Zumbura, Indian Restaurant in Clapham

Last month a new Indian restaurant called Zumbura quietly popped up in Clapham Old Town, not far from where I live. I walked past it one day, I was in a hurry but the yellow chairs outside the restaurant and the bright orange sign caught my attention. I tried to remember what used to be in that corner before, an Italian restaurant I never had the chance to try. I made a mental note of visiting Zumbura in the nearby future.

A few days later I received an email from the restaurant’s PR agency, inviting me to the Zumbura to sample the new menu. I don’t often accept restaurant reviews, but since this was a restaurant that had already positively caught my eye, I said yes.

Just before leaving London for my honeymoon I had lunch at Zumbura with my husband Sandy, on a rainy Saturday lunchtime. Clapham Old Town is packed on a Saturday evening, but come during the day and you will find it deserted. Half the local population is probably in the gym or working out in the park, based on how many people I saw in their sports’ trucks while walking to the restaurant. The other half is having coffee or brunch in Starbucks or Del’Aziz.

The thing is, not many locals know about Zumbura yet. During our 2-hour lunch, several people stop in front of the restaurant, peaked through the windows and walked in to ask what type of restaurant it was and when did it open.

Well, as much as I wish Zumbura the best of luck (because they deserve to be successful) I also want it to remain a little secret, because it is really good! And tiny, with only 45 covers.

Zumbura is owned by Aamir Ahmad, Sean Galligan and David Garrett, co-founders of the furniture retailer Dwell. When you walked into the restaurant it becomes immediately clear that the owners must know a thing or two about interior design! The highlight is the wooden bar, imported from Poland even before choosing the restaurant space. I loved the peacock mural on the ceiling, the contrast between brick and blue walls, the copper light pendants and white Eames chair replicas. The plates, bowls and coffee cups are from a local pottery and to die for!

In charge of the kitchen at Zumbura is head chef Raju Rawat, who trained at The Oberoi in New Delhi before working at the Cinnamon Club and Bombay Bicycle Club and helping develop the Indian Street food brand, Moolis.

While the lunch/brunch menu is quite limited, the dinner menu features a wide selection of small plates designed to be shared and eaten in the traditional way (with your hands, which is why there are no knives on the table). The average spend for one person would be around £20-£30, depending on drinks.

Cocktails at Zumbura are fantastic, so you wouldn’t want to miss out of these. As I went there on lunch time, I wasn’t feeling like having alcohol, so the Italian barman Federico prepared me a mocktail instead: the Pink Jewel with basil, raspberries, passion fruit juice & vanilla syrup. My new favourite cocktail! For Sandy he prepared Cucumori Chilli with Hendricks Gin, St Germaine, cucumber, chilli & coriander.

We let the chef prepare a selection of food to taste, obviously we were spoilt with a few starters and several curries, rice and breads. I over-ate, but everything tasted so good, I couldn’t control myself. I love Indian food and this was of the best quality. My husband loved it too, which is a proof of how authentic the dishes are.

We started with Pakora (spinach and onion chick pea flour fritters), Chaat (yoghurt with crisp breads and tamarind sauce), Sikkiwe Chops (grilled lamb chops, twice marinated in herbs) and Chapli Kebab (beef flat kebabs with garlic, ginger and spices).

We were then served four dishes of: Murghi ka Salan (home-style chicken curry cooked on the bone), Machli ka Salan (Pollock fish curry with mustard seeds and fenugreek), Kullia (lamb and turnip aromatic stew, slow cooked on the bone) and Daal (lentils with curry leaves and garlic dressing with muttar), Pulao (braised rice with peas and spices), Chappati and Paratha.

I liked everything, but if I had to pick just one dish to order again, it would be the fish curry. That’s because I rarely eat fish curry, last time it was in Goa, and to be honest Zumbura’s one was better! I also really loved the coarse daal and the breads, cooked to perfection and not covered in ghee.

I was obviously full after such a feast (we were celebrating Diwali that weekend after all!), but you know me, I cannot leave without dessert. The waiter recommended the Gajjar ka Halwa (warm creamed carrot pudding), so we tried that.

Woah! Why didn’t anyone tell me about this dessert before? it’s a warm cream of carrots with milk and sugar, it’s soothing after a spicy meal and utterly delicious!

I spotted a La Marzocco machine, so I ordered an espresso macchiato at the end of the lunch.

We had an amazing experience at Zumbura and I’m sure we will be going back regularly!

Disclaimer: I was a guest at Zumbura. All views are my own.