Review: Zumbura Restaurant | Punjabi Cuisine in Clapham

‘It’s been going down a storm according to Trip Advisor…’ began the email that popped up on my screen on Wednesday afternoon, a few hours before my friend (the sender of the email) and I planned to head to newly-opened Zumbura restaurant in Clapham’s Old Town.

So, with high expectations and a little bit of apprehension, wondering how one pulls off Indian tapas, which is essentially the idea behind this new restaurant, we headed south on the Northern Line.

Zumbura claims homecooked food perfect for sharing in a contemporary setting, which is exactly what it is. The venue is smaller than it might seem from the pictures, which only adds to the intimate feel (which, personally, I quite like). Although it was almost empty when we arrived, by the time we left it was buzzing – with every table and seat at the bar filled.

As we scanned the menu, with my dinner companion pointing out each dish she wanted to try (nearly everything on the menu), we sampled Zumbura’s ‘signature cocktails’. The Cucumori Chilli is bright green and is served with a cucumber. It has a fresh taste but be warned, it’s quite strong, with an ample serving of gin mixed with chilli and coriander (yes I am still talking about a drink). The Molly Moo Moo was more tropical, with passion fruit and Limoncello, proving to be a far lighter, sweeter tasting drink – one for those feeling a little less brave!

After ordering a range of dishes, along with breads, rice and chutneys, we waited patiently for our food. There was a little hiccup with this and it seemed my technology curse had struck again (it hates me). In keeping with the contemporary theme, all the waiters used iPods to take your order. Obviously this is WIFI permitting and it seems ours got lost in that same place my signal always seems to disappear to. But what is it they say? It’s how you recover not the problem itself and after profuse apologies from the manager the food was with us in a flash. And thankfully it was well worth the wait…

The Sikkiwe Chops – grilled lamb chops, twice marinated in herbs, were what everyone had been raving about on Trip Advisor and they lived up to the hype – tasty and succulent, I would definitely recommend a try. My only advice would be to order two lots – if you’re sharing they come in sets of three so this is always going to be a problem!

Everything is tasty – in the true sense of the word – full of flavour, nothing we ate was bland. We sampled the black chickpeas braised in onion and mango powder and the chicken marinated in fresh herbs along with the stuffed meatballs and bread selection. All were very impressive and left us wanting more (if we weren’t already stuffed).

If you like tapas and Indian food this is the ideal place for you. Even if you’re not a massive fan of curry, the chops and chicken come grilled and full of flavour without the need to have a heavy sauce dish. It’s the best of both worlds. I would recommend ordering two or three meat dishes and sharing some vegetable plates and breads or rice. Although the tapas dishes are not large they do fill you up with their rich flavours.

After devouring what felt like the whole menu we finished up by trying some of the pistachio ice cream along with some vanilla, refreshingly light after so many spices and a great way to end the meal.

I am not surprised everyone is raving about Zumbura, it’s full of fantastic flavours and has a great contemporary yet intimate feel.

My one piece of advice… book!

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Zumbura is located at 36a Old Town, Clapham, London, SW4 OLB. Find out more at Zumbura.com