“O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship.” (Quran, 2:172)
“O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship.” (Quran, 2:172)
Whilst it may be easy to stick with the typical Indian and Middle Eastern Cuisines here in London, there are so many more to explore. You might say, “It is impossible to find atypical cuisines that are actually Halal”; but fear not – here are the Halal gastronomies that you thought were impossible to find.
British
We live in Britain yet if a family member visits and asks for an authentic British experience with British food, we would embarrass ourselves by saying that we’ve never had British food as nothing is Halal. Located in Ealing Green though, is a gem which will save us this embarrassment whilst also acquainting our taste with traditional British cuisine.
Steak On The Green is a family-run British restaurant serving authentic British food. Not only is it one of the highest-rated steaks on TripAdvisor, it also serves Halal food. With the recent closing of The Meat Co. this is the undisputed king of steaks in London in terms of value, quantity, and quality of steak.
I’ve never before had a steak that I’ve savoured as much as the 300g filet at Steak on The Green. In addition to the steak, you can indulge on Sunday roast, lamb cutlets, and a wagyu beef burger and salmon teriyaki. There’s even a halloumi burger if meat isn’t for you.
Although they serve alcohol, you can book a table outside to avoid it, and speaking about beverages, the restaurant serves one of the best mocktail mojitos in London.
Steak On The Green (31 Haven Green, London W5 2NX)
English Breakfast
All around the world, a full English breakfast is admired and copied but as a Muslim living in Britain, the only full English breakfast I’ve had is in a hotel in Dubai.
Whilst there is a plethora of café’s that serve halal breakfast, none of them are close to the original English Breakfast. However recently I’ve found a place where they serve authentic English Breakfast until late that is also Halal.
Located near the Kenton overground station is Jasmine’s Café which on the outside is the usual small café serving the usual cakes and coffee. But on closer inspection, you will see at the top of the menu two things: one, the Halal logo and two, English breakfast with all the usual suspects that make the English breakfast so unique and popular.
Everything is fresh and portions are excellent even in the Covid era where shrinkflation has become out of hand. Alongside the English Breakfast, Jasmine’s Café serves delicious homemade cookie dough and the very hard-to-find Eggs Benedict.
Jasmine’s Café (103 Kenton Rd, Harrow HA3 0AN)
Japanese
The dynamic Japanese cuisine is one that must be tried by all – from Wagyu beef to ramen to sushi. But in general, Japanese restaurants are a rarity and true halal Japanese restaurants some may say are impossible to find.
However, there is one in Marble Arch that fits the bill; a Japanese restaurant with all halal dishes, not just chicken or just seafood.
On the sideroads of the vibrant Edgeware Road is Kurobuta (yes it does mean the black pig), a truly authentic Japanese restaurant serving the entirety of the vast Japanese cuisine. With Japanese food, it’s all about the quality of food and the intricacy of presentation that makes it special and from the little things of the traditional soy sauce dispenser with a cork to the dishes being served on a leaf Kurobuta delivers to the fullest on those promises.
Whilst portions and prices represent the sad realities of the Coronavirus pandemic, dishes here definitely don’t disappoint. The salmon sushi is definitely the highlight; unlike most restaurants that serve salmon sushi with a tiny amount of salmon in the middle of the avocado and rice, the sushi here is wrapped around in salmon as well as having even more in the middle.
Dishes such as the wagyu beef sliders and the chicken wings are also top quality especially the chicken wings which are a breath of fresh air compared to the usual peri-peri grilled wings we see almost everywhere.
Kurobuta (17-20 Kendal St, St George’s Fields, London W2 2AW)
Pan Asian
We would all love it if we could have more than the teriyaki salmon soba and the tofu pad thai at Wagamama. After all, pan-Asian cuisine is amongst the most colourful in the world with a variety of different dishes to try – but finding a fully Halal pan-Asian cuisine is quite challenging.
However, in multiple locations such as Bayswater, West Hampstead, Maida Vale, and Soho is a halal pan-Asian cuisine that exceeds the level of a typical Wagamama.
Banana Tree is an Indochinese chain restaurant that never fails to disappoint me despite the 10 or so times I have visited. Once again like Kurobuta, the little things like serving dishes on top of a banana leaf deliver the authentic pan-Asian experience.
Dishes here also deliver to the fullest extent; the Pad Thai and Chicken Satay are the highlights, both of which were on the same level as the respective dishes I first tried in Thailand – and the Sticky Wings and Blackened Chilli Beef provide the Asian take of two very popular dishes in chicken wings and steak.
You can’t go wrong with anything you order at Banana Tree; even the fresh tropical juice is exquisite.
Banana Tree (Westbourne Grove, London W2 4UA)
Street Food
To all of you who hate the idea of upmarket restaurants that care more about presentation than portions and just want to get food from a stall, I haven’t forgotten about you.
Halal street food from niche food stalls are a scarcity, but here’s a short list of Halal food stalls from the popular food halls and markets around London that also fit in with the theme of typically unexplored cuisines for the Muslim customer.
Bang Bang Food Hall (399 Edgware Rd, London NW9 0FH)
- Makatcha – Indonesian food voted on Time Out’s top 50 Best St Food London 3 years running
- Coconut Tree – The rich flavours of traditional Malaysian cuisine
Boxpark Wembley (18 Olympic Way, Wembley Park, Wembley HA9 0JT)
- Bombay Burrito – Fresh Indian fast food in the form of burritos
- Mama Jacq’s – Caribbean food with great tasting dishes
- Mitsuryu – Authentic Japanese street food
Camden Market (Camden Lock Pl, London NW1 8A)
- Wok Boy – Chinese slippery fried noodles with whatever meat and vegetable combo you can think of
- Arepa – Traditional Venezuelan wraps
- Indonesian Street Kitchen – Indonesian food voted Time Out’s top 50 Best St Food London 3 years running
- Yaki Box – Japanese street food vendor serving unique sushi
- Pino’s Warung – Authentic Indonesian dishes
- Thainese – A fusion of Thai and Chinese food
There is an abundance of cuisines to delve into and you can’t be a true foodie if you haven’t explored most. Now there is no excuse, the before “impossible” to find cuisines are now urging you to explore.
London is a vibrant, diverse city and the widening availability of Halal food in all cuisines means that you can easily fulfill your food cravings wherever you are in the city.
