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New Tayyabs
83-89 Fieldgate St, London, E1 1JU
Video Reviews for New Tayyabs
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Tayyabs Overview
Created by Niamheen
Reviews for New Tayyabs
0 found this helpful
A place that everyone else recommended. On the wall was the plaque for 'Best London Indian (sic) restaurant 2008.' God! the others must be really pants. Ramadan meant no table service (never heard that one before) so, after fruitless attempted conversation with a nice young man who spoke two words of English, queue up in takeaway section. Shelf at eye level for most people, so bend down to have conversation with staff member. No obvious menu, so no prices. Plate of mild chicken curry and another of hot (same, with an added green chilli) both plonked in microwave. Two rices, an onion bhajee, dhal and two plain waters: £25. £15 would have been fair. Food still cold. Chicken fresh and not frozen but a little pink. Customers next to us left a lot of their meal and went. After effects: wind - lots of it and scent-free....just like the food. In the street outside, a top of the range BMW X5 with personal plate matching the restaurant.
0 found this helpful
I can't think of a better restaurant that has better Pakistani Cuisine. The kebab is amazing and just eating kebab with naan can fill you up. The grillers are a lil pricey but still reasonable compared to its competitiors. Lamb curry and chicken tikka is a must. The area isn't the best but they have done very well to attract all kinds of customers in the back lanes of a unknown area.
yes the queues can get back so do book early if you can but definitely worth the wait!
1 found this helpful
We had never been to Tayyabs before, so it is entirely our own fault that we had to queue for 2 hours before being seated; we would have left but having invested half an hour queuing and getting near the front, it seemed daft to leave! We were aware that there would be a queue and I really wished we'd heeded the advice and got there earlier. Being a group of 3 didn't help, and it was rather galling to watch couples being seated ahead of us.
Despite being ready to eat my own arm by the time we sat down to eat, I still really appreciated the food, which once we had ordered arrived pretty speedily. We had several starters and I had their famous Biryani which was excellent. The bill at the end was incredibly reasonable.
I will go back but next time I will make a booking. Early!
0 found this helpful
A great little place hidden away in the backstreets of East London that knocks spots off the nearby Brick Lane tourist traps. Sadly it is becoming too well known and arriving after 7pm any evening means a big queuing experience. An asian mate of mine was complaining that our white faces have pushed up the prices (it has been here serving the local asian community for the last 40 years before it suddenly started getting all the recent publicity) but it is still very easy on the pocket and three of us ate two courses each and had change out of £25.
You'll have to take your own beer and they don't mind and the waiters will lend you openers - I'm told it's still courtesy to ask, so we always do. (If you forget to take any there's a grocers selling big bottles of cheap chilled Bud round the corner and across the main road at the traffic lights.)
Everything here is good - the sizzling mixed meat starters especially so - except for the bajhis, which were soggy and seemed to have been pre-prepared microwaved rather than deep fried. We particularly recommend the house specials; lamb chops, the mutton tikka and the dry meat curry with a few hot, bubbling roti breads. Heavenly, in any culture!
3 found this helpful
Illustrated Critique:
http://foodsnobblog.wordpress.com/category/restaurant-reviews/new-tayyabs-restaurant-reviews/
Text-only Critique:
For those of you unfamiliar with New Tayyabs (and there cannot be many) it is one of London’s great bon marchés – authentic Pakistani cuisine served in generous portions with a BYO policy and no corkage, all for under £20 a head. The restaurant is ubiquitous among blogs, restaurant reviews and discussion boards, always highly rated and recommended, indeed often highlighted as an essential stop for anyone visiting London.
Thus, equipped with my Google-sourced map of East Aldgate and a vivid sense of adventure, I set off in search of Fieldgate St and the legendary bastion of Asian cookery that is New Tayyabs. It is a short and straightforward journey – I work in the City and am heading there after work on a Friday – but I have the constant impression I am going the wrong way and in the wrong place. A few minutes walk from Aldgate East, leaves me on Fieldgate Street and although I know I must be close, I cannot shake my doubts; could one of London’s most popular eateries be hidden on this quiet backstreet between a mosque and apartment blocks? I am not sure what I expected: bright lights, hustle and bustle in the streets, long queues of hungry diners….I cannot say, but expectations are high
When I reach the entrance, there is no fanfare, no circus awaiting me, instead a smiling waiter waiting to show me to a table. The décor is simple, quaint and Asian in style, there is a carafe of water and assortment of condiments (chutney, raita, etc) already on each table and the simple menu offers a decent choice of starters (mostly tandoori dishes), chicken/meat/vegetarian mains (mainly karahi style), daily specials and customary rice/bread. Apologies if I start to hurry here, but I am eager to describe the food
I am placed very close to the kitchen and the aromas wafting towards me are exotic and enticing; this is probably why I proceed to order much more than I can finish! For starters (yes, plural, but at such prices why not?), I opt for lamb chops (£5.20), panner tikka (£2.80) and a sheekh kebab (80p).
The lamp chops with the dry meat main are arguably the two most talked about dishes on the menu and with good reason. The four large juicy chops have been smothered in a spicy garam masala marinade, which after roasting, encrusts the meat with a deep and rich, smoky flavoured coating. Possibly still intoxicated by those aforementioned aromas, I lose all sense of decorum and find myself unabashedly, but quite rightly, eating with, then licking clean, my fingers. The chops steal centre stage, but the sheekh kebab is also tasty and flavoursome and is served together with the chops upon a sizzling skillet, whilst the panner (below), resembling my favourite cheese, hellim (also known popularly as halloumi), is firm yet velvety and complements the meat well.
For the next course, I order the dry meat (£5.60) and karahi chicken (£5.60) with a nan (£0.80) and later, tandoori parata (£1.80). I cannot do the dry meat justice; it is simply the tastiest curry I have ever had. Beautiful morsels of lamb are roasted slowly until they literally melt into the satisfyingly intense sauce. What is left is the most delicious spicy caramel paste that should be lovingly ladled from the pot to the lips with the aid of a freshly-baked nan or parata (both excellent). The karahi is nice too, made with juicy chunks of chicken, but is thoroughly eclipsed by the lamb.
At this point, I am totally stuffed, well, almost totally as I still ask for a dessert. I know I will not, I cannot, fully appreciate it after such a gross amount of food, but as those that know me would testify, I cannot not order dessert. As I am relatively naïve when it comes to Asian sweets, I ask the waiter for his recommendation and he brings a portion of gulab jamun (£2.00). These are basically small balls of dough, cream and flour in a sugar syrup infusion, somewhat similar to Turkish lokma. They are brought piping hot and prove intensely sweet; a decent offering, though not one I am eager to retry.
The bill comes to a princely sum of £24.60 – regulars will tell you what an achievement it is to break the £20 barrier and one only realised by me ordering two starters and two mains i.e. enough food for two people
It is hard to find fault with New Tayyabs; at what they do, they are terrific. The food is delicious, the staff are friendly and there is a nice buzz generated by the open kitchen and large groups of diners. However, if I really wanted to be captious, I could complain that the waiter asked me twice whether I was ready for my main dishes, whilst I was still very obviously enjoying my starters and that my nan order was misplaced, forcing me to wait anxiously for something to dip into that delicious lamb dish, but such minor blunders can easily be forgiven.
I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and will surely return the next time I fancy a curry. Indeed, were I a bigger fan of Indian cuisine (I maybe eat it 2/3 times a year), I would most probably proclaim NT as one of my favourite London restaurants, but instead, I am afraid it will have to make do with being only my favourite Asian restaurant.
83 Fieldgate Street, London, E1 1JU
tel: 020 7247 6400
nearest tube: Aldgate East, Whitechapel
www.tayyabs.co.uk
2 found this helpful
Ok so it can get busy, but it kicks the 'wotsits' out of the brick lane (gravy curry joints).
The best 'panjabi' style food you'll find in the area. The service is efficient, which is just what you need in a place like this.
It doesn't get much better this side of southall, green st or brum.
It doesn't get a 5* though, as you can never beat authentic indian/panjabi food in India/Pak itself or when its homecooked by people from that region.
Only tip i can give is that, if you don't wanna smell of spices afterwards don't order a 'sizzler' as that stuff is like a volcano, the fumes are just toxic (in a good way)
3 found this helpful
nah, don't book, queing's half the fun!
This is my local curry and grill joint, and honestly, I wouldn't deign to go anywhere else for a mixed grill. Their curries lack a kick and they could update the menu from time to time. That slight critism is made up for by the sharp and friendly service / ridiculously cheap, not to mention fresh and as tasty as anything food and no corkage BYO policy, a winner !
3 found this helpful
Had lunch today and totally lost for words. So I'm now handing the rest of the review to chrisp's comments on my review of the Lahore Kebab House.
''I went to Lahore on Tuesday and Tayyabs on Wednesday, and to be honest Tayyabs beats them hands down. It's cheaper, they don't charge for water and even their lamb chops are nicer.''
Thanks chrisp.
Walid: Get the lamb chops, the seekh kebabs and a bowl of dry meat. Keema naan is also good. If you manage to spend more than £10 a head you're a better man than me.
And thanks for the mention, bellaphon!
5 found this helpful
I'm always rather wary of writing about "ethnic" foods - not being able to provide any particular insight into the style of cooking or a bunch of ingredients I've never heard of, I'm worried I might end up coming across as even more of an amateur than usual. I can bluff my way through French cooking, even Spanish or Italian on a good day, but when confronted with a curry all I can usually do is mutter "oh that's good" but have no idea why. The reason I'm breaking my own embargo for Tayyabs is because it's probably the best Indian meal I've had this year, and just because I have no idea why is not going to stop me writing about it.
Tucked away on an improbable anonymous backalley somewhere near Whitechapel, the place itself is notable first of all for the huge queue of people waiting to get in, this at 6:30 on a Thursday night. I've mentioned before that this is usually a good sign, so along with the healthy buzz of recommendation I'd been receiving over the past few months, my interest had certainly peaked. Inside, a throng of excitable diners tucked into some spectacularly noisy (due to the hot plates) dishes of bright reds and greens under claustrophobically low ceilings, surrounded by almost as many waiters in smart black & white outfits.
After a 10 minute wait or so (pretty good really considering we hadn't booked - in fact I'm not sure you can anyway) we sat down and a the whirlwind of activity began. Popadums were popped down with the requisite sauces and salad before we'd even caught our breath. Our order was taken about 30 seconds later. 30 seconds after that the food began arriving, and didn't stop until there wasn't a single spot of tablecloth left.
It was all delicious - the mixed grill of tandoori meats (lamb chops, chicken and kebab thingy) were cooked perfectly and spiced to perfection (as far as I know). Dry Meat, despite the offputting name, was actually a moist bowl of what I'm guessing is lamb with strips of tasty fried onion. Karahi King Prawn (the most extravagant item on the menu) was creamy and tomatoey, if a little bit chewy, and Sag Meat (why so shy about saying which meat? Maybe it depends on availability) also drew a chorus of approval. Even the popadums were unlike anything you'd get at your average takeaway - a lot drier, interestingly spiced and incredibly moreish.
We wolfed it all down in about 20 minutes, with the last of the empty plates being whipped out from under our noses even as the last forkful of rice was still airborne. The bill was slapped down almost immediately, we paid with cash and were back out on the streets of the East End about half an hour after we'd been queueing up to get in. Out of the corner of my eye as we strolled away I noticed a fresh serving of popadums appearing in front of the next set of stunned diners at our table. Service therefore was nothing if not efficient - but pulled off the impressive feat of being very friendly too, so you ended up with the impression that it was in fact your idea to get in and out of there so quickly, and not just a clever ruse to get more covers done in an evening.
On our way home we passed a mosque and a synagogue literally right next door to each other. Probably some town planner's idea of a joke, but it was nice to see, and with our bellies full and wallets only £15 lighter each, we wobbled off into the night.
P.S. I've been reliably informed Tayyabs is Pakistani. So now I know.
3 found this helpful
Fantastic pakistani and punjabi food: lamb chops, masala fish, karahi chicken, dry meat (yes! but it’s good), dal, there’s something for everyone here. There's also daily specials, on a Tuesday I had the quail, and it cost all of £6. Fabulous mango lassis.
Be prepared to queue every day of the week, if you’re clever you can book the day before. Ridiculously cheap - starters £4.50 (that’s for 4 lamb chops or 3 pieces of masala fish) and mains on average £6 for small. Trust me, that’s all you need! Does it get better? Yes! It’s BYO and there’s no corkage.
What are you waiting for? Get down there!
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To be honest, I did feel a little mean giving just three. However, that said, three is not a bad score when measured against the four stars I gave Le Gavroche, Hibiscus or Ambassade de l'Ile.
At the moment, in my opinion, the only restaurant that has earned a five is l'Arpege.
Now, the food at NT is great, but service and ambience is utterly lacking. For that, I think three is deserved.
My rating system (currently at least) is something like:
5 - Life changing
4 - Excellent
3 - Good
2 - Average/forgettable
1 - Bad
It's a shame there are no half stars!