Diners would perhaps be surprised to know that “the ultimate destination for the best Indian food in London” is tucked away on an unprepossessing side street in what could only generously be described as St John’s Wood. The hyperbole does speak to the ambition of the Three Falcons. If not quite an ultimate destination, the venue has certainly hit upon a winning formula that deservedly should be repeated elsewhere in London.
Wind the clock back a generation and Thai chefs cooking in pub dining rooms was a big thing. We may well wonder where they have all gone. The British love of curry is much better known and understood. As is its citizens’ love of beer. Sure, the country lacks neither Indian restaurants nor pubs, but what a genius idea to combine the two. To the best of your reviewer’s knowledge, an Indian gastropub is a first.
The Three Falcons sits on a site that was formerly a grotty boozer called The Richmond Arms. Gaurav and his team have transformed the venue. Upstairs is a boutique hotel, downstairs a pub-cum-restaurant. When your reviewer and his dining comrade visited spontaneously on a recent Saturday night, what struck us most was not only how busy the venue was, but also what a large number of diners were Indian – always a reassuring sign. Fortunately, the restaurant was able to accommodate us.
There’s always a certain comfort in menus when they keep things simple. The Three Falcons prints theirs on an A4 piece of paper, designed to look like a colonial-era newspaper. It’s even called the ‘Old Dehli Times’, which gives diners a sense of what style of cooking to expect. Indian options adorn one side, and more traditional British fare on the inverse. Comfortably seated with our pints of beer, we began with an ample plate of poppadoms. In a nice twist on the traditional, diners can choose from a range of half a dozen relishes and chutneys. Our pair (mint & coriander, and burnt green tomato) gave a good insight into the competence of the kitchen. Similar praise would be merited for ours mains: lamb and spinach for your reviewer and shahi paneer for his comrade. Both demonstrated a judicious use of spice, layering and slow cooking. Upon close – with all our dishes happily cleared – we settled in for another pint. No-one is rushed at the Three Falcons. My only quibble might be the dominance of the large screen TVs in the main room. Many may want to watch the cricket or similar, but not all. Face away if you can and enjoy the food, beer and ambience.