The first Hankies opened last year in Soho and is modelled on a Delhi street café.
The menu, created by chef and founder Anurudh Arora, is based around the roomali roti snacks popular in Delhi. What flatbreads are hand spun before being cooked on hot tawa stoves and folded into ‘hankies’, which are served with all the dishes on the menu.
Dishes include ‘bhindi bhel’ (rice puffs with okra, sweet chutney, onions and coriander); kachori ‘poppers’ (deep fried balls of dough) filled with green peas, mascarpone cheese and chilli; black dahl; prawn skewers with chives and garlic; chilli lamb chops marinated in paprika and mustard; and a naan bread filled with cheddar, cumin and shaved truffle.
Drinks options include Indian inspired cocktails; blueberry lassi; and masala coffee.
The interior will be decorated with artefacts, glassware and china sourced from Indian markets and antique stores by Arora.
New wave Indian cuisine is making a mark on the restaurant scene. Key operators include Gunpowder, Kricket, The Darjeeling Express and Madam D’s.
At the end of last year, Indian Accent opened its first UK outpost, serving Indian food with modern twists in a fine dining setting.