Grand Trunk Road Restaurant Review: Refined Indian Cooking in South Woodford, London

Grand Trunk Road is South Woodford in North East London’s latest addition and comes from the team who brought you Tamarind in Mayfair and Zaika in Kensington. The restaurant takes its name from the 16th century Grand Trunk Road which was ancient India’s first route for traders, leading from Kabul to Kolkata and helped produce famous recipes that survive still to this day.

Looking after the kitchen is head chef Dayashankar Sharma, who with more than 28 years of knowledge and experience, his work has helped to establish the image of a range of high-profile names and outlets, such as India’s Taj Hotel and the Taramind collection of restaurants, including the Taramind of Mayfair which was the first Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in London. If that wasn’t a stellar CV to convince you to visit Grand Trunk Road, then read on and perhaps the food will.

Whilst we looked over the menu, we did what we always do – ordered a cocktail. The Masala Smash was our choice of poison and gosh was it good. Lots of ice, Dewar’s 12yrs Whisky, Angostura Bitters, apple juice, lemon and garam masala syrup. A spicy, heady concoction that will excite your pallet for everything else thats about to come.

From the starters, my favourite was one of the very first dishes to arrive. Delhi Ki Chaat. A classic Indian dish which is a mix of crunchy wheat crisps, spicy chickpea salad, sweet yoghurt, fresh mint & tamarind chutney. Refreshing, sweet, sour – delicious. I love a good chaat when it comes to Indian cooking and it’s one of those dishes which really does satisfy all of your senses.

Another real favourite was the Rawalpindi Ka Chapli Kebab. It looked more like a shami kebab at first glance, but in fact it was minced and pressed chicken with baby spinach, fresh coriander, fragrant spices and a spicy cream cheese & mint chutney. I love the soft texture of the ground chicken, encased in the crunchy outer coating and the little dollops of mint chutney really brought everything together.

Oh and the scallops, words can’t even begin to describe just how good they were. Crusted seared scallops, roasted garlic, red pepper, tomato & an olive oil chutney. I’m not entirely sure of how all of those flavours made their way into the dish exactly, but I can confirm everything was incredibly satisfying and the cooking of those scallops meant they cut through like butter.

Star dishes were the incredible main courses. Lucknow Ka baby Lamb Shank was a thing of beauty, slow-cooked to the point it was falling off the bone at just the sight of my fork and drenched in a rich, aromatic sauce with a recipe dating back to the 18th century. The Delhi Ka Chilli Pudina Murgh was another stunning creation from the kitchen, quite literally leaving us salivating with each bite. The chicken was moist, the sauce again rich and glossy and the spice level from the chilli was just right.

As well as all those delicious main courses, the sides and vegetable dishes were just as accomplished. A real favourite was the Chunar Ki Bhindi – baby okra cooked with beetroot vinegar and onion, whilst the Dal Bukhara will leave you wanting to eat straight from the bowl. Whole black lentils cooked overnight, with tomato & fenugreek leaves – finished with cream. Special mention has to go to the selection of breads too because they really were the stuff of dreams, especially the truffle naan.

Desserts were of course, delicious and I completely fell in love with the Banares Ki Kheer. Creamy Indian style rice pudding, packed with flavours of lavender and wild berries. After all the food we just ate it was a refreshing ending and the ice cream was the perfect dish to follow with flavours of rose petal and the slightly more unusual avocado – though it really worked.

We absolutely loved our time at Grand Trunk Road and when it comes to South Woodford, I’ve no doubt that this isn’t only the suburbs best Indian restaurant – but best restaurant full stop. It’s a bold move from a very successful team moving so far out of London, but it seems to be paying off. Mid-week and the restaurant was full, cocktails so delicious you’ll want to order multiples of them and modern Indian dishes packed with flavour. If I’m ever in the area again, I’ll most certainly return.