Oudh 1722, London SE1: finickety food but a blowout feast

Oudh 1722 is chef Aktar Islam’s first London restaurant, set in a listed Victorian townhouse near Borough Market and taking a solemn approach to Awadhi cooking. The name recalls the Nawabi era, which began in 1722, a tradition defined by slow, sealed-pot cooking, aromatic spice blends and subtle notes — luxury rather than fast, spicy street food.

The à la carte opens with a lamb shorba, a welcome broth poured over finely chopped lamb tartare, then moves to gol guppa (pani puri) filled with sprouting moong shoots and tiny edible flowers, flooded with jaljeera-spiced cumin water. Naashta includes chaat with white peas, tempered yoghurt and sev, while gilawat delivers melting kebabs such as gulnaar tandoori chicken in smoked tomato and cream; the sabzi section features kaddu ki qorma and gobi mussalam.

oudh 1722, aktar islam, london, borough market, awadhi cooking, nawabi era, lamb shorba, gol guppa, pani puri, jaljeera