Meet the chef: Asma Khan, owner of Darjeeling Express

Tell us something about your restaurant that people might not know
‘Be prepared to wait. We don’t batch cook. Darjeeling Express celebrates home food – it’s not food that’s designed for restaurants. Everything is cooked fresh every day; nothing has been reheated. What you eat here is the closest to my home cooking.’

Who is London’s most exciting chef right now?
‘Andrew Wong from A Wong. He’s so immersed in his Chinese identity – his pride in old Chinese medicines, telling the stories, explaining the history and how that follows through in his cooking. I can taste the heritage in his dishes but he puts his unique spin on them. Plus, he’s such a nice man and probably the sexiest male chef.’

Most unexpected thing that’s happened at Darjeeling Express since you opened?
‘It has to be Paul Rudd [visiting]. The first time I saw him at the restaurant I almost passed out. He said: “I’m so excited and I want to take a picture with you.” I replied, saying: “No, I want to take a picture with you!” He came back three times and brought Dan Levy, who went on Jimmy Kimmel and called me the “great Asma Khan”! It was so unexpected.’

What’s the ‘most London’ restaurant?
‘Beigel Bake on Brick Lane. The food is done with care and it tastes so good. Immigrants built this city and what I love about Beigel Bake is that despite the area being gentrified, it’s done the same thing over the years and it still serves its community.’ 

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