Best curry in London: Where chefs eat

These are the best curries in London. We've tracked every single answer from our 200 best of London interviews, from the very first, all the way to the very most recent. I'm also doing the Sheamus. So we now have the top five as voted for by chefs. So who is doing the best deep flavored curries, phenomenal rice dishes, fragrant biryanis, and fire, smoke, and sizzle? Join us as we reveal And Will. Yes, bro. We've got quite a good team sheet out today. Go on. Got you and I out front, and then bringing it up the rear, Duggars. Yeah! Yeah, man. It smells like another great game of Does Doug Eat? Do you like curry? Yeah. You're not gonna eat anything spicy, anything wet. Wet? That's enough, that's enough. In at number five, for best curry in London, it is brigadiers. Brigadiers. **** yeah. Brigadiers, man. You sure? Brigadiers. Yeah, I love brigadiers. For me, I feel like this is out of place, because there's more than number five. Hallelujah. Honestly. If I lived outside the UK for like a few years, and I came back, brigadiers I think would be the first restaurant I came back to. Brigadiers is modeled on Indian sports bars. They're not trying to do anything too fancy. Barbecue butter chicken wings might be in my top 10 dishes in London. You eat them and you cannot not order them again. So, butter chicken wings, roasted in tandoor, it's been tossed in our signature butter chicken sauce. That is our signature dish by far. You know, Paris has the Mona Lisa. London has brigadiers barbecue butter chicken wings. I just love them so much. Never leave me. It doesn't get better than right here, right now. As Fatboy Slim once said. So, on the glass, yeah, you've got five little icons. The Nepalese knives are for the cooking. Beer mug is for shock beer. Cricket ball for the sports they play. That little spade of clubs with the other, spade of clubs? For good luck, or? Spade of clubs is not a thing. It's just clubs. Because it's got a poker room. Right. And then you also have the pool triangle. For the pool table. This is from the same group that brings you Gymkhana, Ambassador's Clubhouse, Trishna. But, this is the only place that will serve onion bhajis. From the get-go, from the left side, you have the cheese and onion bhaji. So, we stuffed it with smoked bocconcini and mozzarella cheese. Onion bhaji with a gooey, cheesy scent. On a magic carpet ride. Honestly, NSFW. It's like listening to Greatest Hits album over and over and over again. And this as well, fish pao. Bun with basically Indian fish and chips in it. It's like they've got a cheat code, you know? Rosebud, semicolon, semicolon, semicolon. That's the Afghani lamb ribeye skewer. It's got a very strong, earthy flavor to it. Look at this, it's a feast for all the senses. Oh, God. These have been phenomenal starters and I am ready for whatever is next. This is a bone marrow biryani. There's more meat than it is rice. Oh my days. You tap the meat, it falls apart because it's tender. Let's have some of this smoked aubergine raita with it. It's just so utterly indulgent and delicious and complex. These dishes, the smell, the taste, the texture, it's just out of this world. Don't be silly, don't be silly. This is the mixed grill. Thank you so much. This is so extra. The whole conception that the UK has really bad food is incorrect and mental. But what we do have is one of the most diverse nations on earth and therefore all the food that comes with it. Oh, God. I come bearing gifts in the form of the world beer, Cobra. Nice, bro. You have to reach for the romantic Cobras when you go into Tayyab's because it is a BYOB establishment. I mean, I think it's BYOB. In at number four, it is Tayyab's. Eskari. Tayyab's. Tayyab's down in Watsi. Tayyab's in Whitechapel. Start again, start again. It's got to be Tayyab's, no? I am still obsessed by Tayyab's. Punjabi, Pakistani cuisine. Boom, boom, boom. An institution that has been here for 53 years. Third generation now. We've left them to do the ordering, which I think in this situation, the glint in his eye terrified me. Pop Joe, what's happening? Don't listen to the 3.9 rating on Google, yeah? It's irrelevant. Tayyab's is its own thing. Did you know that Tayyab's genuinely sent a lamb chop to space? OK. He wrote a book called Meat Space. He was leaving here to go with meat and space. So let's do a collaboration. They put it on a weather balloon, they filmed it. It dropped down, the fox got the piece of lamb chops. It's just one of those stories, you know, who hasn't done that? The best curry question is kind of ridiculous, right? Could be interpreted however we may like. But because of that, it's a really eclectic list, isn't it? Why are they going so many places over? Oh, now it's getting hard, buddy. Oh, damn. Oh my god. Look at that bushwari naan. I like it when the naan's glistening. Lamb chop that went all the way to space. Oh, sorry. It's a sin to eat naan. Sorry. I did a bad will, lollipop style. Mm, so tender, so smoky and flavoursome. You can tell why people love it so much, though. You know, it's fun, it's a bit of theatre. It comes over, it's sizzling. Everything is very smoky and delicious. Right, lamb chop masala. Lamb chop masala. Thank you so much. You have a dal, sagaloo, achana. It's the signature dish of theirs, dry meat. It's called dry meat, just dry meat. Right, love. Quite a world class spread right here. I think build a little plate there. Maybe let's play some, like, you know, montage music or something. Da-da-da-da. Great smokey. No, what the f**k? The best naan. It's keema naan. Oh my god, that smells so good. This is as mental as it looks. Thank you so much, man. Oh mate, everything looks delicious. This, China, is really good. Round two. That's my favourite. What, this? The mutton? Monkey ball. It's just raw dog and poppadoms, no chutney or nothing. Also, you know you can break it to smaller pieces. I know, I know, I know. The five awesome locations in this film, as well as all the Ice Chef interviews and the place that we love around the world, are all pinned on the Step map. By downloading Step and subscribing to Top Jaw, you get exclusive access to all our pins all over the world. So there's never an excuse to be stuck in a tourist trap or anywhere bang average ever again. Or killer. No film, what a trigger. Tiny bit, tiny bit that way. Yeah. Bit more to me. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Bit back a bit. Yeah. Oh. In at number three, it's Bibi. And yes, Will, it is once again another 9am curry. Best curry, Bibi. It is Bibi. I love that it's all about his grandma. Definitely Bibi in the Mayfair. Yeah, Chet's awesome. That's amazing flavor. It's so solid, yeah. There's a little bit of a point of contention with Chet, chef owner of Bibi, because although this category is best curry, he gets numerous nominations for best curry, he doesn't do curry. Voting for us as best curry, that's a nice thing. That's never gonna not be nice, right? The food here is Indian, and we're not ashamed about that, we're really proud of it. But that doesn't mean it needs to be curries all the time. But it sounds like you'd be annoyed even if I said best Indian. I'd be annoyed if you said anything. The menu at Bibi is fun, it's playful, and they're not controlled and restricted, sticking within the traditional Indian food. What am I really excited about? What are we gonna serve you today? We're gonna have all of our snacks from the dinner tasting menu. Filthy crisps? It's nine o'clock in the morning, do you want filthy crisps? Yes. Okay. One order of filthy crisps coming up. Filthy crisps. I love these things so much. It's so good, you just can't stop, can't stop. You'll like these. Snack-wise, what have we got you started with? We're gonna do a little croustache made with black chickpeas, stuffed with more black chickpeas, and a slightly sweetened ginger and raspberry yogurt. It's kind of a one-biter, has all the flavors of daipuri, a classic Indian chaat. That's wonderful. Thing is, we used to make them bigger, and then no one could fit them in their mouth. So we made them a little bit smaller, a bit more manageable, but punchier in flavor, so a little bit spicier. After that, a riff on our old classic, the limbu pani, which used to be like a ceviche-type dish. Instead, we present it almost like a little sandwich in between papri. Again, one-biter. That was cute, guys. That's really good. My favorite so far, the dhokla. Dhokla. It's like a semi-sweet, savory cake. Sounds really odd. It's made with gram flour, so it has this kind of like really lovely earthiness as well. It's very wibbly-wobbly, I like it. That trout was great. Stunning. Finally, the little doughnut, and we top that with aged caviar and tuna from last summer. What is giving the acid? Lime pickle, and then some- Why are you smirking as you say that? Because I feel like when you say lime pickle, it's so curry-house. We're not a curry-house! So, your favorite fish in the world, red snapper. Red mullet. Red mullet from down in Cornwall. And then, it's over there, peanut and sesame sardines. It's basically a curry sauce. So this is the closest we're gonna get to curry in here, really. Yeah. Yummers. Gondo, have a little squizz on this, dude. Just- It's not very fishy. Does Doug eat? This is about as lightweight as you're ever gonna get with fish. Okay, that's good. Yeah. See? Well done, bro! Well, I'm proud of you! Proud of you! Norfolk pure-breed wagyu. Ooh! Yeah. Oh, mama. That's gorgeous, Will! They're fermenting garlic and pasting it on the beef as they're cooking it. There's some wild garlic there. Turnips poking out. Ooh! Nothing but net. Inside, there's an Alfonso mango and a little bit of white chocolate and saffron as well. Some nesty material made with Kashmiri chili. I was just trying to wind up Chet by saying that the nesty material around the egg looks like Bombay mix. That's so fun. Oh! That's ******* yum. That's my fourth meal at BB. And each time, they just raise the bar. It's getting better and better and better. If you haven't yet, or even if you have a little while ago, get yourself in to this wonderful establishment. Can we get a... Whoop, whoop! In at number two, it is Darjeeling Express. By the wonderful, the magnetic, the very warm and hospitable Azma Khan. Darjeeling Express. Darjeeling Express is awesome! Started off as supper clubs almost 15 years ago, and now it is one of Soho's best restaurants. Recently, the king was here. So if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for you. Everybody outside thought Beyonce was coming. So later on, when the king heard, he was saying, oh, they must be so disappointed. It was just me. Why do you think that Darjeeling Express just keeps getting mentioned? We're not trying to impress anyone. This is food that is completely linked to the soul. And I always tell everybody, my skin is brown, my food is brown. I'm not trying to make it look like an edible garden. You are in Azma's home when you're here. I can't stress that enough. They're taking those maternal dishes, the family recipes, and putting them in one place. Cheers, man. Shit. That's gone terribly. I was trying to do like an abstract cheers, but. Cheers. Food-wise, what are we gonna eat today? We have chicken butter masala toastie. This one we have not yet had. Butter chicken masala toastie with the chutneys. Do you dip? That's so good. Why Darjeeling Express doesn't have a Michelin star? Badami Began. This is an aubergine curry. How is my pronunciation? Good? Spot on. It's a way of making aubergine with nuts in it as a gravy. And this was made in my family for the vegetarians, so it looks similar to meat. The nuttiness, it's like a feist satay curry dish. That is awesome. Then, of course, because I'm from Bengal, the prawn malai curry. That's one of the few dishes that actually made with a gravy of coconut milk. Also, this prawn curry's got levels. It's made for the son-in-law. Never the daughter-in-law. It's made for son-in-law. It's made for fancy events. Keema, minced. They make themselves spinach. Topside beef, really good quality. We mince the meat ourselves, put a bit of spinach. It is that wholesome, healing, childhood dish. I reckon Doug will probably like this because he likes steak, do you know what I mean? He's not going to like spinach because it's green, and he's not going to like the fact that it's got spice to it. What about me? So many of the team in the kitchen have been with Asma since, like, when she was first doing a supper club, like 10, 15 years ago. They're all just still working with her, just still cracking on, smashing life. The last thing that I want you to have is something that is very unique. It's an apricot dessert. It's called khobani ka metha. Yum. And not aggressively sweet. No way. It's a rare dessert made in a palace, and you can taste that in my restaurant. I'll make you one. Yes, please. Oh, oh, oh, oh! Belly bumps. I think I was most sort of surprised by the Keema. No, the aubergine peanut curry, and the apricot things with cream. Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. Well, this is an exciting one. Number one is Gymkhana. Woo! Two wraps, guys. Pow, pow, pow. Gymkhana, my family's Indian. It's hard to please them at an Indian restaurant, but they love Gymkhana. Oh, I do like Gymkhana. Check the lamb chops. Who doesn't? I love going to Gymkhana. It is fantastic. Gymkhana, beautiful. Again, another comfortable winner of that number one spot, and arguably, this could even be best restaurant in London, not just best curry. Gymkhana has to be one of the hottest restaurants in London, so for us to film, 9 a.m. spesh. Curry back-to-back, curry. The things we do for Top Jewelry, Will. Tell me about the lamb chops, because they are pretty famous, those lamb chops. It's a combination of yogurt, ginger garlic, red chili powder, garam masala. We kind of marinate it for at least seven hours overnight. Do you reckon Gymkhana would be as successful if it wasn't for this dish? It would be. It would be? Oh. We've got a vast menu. I know. Okay. Sorry, I shouldn't, no, shouldn't have said that. You shouldn't try and be smart, Jesse. Sorry, mate. Goan curry, pork cheek vindaloo. Here comes our ever-famous butter chicken. That wouldn't be there on the menu. Gymkhana wouldn't be. Oh, it's the butter chicken. Can I rub your little thing? I feel like that's going to bring me luck for the rest of the day. I don't know what you're saying. Thank you. Oh, yeah. You come out of the tasting menu here, you leave incredibly full. Richland Star tasting menus kind of have that reputation of like, oh, you have all these dishes and then you have to go have McDonald's on the way home to fill up. No. It isn't traditional fine dining. We've still got curries. We still have lamb chops. These are very traditional Indian things. I love it. It is 9 a.m. We are having a curry and the idea feels a little bit nuts. After you get that first mouthful in, oh yeah, then you're in. Then you're sipping on a margarita and you're five dishes deep. Life is good. And how does it feel to be one of four chefs in the world to hold two Richland Stars with Indian cuisine? Absolutely amazing. I feel I'm an ambassador to Indian food now. It's not just gymkhana. If you look at the bigger picture, I'm representing the Indian cuisine on its own. Ooh, are you all right, mate? It's a bit sniffy. There's just a bit of a bead going on, sort of under eyes, which probably isn't hay fever. I reckon that's the pork vindaloo. Now, in this whole best of London top five series, I don't know whether I'm gonna agree with every single number one. This one, though, wholeheartedly agree. Utterly fantastic. And I feel like London is lucky to have gymkhana. Okay, I'm full. That was best curry. But what category would you like us to do next? Have a look at them. Let us know in the comments. And of course, you're gonna wanna know, so I think that's very much worth a subscribe. Thank you very much for watching. And thank you for filming, Will. And thanks for the support. Really, both born denim.