Bembi
By Michael Mueller
Lakwinder Singh has run the kitchen at Bembi since it opened in 2007, cooking the recipes of his mentor, Anand Singh Negi. Negi, born in northern India and who lived for years in the south, worked for the Taj hotel group before developing dishes in London. He’s no longer at the stove, although the menus and plating remain his.
Among the dishes, the Hyderabadi dum ka hara murgh is not to be missed: delicious chicken in a pot with cashew, cilantro and mint; also notable is the Thalassery tawa machi from Malabar, a pairing of grilled hake with coconut and tamarind. The team grind spices they’ve brough from India into specials blends for each dish; they use chicken from local farms, halal-certified lamb and veal from local producers and dairy from local Montserrat. Butter chicken is the house specialty; the Goan chicken vindaloo comes with a warning on the menu: “for the brave.” A dedicated tandoor cook bakes the bread to order.
Bembi was first opened on Consell de Cent; later the partners opened up Rangoli in Barceloneta and more recently Little Andaman. If you’re inspired, you can prepare some dishes using Negi’s cookbook, Cocina india para occidentales