Guglee, Swiss Cottage, Restaurant Review

By Lydia Mansi on March 31st 2011

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When it comes to Indian restaurants, everyone has their favourites don’t they? Wherever you live, you seek out, usually through trial and error, the best your neighbourhood has to offer and that’s that. I’ve been going to Meghna in Crouch End for as long as I can remember, in fact long after it stopped being good, and only defected to Khas Tandoori in Kensal Rise, when I moved west. This month’s review however has forced me out my culinary comfort zone, to Guglee on the Finchley Road.

 

At the Swiss Cottage end, Guglee is a 21st century take on the Indian restaurant. Open for six months, business is already booming, with a queue for takeaway out the door at one point. Bridging the gap between daytime café and fine-dining restaurant, it’s a bright, buzzing, colourful place, from the bhangra music to the eye-catching graffiti style mural of all things Indian, including an eclectic mix of Hindu deities and iconic Hindustan Ambassador cars

 

Starters are authentic street food straight from the sub-continent. The mini dosa pancakes, a Southern Indian speciality, were merely the vehicle for the searing spice of the potato filling, thankfully there was a cool coconut chutney to diffuse the tongue-tingling heat.  

 

Moving North-East in origin, the choice of chaats is so popular owner Sachin Mulane is changing the menu to accommodate a selection platter for hungry regulars. We sampled one of each, the unanimous favourite being the sev puri chaat. Bite-sized mouthfuls of crispy pastry shell, filled with chickpeas and yoghurt – best described by my fellow diner as: “cool with a kick.”

 

The grill is charcoal, not gas, which really shows when in comes to the breads (the garlic and peshwari naan where fluffy and light), not to mention the tandoori chicken. The seasonal spring chicken came blackened from the grill, which adds the authentic smoky flavour, while the 24-marinade of yoghurt, spices and garlic meant the meat fell off the bone.

 

The traditional Costal Goa fish curry was packed with a generous portion of cod, the perfect choice as the meaty white fish stood up to being slow cooked in the spicy, coconut milk sauce.

 

To finish, the homemade Kulfi are fantastic; like giant mini milks, the dense creamy ice cream is delicately scented with exotic flavours, we chose honey and rose and pistachio.

 

As we left we got chatting to a lone American diner who had arrived three months previously for work and in his words, “had been here every day since”. I don’t blame him. (Benedict Mansi)

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Members Comments

  • Comment by: sundeepkapur 04 April 2011 - 15:54

    Hi Lydia,

    I am glad you enjoyed the meal. I love the food at Guglee, and adore the service. I could go on and on about what I like - but the three munchies I love to have while I work are the Peshawari Naan with Raita, Sev Puri, and Murgh Xacuti.

    Glad to bump into you at the restaurant.

    Best,

    Lone American Diner

    Report this comment

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