Rating
Cuisine
Indian [Mixed]
Appeals To
People at the most legendary Rich Mix or in the general Shoreditch High Street area who want a culinary option that’s free of pretense, reliable and economical. Think about ‘65% restaurant 35% canteen’ – with a mostly Indian (street food) twist, though with other, more European offers.
Those who enjoy places themed on/adjacent to cinemas, places infused with culture and the kind of energy that comes from an arts hub – and who aren’t all that bothered about harmonious interior design or elaborate decor.
In A Word
Unassuming
Wanna go to Indi.go?
Maybe you do!
Indi.go lives just up the road from Shoreditch High Street station, a place full of promise and a never ending series of food popups, art exhibitions, excellent beards and blond girls in leather jackets who scowl a lot. Indi.go itself Reminds me of a cafeteria. Pretty sure it’s a modified cafeteria.
It’s full of friendly, red shirted Indian staff. Indian restaurant, Indian staff – seems legit *scratches head*
The front is done up to look like a cinema. Which makes sense since it’s located next to Rich Mix‘s own cinema. This also means that there’s often a lot of cool activity and fun stuff going on (if you didn’t know, Rich Mix is a fantastic cultural hub in Shoreditch that arranges things like screenings, gigs, art exhibitions, etc…).
It’s also just adjacent to a guitar shop (‘Vintage Guitar Boutique’) so you feel like you’ve found a creative place to hang around in.
We try to find the manager to find out more about the story behind Rich Mix but he’s disappeared for Ramadan (maybe being surrounded by all this food was too much for him?)
Low to medium volume pop music plays all night. Stuff off of the charts that you’d probably recognise – unless you have managed to avoid media for the last 6 months, and if that is the case, how are you even reading these words?
(Eventually they end up playing Miley Cyrus‘ Wrecking Ball and I lose my shit – abruptly remembering this video)
Clientele? Kinda mixed – a bit of everything I guess, and with a few Bohemian types thrown in and people on Macbooks doing spreadsheets or music production or computer hacking (what would you do with a Macbook in a restaurant?). Despite being called Indigo there is minimal indigo in the decor (though maybe a little in the logo?)
A fair few musicians wielding cased instruments come and go (we are at Rich Mix, afterall – do you even live music). I think there’s a gig going on in the adjacent room – at some point someone invites us to go and see it. It really starts to get busy around 20:15
At another point as I photo our dinner, a bloke comes in and makes reference to the Bill Bailey skit of the photographer taking pictures of food. Well played sir. I have no shame.
We’ve shown up a little early, giving us time to look at guitars that we don’t need in said guitar shop and then see what’s going on in Rich Mix. At some point, a hot Italian girl with a ‘Skrillex-esque’ haircut explains what they have going on for the rest of the night (which includes an author book signing), and then she disappears. Which is sad.
So, we console ourselves with food (after stalling the wonderfully polite waiters for about 20 minutes whilst we agonise over choices, sorry guys). Here’s what eventually arrives
The Food and Drink
Indi.go’s food is, on the whole… Indian (I suspect you saw this coming – hm?). They don’t seem to focus too much on a particular region, and so you could think of them like you would your local, versatile curry house. Like a ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ – but for food. ‘Now That’s What I Call Curry?’ – Too far? OK.
They’re not hung up solely on Indian food, the menu boasts a selection of non curry house faire like a selection of jacket potatoes, Thai bento boxes, Full English breakfasts and a small cocktail selection.
And speaking of drink, there’s a very limited selection of wines with a little more variety in the beers. I opt for the house red (the only choice as far as I remember) – which is quite pleasant. Joe gets a Singha Beer which will later be metabolised into a combination of hand made, home made, jury rigged electronic objects, chiptune covers of songs you probably won’t recognise and of course, god tier gurning…
Pani Poori
His portion seems way more stingy than mine, so I share some of my Aloo Tikka Ragda…
Aloo Tikka Ragda
I discover some fried potato at the bottom and scattered garden peas throughout. It reminds me of something my Dad would cook but made by an Indian man/woman instead – therefore different!
They give you a spoon, which kinda works. The sauce is sweet and hard to define – Joe says ‘chocolate’, I disagree.
Pilau Rice
Chicken Korma
I later regret not ordering said Korma but stop regretting when they deposit a giant platter of mixed meats in front of me.
Kasmiri Lamb
The sauce takes some of the intensity out of the dish. Eat the chilies. Do it.
Tandoori Selection
In my notes, Joe describes a sauce in this one as ‘cold tara (with sugar?)‘ – I DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS JOE.
The salads come with vaguely spicy beetroot slivers and perfectly roasted onions (which my mouth adores, and my digestion hates)
We don’t go for dessert, after that meaty platter the concept of dessert seems alien and terrible. That said, you can see why the Indians invented Lassi – which they do here, and which seems unnecessary at this point.
The Verdict
It’s not fine dining, and it doesn’t pretend to be – but it delivers upon it’s promise, is reasonably priced, and lives inside one of the most happening and exciting spots in East London. I guess it is basically a cafeteria that specialises in Indian cuisine.
Asides from some limitations in the drinks menu and the lack of a bar (I later discover that there is another bar in the building but I am damned if I know where it is!?) I’d say that Rich Mix have got a pretty good thing going on here.
I don’t know if they open early on but it seems like a good spot to get a coffee and feed off of all that crackling creative energy the pervades the air. Hell, there’s an entrance to an art gallery right in the middle of the restaurant. Not that I go to galleries, I’m a fucking pleb.
Still, I find myself in Rich Mix every now and then and so will probably end up back here at some point!
The Details
A: 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA
P: 020 7613 7498
T: @RichMixLondon
W: http://www.richmix.org.uk/visit/cafe-and-bar/
