Tamila team to launch second site
Glen Leeson and Prince Durairaj, who also own highly-rated desi pubs The Tamil Prince and The Tamil Crown in Islington, have not confirmed the location of their second Tamila site, but said it will also be in London.
The pair opened their first Tamila restaurant earlier this month on Clapham’s Northcote Road in the space that was most recently home to vegan restaurant VE Kitchen, saying they wanted the concept to ‘redefine the curry house’.
The menu echoes co-founder and executive chef Prince Durairaj’s South Indian heritage, featuring dishes from Tamil Nadu and across the subcontinent.
Speaking to Restaurant, Leeson said the decision to open two sites in quick succession wasn’t planned.
“It’s just the nature of the game,” he said.
“You bid on a load of sites and get turned down for almost all of them, but like buses these two came at the same time.”
The menu at the second restaurant will be the same as that in Clapham, with a focus on roti and South Indian curries.
However, the space will be different, featuring a basement bar that’s expected to allow for a wider drinks offering.
“Our approach is letting the space define what the restaurant is,” Leeson added.
Durairaj, former executive head chef of Roti King, met ex-Market Halls general manager Leeson several years ago and the pair chose to join forces following the pandemic.
Initially they launched Tamila as a street food concept at the Hackney Bridge development, before pivoting to open their first Indian food pub, The Tamil Prince, in 2022.
They then followed up with the nearby The Tamil Crown late last year.
Both The Tamil Prince and The Tamil Crown are well regarded for having reenergised the desi pub concept, with the former having featured on the National Restaurant Awards Top 100 list in the past.
Discussing the decision to establish Tamila as a bricks and mortar business, Leeson said: “Tamila is something we wanted to do from the beginning.
“The pubs were a brilliant accident. It wasn’t what we set out to do and so now it’s about scratching that itch.”
Leeson's full interview with Restaurant can be read here.
