Bibi

Bibi, a sleek Indian spot in Mayfair, is the kind of place that will surprise you with every single dish. Things like a grilled lahori chicken in a cashew and yoghurt whey sauce that is so tender and creamy, you’d think it was the star of the show. Until the mushroom galouti kebab arrives at your table. There’s no way you’ll be able to pick a favourite until you’ve tried absolutely everything here.

Although it’s a small space, it makes up for it with cosy but plush four-person booths and an outdoor heated terrace. But if you’re a fan of MasterChef—or like a little show with your meal—then the real fun is at the counter. It’s where you’ll see lobster being grilled and final touches added at the pass, which adds to the excitement once you realise that the achari wagyu they’re plating up is for you.

photo credit: Bibi

photo credit: Bibi

photo credit: Bibi

Is it a surprise that a restaurant headed by chef Chet Sharma, who’s helped develop menus at the restaurant group behind Gymkhana and Brigadiers, is serving such great food? Not at all. The surprise is just how excellent each bite is. It starts with something as simple as a crispy papad which comes with a mango and chutney yoghurt that we’d nominate for world’s best snack. And continues with a tender orkney scallop in a lemonade dressing that will make you feel things you didn’t think you could feel for a mollusc. This is a clever little restaurant, with a very clever menu. 

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

It’s a set menu situation—with equally excellent meat and vegetarian options. Whether it’s the chillies hidden under the paneer, or the tangy peanut and tamarind sauce that comes with okra salan, the vegetarian dishes are just as interesting as the meaty options. The dinner menu has an expensive option, and a slightly more expensive option. Go for the latter, the extra 50-odd pounds are worth it for swapping things like monkfish for lobster.

The outstanding food, effortlessly good service, and intimate feel of the place all make it a restaurant we want to bring someone special—be that a date, a friend, or a friend who we’re trying to flatter in hopes they’ll one day say yes to a date. It doesn’t really matter who, because this is somewhere that’ll impress everyone.

Food Rundown

The set menu changes, but these are some dishes that you can expect to find.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Wookey-hole Cheese Papad

You’ll be given this at the start of your meal. The crisps are perfectly snacky. And the mango-laced chutney that comes with it is, hands down, one of the best dips you’ll ever eat.

Loch Duart Salmon Jhal Muri

Raw salmon, with mini crisp papads to scoop it up with, this is a delicious and refreshing few bites.

photo credit: Bibi

Orkney Scallop Nimbu Pani

Buttery chunks of raw scallop in an ‘Indian lemonade’, this dish has been known to convert anti-raw fish people into sashimi fiends. It’s citrussy, fresh, tastes like a scallop salad, and we’re seriously obsessed with it.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Sharmaji’s Lahori Chicken

This chicken is creamy, tender, and our favourite dish here. Don’t worry, this is on all the non-vegetarian menus.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Goat Galouti Kebab

Galouti means something that melts in your mouth, and this dinky little patty more than lives up to the description. It comes with a thin roti, and you’re told to spread the kebab like butter, top with the pickled onions and coriander and mint chutney, before rolling it up and eating it like a wrap. And it’s outstanding.