If you want a proper Indian lunch in the West End without committing your whole afternoon, our Express Lunch is built for exactly that. You choose one main, and it comes with pilau rice and a mini naan. It is served from 12pm to 4pm, so it works for an early lunch, a late one, or a mid-afternoon refuel between meetings and shopping.
There is no long menu to work through and no decisions about sides. Pick your curry, and the rice and bread are already taken care of. Below is every main on the Express Lunch, what each one is like, and a few pointers on choosing.
How the Express Lunch works
The format is deliberately simple:
- Served: 12pm to 4pm.
- You choose: one main from a short list of six.
- Included: pilau rice and a mini naan with every main.
That is a complete plate: a curry with plenty of sauce, fragrant rice to carry it, and a piece of bread to mop up the rest. It is the kind of lunch that feels like a real meal rather than a sandwich eaten at a desk, and it keeps things quick because everyone at the table is ordering from the same short list.
The six mains, explained
The Express Lunch draws on dishes from our full menu, so you get the same cooking our kitchen does all day. Here is what to expect from each one.
Chicken Tikka Masala
On our menu this is described as tandoori chicken tikka in a smooth, creamy masala sauce. The chicken is marinated and cooked in the tandoor first, which can give it a light char, then finished in the sauce. It is mild to medium, rich and very easy to like, which is why it is such a popular lunchtime choice.
Butter Chicken
Our menu calls it tender chicken in a rich tomato, butter and cream sauce. It sits close to tikka masala but leans a little softer and more buttery. If you cannot decide between the two, our guide to butter chicken vs tikka masala sets out the differences.
Chicken Bhuna
Bhuna appears in the Traditional Dishes section of our menu, described as browned onions in a medium-thick sauce. The onions are cooked down until deeply browned, which gives the sauce a savoury depth. The sauce is thicker than in the creamier curries, so it clings to the rice well.
Chicken Madras
Madras is also from the Traditional Dishes section, where it is described as fairly hot, strongly spiced with plenty of sauce. This is the one to pick if you want some real warmth at lunchtime. It has heat, but it is balanced by a generous sauce that works well with pilau rice and naan.
Vegetable Curry
The Vegetable Curry is one of two vegetarian choices on the Express Lunch. It is a straightforward, comforting vegetable curry, and a good pick if you want something meat-free with a bit more substance on the plate. If you have questions about how it is made, just ask your server.
Tarka Dall
On our menu, Tarka Dall is lentils with butter, herbs, fried garlic and aromatic spices. A tarka is usually a finishing touch of spices and garlic fried in fat and stirred through at the end, and it is what gives the dish its aroma. It is gentle, warming and filling, and it pairs naturally with rice and bread. It is the second vegetarian choice.
Choosing your main
A few simple rules of thumb help if you are ordering in a hurry:
- For mild and creamy: Butter Chicken or Chicken Tikka Masala.
- For rich and savoury: Chicken Bhuna.
- For real heat: Chicken Madras.
- For vegetarian: Vegetable Curry or Tarka Dall.
If you are lunching with colleagues or friends, it is worth ordering a mix. With pilau rice and a mini naan on every plate, it is easy to try a spoonful of someone else's curry and find a new favourite for next time.
Why a set lunch suits a busy day
Lunch in central London is often squeezed between other plans. The Express Lunch keeps the choices short so you spend your time eating rather than reading a menu, and because rice and bread are included, there is nothing extra to work out when you order.
It also runs until 4pm, which is useful on days that do not follow a neat schedule. If a morning meeting overruns or you have been out shopping longer than planned, a late lunch is still on the table.
If you have more time and want to explore, our full menu has starters, tandoori dishes, biryanis and a long list of vegetable dishes. Our West End page has more on dining with us in this part of town.
Please tell us about allergies when you book. Our kitchen handles nuts, dairy, eggs, gluten, fish, shellfish, soya and sesame.
Book your Express Lunch
For a quick, proper Indian lunch with one main, pilau rice and a mini naan, served from 12pm to 4pm, see our Express Lunch page and book a table. We look forward to seeing you at lunchtime.
