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12.5/20Critics' Pick

Cha Adda

Updated ,first published

12.5/20Critics' Pick

Cha Adda

Indian$

Tucked away and hiding lots of surprises.

Outside the Hughesdale restaurant.Chege Mbuthi

Bengali street snacks kick things off: golden-fried pockets of mughlai paratha, a flaky flatbread stuffed with fluffy egg, soft onion and chilli. Chotpoti follows – a tangy mix of yellow peas, fresh veg, crushed hard-boiled egg and the crisp semolina shells known as fuchka.

Rice plays a starring role in Bangladeshi cuisine, and it’s done in two different ways for kacchi biryani and khichuri. In kacchi biryani, saffron-stained grains blanket lamb so soft you could whisper it off the bone. Khichuri boasts turmeric-yellow rice and chicken with a slow-building spice.

Dessert? Mishti doi – home-made pot-set yoghurt with rich caramel notes. Mango lassi is great, but borhani is a revelation: a salty, spicy yoghurt-based drink that’ll leave a green chilli calling card at the back of your throat. Service is warm if a little absent-minded but the food speaks for itself.

Must-order: Layers of fall-apart lamb, soft potato and fragrant rice make the kacchi biryani a crowd favourite for good reason.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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