Darjeeling Express: A Superb Indian-Inspired Soho Restaurant

London is a great city, there is no doubt about that. And this Indian-style restaurant is one more excuse for you to visit it more often during the year.

Darjeeling Express, an indian-style restaurant in the heart of London will first stick with you because its mesmerizing interior design. Then, you go in, and the food’s just as amazing. Let’s take a tour around this Soho restaurant and find out why this a mandatory stop during your next trip to London.

If you’re walking by West End, you will find the Darjeeling Express somewhere along Carnaby Street, on the top floor of Kingly Court. An Indian-style restaurant owned and operated by Asma Khan, here you will find amazing and authentic Indian food, as well as an interior that will take you on a journey.

Khan commissioned the interior architecture to a local studio, A-nrd Studio, which were responsible for designing and overseeing the project until its completion. The interior architecture studio went on to study the owner’s Indian heritage, allowing them to create a space that felt more authentic and welcoming.

This heritage can be seen in the color palette chosen for the place, where golden hues take the lead. We can also see other earthy and warm tones popping up as a way to balance it out. Lastly, cerulean blue is also very much used throughout the restaurant interior design, appealing to the restaurant’s namesake: the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

Brass details and components can be seen all over the restaurant, from the table tops to the lighting designs by the brand Mullan Lighting. As for the seating options, you will find mostly danish dining chairs, which earthy colors go hand in hand with the Indian-inspired look A-nrd Studio were looking for.

For a more real look, pictures from a photographic series by Ming Tang-Evans’ visit to Asma’s Indian ancestral home were framed and hung on the wall.

If you bother to look up, you will find even more Indian-inspired details, which are very typical of Indian interiors such as the hardwood beams, greenery and pottery.

Closer to the entrance you can find a couple of booths, which feature a few benches that mimic the traditional seating of the Darjeeling Express train. On the back of the benches colorful and patterned fabrics add a little bit more comfort and balance them with the rest of the restaurant decor.

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