Lucknow cuisine heads to London with new restaurant opening

This March, the team behind DUM Biryani will open its doors to Lucknow Social, a neighbourhood Indian restaurant specialising in Lucknow cuisine, near Regent Street.

Founder, Dhruv Mittal will take inspiration from the low and slow Awadhi cooking of the city of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, a North Indian style that sees fluffy biryanis, galauti kebabs and curries at the centre of the table.

Dhruv Mittal has travelled extensively throughout India, honing his skills and knowledge of regional cuisine along the way.

Lucknow Social will reflect his time spent working as a chef at the Oberoi hotel in Agra, in their trademark Awadhi restaurant, ‘Esphahan’, situated just east of Lucknow in the Uttar Pradesh region.

Here, he fell for the ‘dum’ method of cooking over a low flame, synonymous with the area, and returned to London inspired to open a restaurant embracing the old concept.

Dhruv said: “Awadhi cooking is a slow process, with most dishes taking days to prepare - it’s a real labour of love.

“Spending time cooking in Agra and travelling around Lucknow, I was blown away by its multi-layered flavours and cooking techniques.

“I’m looking forward to bringing this style of cooking to Lucknow Social, and creating an escape where people can gather to socialise over a North Indian feast.”