapi, thanks so much for being my knight in shining armour and trying to get me squeezed in!!! That means a lot. Thank you!

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Didn't see this Suzi- you are welcome. Had a quick meal there last week which was excellent.

And during which we were invited to the Re-opening tonight. This should see the number of covers increase dramatically, so I'll let you know what it's like.

B

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I forgot to post last week. The refurbishment has been completed and the place looks fantastic. Wasim and his brothers put on a good bash last Thursday, complete with strobe lights and bouncers on the door ! The place has been changed much for the better with a private dining area with banquette seating and the "old" Tayyab bit has also increased capacity. We shall have to see whether the queues through the door diminish or actually increase now that they can seat more people. The food on the night was excellent as usual and I got my first taste of Paya- which are lamb's trotters. Quite gelatinous and not to everyone's taste, but the broth that accompanied them was utterly delicious for scooping up with naan breads.( Moby can tell you how good the breads are from our visit the week before). They also served up Nehari - which is the shin. Melting meat on the bone, in darker sauce than the Paya, but just as satisfying.

Might just have to venture back this week, to see how it's going.

[Andy Lynes]

Can we assume that Bob Granleese had dinner with Jay Rayner recently?

[culinary bear]

It's not the first time I can recall that the Grauniad and Observer have reviewed the same place on the same weekend. I think Jay reviews about 4 weeks ahead of press; I've no idea about the schedule at the Guardian.

If they did, did Granleese know he'd be writing a review of it at the time? :)

[jayrayner]

It's not the first time I can recall that the Grauniad and Observer have reviewed the same place on the same weekend.  I think Jay reviews about 4 weeks ahead of press; I've no idea about the schedule at the Guardian.

If they did, did Granleese know he'd be writing a review of it at the time? :)

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It is, for the record, a complete coincidence and nobody is more dismayed by it than me (not least because I came out second). The only other time this has happened, was when I actually had eaten dinner with Matthew Fort, and I vowed never to do it again because it made both papers look silly.

I didn't know anything about it until I opened the Guardian Weekend yesterday. Though we are owned by the same group, THe observer and, particularly, the Saturday edition of the Guardian, regard themselves as being in competition. We don't liaise.

All I will say is that, after the total cack that has filled the Guardian space for so long since Matthew departed, it was refreshing to read someone who knew something about the subject at hand.

[Suzi Edwards]

Apart from the fact that the Saturday review sounded like a digest of all the stuff that has ever been written on here about Tayyabs that is ;-)

[origamicrane]

i will eat here tonight any recommendations?

photos will follow naturally

[curlywurlyfi]

 

i will eat here tonight any recommendations?

Lucky man! Past hits have included lovely buttery naan; tandoori lamb chops; shikh kebab; tandoori chicken; and dry meat. Though the last time I went, the chops and the chicken were a little underwhelming. The dry meat (lamb + spices cooked in lot of ghee + reduced till sauce is dry + meat amazing) is my favourite + not to be missed.

PS what looks like soothing yoghurt + mint with your poppadum is 15 times spicier than the red, obviously chilli-ed sauce. You have been warned.

[origamicrane]

 

i will eat here tonight any recommendations?

Lucky man! Past hits have included lovely buttery naan; tandoori lamb chops; shikh kebab; tandoori chicken; and dry meat. Though the last time I went, the chops and the chicken were a little underwhelming. The dry meat (lamb + spices cooked in lot of ghee + reduced till sauce is dry + meat amazing) is my favourite + not to be missed.

PS what looks like soothing yoghurt + mint with your poppadum is 15 times spicier than the red, obviously chilli-ed sauce. You have been warned.

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don't worry i have a stomach like the hull of the titanic

[Bapi]

 

i will eat here tonight any recommendations?

photos will follow naturally 

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Woe is me. Eating here is the one thing I miss more than anything about having moved away from London.

Have fun and say hello to Wasim from me. In fact, please ask him if he would courier some food for me? I badly need a seekh kebab/ dry meat fix.

Edited September 8, 2005 by Bapi (log)

[Gary Marshall]

lamb chops/kebabs/dry meat

[therese]

Meat dishes very nice, but we also particularly enjoyed the pumpkin on our one visit this spring.

Stop by the sweets counter on your way out.

[origamicrane]

not bad, not bad at all

So we had some poppodoms, jug of mango lassi, mixed grill, karahi prawns, 2 naan, 2 roti, dry meat, 1 kulfi and 1 rice pudding.

4 went and price was about £13/head.

No photos as as soon as we dived into the mixed grill my hands where far too filthy to touch my camera!!!

Favourite was the karahi prawn big and juicy and lovely flavoured sauce a close second was the dry meat lovely rich flavour.

The mango lassi one of the best I have had.

Mixed grill was large and tasty man!! that initial hotplate and spice sizzle really burns your nostrils!!! flavour was better then most but not amazingly so

but at this price it was a steal. Unfortunately I wasn't blown away by their much rated lamb chops or are the props for the thursday special karahi lamb chops? ( which had run out at 8.30pm?)

Had better lamb chops at gifto's and indianzing.

place is busy and buzzy, very efficient staff very much get in, get out as soon as possible but done without seeming rude.

This place I would rate above average for food and excellent for value.

will defintely go again.

we also bought a box of 9 large mangoes for £2!!!! from a bloke out of a back of a van opposite the mosque.

[Kim D]

My husband is in London and he called to ask me where he should eat. I did a search on "Brick Lane" and found this thread. I've convinced him to go and he's headed there now. I'm bummed because he gets to eat there without me. Dry meat sounds wonderful. I may have to find a recipe if he says it's as good as the press it's getting here.

- Kim

[Kim D]

He just called from outside Tayyab. Said the neighborhood was interesting.

He asked which door. Door number 1. Door number 2. Or Door number 3.

I told him that all three were served by the same kitchen.

He said he was going to go in the one that had the most people.

[Kim D]

Dinner is over. He said it was fantastic.

I asked him what the Dry Meat was like. He compared it to BBQ Pulled Pork. Not in taste but in texture and amount of sauce.

He said the saag aloo was more rustic (in appearance/texture) than what we make. When we make it, the spinach is more creamy.

He also ordered paratha. And mango lassi. Total bill was less than twelve pounds. He'll be recommending this place for sure.

He got a kick out of watching the service. The servers were dressed in black and wore earpieces so that they were in constant communication with somebody but obviously not each other. Someone would come out with chutneys and bring it to a table. Someone else would come out with chutneys and see that the table already had them. Busy, busy, busy.

When he got there, the place was full of Pakistani men and women. No music was playing.

When he left, the place was full of white men. Club music was playing in the background.

He said the place is geared toward large parties. Most tables had a group of 8 or 10 people. He watched one such table give their order. The server walked into the kitchen and came right back out with said food. Just like magic. Fast, fast, fast.

If you want cheap fast good food, this is the place to go.

I'm looking forward to getting to try it firsthand.

- Kim

Edited December 17, 2005 by Kim D (log)

[Ai Leen]

How lovely to find a cheap and good meal in central London. We ordered

Four Sheesh Kebabs

Tandoori Chicken

Sag Aloo

Kahari Lamb Chops (dish of the day)

Keema naan

Tandoori roti

The sheesh kebab was bursting with flavours, soft and juicy - by far the best dish. I should have tried it Bapi's way: wrapped in Taandoori roti with some onions and vege and dipped in the mint sauce - but only read his account after dinner. The tandoori chicken was tender and smoky and totally yummy. Has anyone every wondered why the sizzle of a hot plate on a cold winter's night sends shivers down one's spine and makes your heart beat faster?

The sag aloo was a bit disappointing, with the spinach a greyish textureless mush and the potato pieces were sliced too big. The kahari lamb chops was OK, but I think I would have preferred a boneless meat. But the spices were really brought out by a riotious base of onions and coriander. Too bad they didn't have kashmiri naan (my favourite), but I've never seen a keema naan so generously sprinkled with coriander - it was almost pretty! The best part was that the meal cost less than 10 pounds per head - that's a winner for me every time!

Oh, and you must order a mango lassi. I totally am one heart and mind with Sam on this one. It's the best freshest sweetest most yoghurty lassi I've ever tasted.

Unfortunately, we didn't have any gullet space left for dry meat or cardamon kulfi.

Really really hot curry is the only answer to sunless weather below 5 degrees C sometimes.

Has anyone tried the kahari houses around Alperton?

Edited January 5, 2006 by Ai Leen (log)

[Romaney O'Malley]

has anyone been here recently? It's been ages since I went and am planning to head there with some friends tonight.

I also read some reviews of the Lahore Kebab House which were very positive - I think it's near New Tayyab - does this place even compare or should I not even consider it as an alternative? Help needed

[Gary Marshall]

march since i last went, a nice pre-cursor to three days of three star dining in france!

it's been refurbed and enlarged but all remains good, i heard that they have recently upgraded the curries to compete with the grills which were being favoured.

still very busy too, better book or go early.