It is a muggy summer evening and a group of diners sit on benches to share pani puri shots and tuck into crunchy bhindi bhel.
The waiter serves a basket full of Romali rotis to have with minced lamb and chicken liver and there is not a poppadom or bowl of rice in sight.
This is not a restaurant in Delhi or Mumbai but Hankie’s in central London, one of a wave of new street food restaurants in Britain.
Experts say more Britons are moving away from fine dining to “casual dining” sharing dishes with friends, having more affordable meals – and eating with your hands without getting funny looks from other diners.
The change has been described by curry bosses as the biggest revolution the £4 billion industry has faced, with dozens of restaurants offering traditional street food opening in recent years around the country.
Speaking at Hankie’s, which opened in January, its patron chef Ani Arora told Eastern Eye: “I have been doing Indian food for 20 years.
“To do something fine [dining] is not in trend right now, people want more relaxed, casual, easy to eat, a fun place.
“India is so big, so much to pick out of it, there’s no limitations.”
And the boom is not limited to the capital, with Leeds hosting a restaurant week featuring street food eatery Bundobust and The Indian Streatery eatery set to open in Birmingham.
The Mowglis restaurant brand, run by former barrister Nisha Katona, is also planning to launch in Birmingham and Manchester after securing £3.5 million cash injection from private equity firm Foresight Group.
It has also spread to cookbooks with Chetna Makan, a contestant on BBC show The Great British Bake Off, focusing on street dishes for her latest collection of recipes called Chai, Chaat & Chutney released in August. And Zohra Khaku, who runs the Halal Gems restaurant website, hosted Britain’s biggest halal street food festival in Old Spitalfields market, east London, in July.
Some curry houses have been criticised for failing to change their menu from traditional meals like chicken tikka masala that first became popular in the UK in the 1970s.
But Delhi-born Arora, who came to the UK 17 years ago, said that label is no longer valid and the sector has revamped itself.
“If you asked me 10 years ago I would have said it is fair that they don’t change too much, but in the last decade, the change which is happening, the rising competition and the extent of innovation have all been phenomenal.
“Since 2007, iPad-armed customers have more information uploaded into everyone’s minds, they see a lot of things.
“Fifteen years ago, you go to a restaurant to try food. Now you can go on YouTube and blogs.”
Dishoom has been praised for sparking the trend in 2010 with its eateries paying homage to Mumbai cafes. It now has four branches in London and one in Edinburgh.
It has spawned other street food places including Kricket Soho, Gunpowder and Chit Chaat Chai.
Benares, an established restaurant in west London run by celebrity chef Atul Kochhar, also offers a street food sharing menu featuring pickled prawn pani puri, chicken tikka on crispy naan and a lamb kofta roll.
Kochhar, who was born in the Indian city of Jamshedpur, told Eastern Eye: “Growing up, street food was a speciality in my hometown, where dishes were typically eaten by hand.
“I often cook this style of food at home with my family, so it was really exciting to offer a causal and authentic dining experience with our customers, giving them a taste of the real Indian heritage, one that is still of Michelin starred standard.
“Every dish on the menu has been designed by each chef in the Benares kitchen and originates from a different region around India.
“As well as each region having their own recipes, they also have their own marinating techniques and valued tandoor traditions.”
Another new street food brand is Chai Naasto, which opened its third branch in Harrow, north London this summer.
Tilesh Chudasama, a founder of Chai Naasto, said street food is the biggest revolution the industry has seen.
He said: “One hundred per cent, everyone is on street food. Everyone is putting their own twist to it. It’s the best cuisine in England at the moment.”
Chudasama has gone from working as an IT university lecturer to launching Chai Naasto with his two brothers.
He said their food is inspired by their 75-year-old grandmother’s travels around Punjab, Kerala, Rajasthan and Hyderabad.
“She was born in Somalia and migrated to Yemen and makes the spices for us.
“Our nan looked after 14 grandkids. We love her food and used to take it as packed lunch for work.
“Our work colleagues tried it and said it was amazing. People used to buy it from us and said ‘you should buy a restaurant’ so me and my brothers got some money together.”
The casual trend has attracted the eye of international chefs.
Indian Accent, the award-winning Delhi restaurant led by Manish Mehrotra, is opening a branch in west London later this year.
Asma Khan launched restaurant Darjeeling Express in central London this summer single-handedly.
It offers street cuisine from Bengal, Bihar, Hyderabad and Western Uttar Pradesh where her father hails from including mutton kebab cakes and beef stew.
Khan said her most popular street snack is puchka.
“I think it’s the theatre of filling water in a fragile shell and trying to eat it without the shell exploding. People love it.”
Syed Ahmed, editor of Curry Life Magazine, said: “People are more adventurous now so restaurants are focusing on varieties on their menu.
“Here it is served in an environment where there is a no risk factor so you have the best of both worlds – the flavours of India in a posh restaurant like Dishoom.”
Four informal eateries to try:
HANKIES
The starters include bhindi bhel with a crunchy mix of okra, tomatoes, rice, mint and tamarind and a side dish of healthy kale, spinach and lotus puff. Mains include a large portion of sea bream and a lighter option of minced lamb with chicken liver, which goes well with the restaurant’s centrepiece of romali rotis, including a truffle variety with butter and cheddar.
CHAI NAASTO
The pav bhaji has a creamy sauce and soft bread in a fondue while the bite-sized paneer mirch pieces are addictive. The lamb chops are tender and smothered in a plentiful helping of sauce while the pani puri shots are traditional with plenty of pomegranate and chickpeas.
DARJEELING EXPRESS
The mutton shikampuri kebabs are flavoursome with a fluffy texture inside, while the chilli garlic prawns are in a home-cooked style with a spicy kick. The mains consist of a saucy beef stew and a drier goat Bengali curry. Its unique selling point of alternative dishes extends to the desserts with stewed apricots and cream.
BENARES
The five-course sharing menu includes a crispy spinach and onion bhajia and quinoa salad, a different take on prawn pani puri and a crispy naan that goes well with the chicken tikka. Also fried mackerel and salad, which has a strong smell and acquired taste; and a flavoursome lamb kofta roll, a Lucknow speciality.
The 11th UK National Gatka Championship was hosted near Cardiff, marking the first time in Wales.
Winners included Roop Kaur (girls), Navjot Singh (boys), and Gurdeep Singh (men’s).
Gatka Federation UK awarded £1,000 to each participating Akhara to support martial arts promotion.
Chief guests included MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation.
Gatka Championship marks Welsh debut
The 11th UK National Gatka Championship concluded on a high note near Cardiff, Wales, showcasing the traditional Sikh martial art with flair. Seven leading Gatka Akharas participated, thrilling spectators with their lightning-fast strikes, precision moves and elegant techniques.
Inauguration by global leaders
The tournament was inaugurated by Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation (WGF) and the National Gatka Association of India (NGAI). He was joined by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP, President of Gatka Federation UK, alongside other dignitaries including Jagbir Singh Jagga Chakar, President of Wales Kabaddi Club, and community leaders from the Haveli Hotel Pontyclun.
The 11th UK National Gatka Championship concluded on a high note near Cardiff, WalesUK Parliament
Competition results
All events were held in the Farrie-Soti (individual) format:
Girls’ Category: Roop Kaur (Akali Phoola Singh Gatka Akhara Coventry) won first place, defeating teammate Manroop Kaur. Rihanna Kaur (Baba Banda Singh Gatka Akhara Gravesend) took third.
Boys’ Category: Navjot Singh (Baba Fateh Singh Gatka Akhara Woolwich) secured first place against teammate Jashan Singh. Dharam Singh and Tejveer Singh (both from Akali Phoola Singh Gatka Akhara Coventry) shared third.
Men’s Category: Gurdeep Singh (Jangi Horses Club Wolverhampton) claimed the title, defeating Kuldeep Singh (Baba Banda Singh Gatka Akhara Gravesend). Third place was shared by Anmoldeep Singh and Nihal Singh (both Baba Mitt Singh Gatka Akhara Wolverhampton).
Awards and recognition
All winners received medals and trophies. In a significant gesture, Gatka Federation UK presented £1,000 to each participating Akhara to strengthen training facilities and promote wider engagement in the sport.
Leaders praise UK’s Gatka growth
Harjeet Singh Grewal commended MP Tan Dhesi for his sustained efforts in promoting Gatka since 2013, pledging WGF and NGAI’s continued support in advancing the martial art across Britain.
In his address, MP Dhesi — also Chairman of the House of Commons Defence Committee — highlighted the growing enthusiasm among young people in the UK and thanked the Gurdwara committees of Swansea and Cardiff for their support in making the event a success.
Dignitaries in attendance
The championship was attended by prominent figures including Herman Singh Johal (General Secretary, Gatka Federation UK), representatives from Swansea and Cardiff Gurdwara committees, media partners from Akaal Channel, Sikh Channel, Jan Shakti News, and several community leaders.
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The site, located in Gujarat, houses hundreds of elephants, as well as 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards, and 900 crocodiles. (Photo: Instagram/Vantara)
AN INDIAN Supreme Court-ordered investigation has cleared a large private animal facility run by the son of Asia’s richest man, rejecting allegations of wildlife violations.
Vantara, described as the “world’s biggest wild animal rescue centre,” is operated by Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.
The site, located in Gujarat, houses hundreds of elephants, as well as 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards, and 900 crocodiles, according to India’s Central Zoo Authority.
Last month, the Supreme Court asked a panel led by retired judges to examine allegations of unlawful acquisition of animals, including elephants, and possible violations of wildlife laws and money laundering. The court acted after receiving petitions based on media reports and complaints by wildlife groups.
Wildlife activists had raised concerns about the facility, saying it was keeping endangered species next to a large oil refinery without plans to reintroduce them into the wild.
The panel’s report, presented in court on Monday, said the “allegations rest wholly on conjecture and surmises on secondary reporting, and activist commentary.” It added, “The complaints are, therefore, devoid of merit.”
In March, German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that Vantara imported about 39,000 animals in 2024, including from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. According to the centre, dozens of elephants were also transported from across India in specially adapted trucks.
The probe report said “each of the imports has undergone multi-layered and multi-jurisdictional verification.”
The Supreme Court accepted the findings, saying it had “no hesitation in accepting the conclusion so drawn in the report.” It added, “We are more than satisfied that the facilities at Vantara in certain respects exceeds the prescribed standards.”
Vantara welcomed the outcome. “With utmost humility and gratitude, we welcome the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), appointed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. The SIT's report and the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s order have made it clear that the doubts and allegations raised against Vantara’s animal welfare mission were without any basis. The validation of the truth by the distinguished and widely respected members of the SIT is neot just a relief for everyone at Vantara but also a blessing, because it allows our work to speak for itself."
"We take this occasion to pledge our solidarity with the Government of India, State Governments, and all other stakeholders involved in the huge and challenging task of animal care, and affirm that Vantara will always be ready to work in close collaboration with them. Let’s together make Mother Earth a better place for all living beings,” the facility said in a statement.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Starmer, who has faced negative coverage since taking office in July 2024, defended the appointment process.
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer said on Monday he would not have appointed Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington had he known the extent of his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
This was Starmer’s first public statement since dismissing Mandelson last week. The prime minister is facing questions over his judgement, including from Labour MPs, after initially standing by Mandelson before removing him from the post.
Starmer, who has faced negative coverage since taking office in July 2024, defended the appointment process. He said Mandelson had been properly vetted at the time.
"Had I known then what I know now, I'd have never appointed him," Starmer told broadcasters.
Mandelson was dismissed after emails showed he had urged Epstein to "fight for early release" shortly before Epstein was sentenced in 2008 to 18 months in prison for procuring a child for prostitution.
Some Labour MPs have questioned why Mandelson was chosen despite his long-standing friendship with Epstein, which continued after the conviction.
The government also faced scrutiny over why Starmer expressed "confidence" in Mandelson last week, when Mandelson had already admitted that "very embarrassing" messages were about to become public.
The dismissal followed the resignation of Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister less than a week earlier, after she admitted underpaying property tax.
Both departures came soon after Starmer relaunched his government in an attempt to recover ground from Reform UK, the party led by Nigel Farage that has been leading national opinion polls for months. The next general election is not expected until 2029.
Labour MP Helen Hayes told BBC radio that questions about "the nature of the leadership" would arise if Labour performs badly in the May 2026 local elections.
Another Labour MP, Graham Stringer, told Times Radio that Starmer is "supping in the last-chance saloon," and that many in the party think he is "making mistakes and doing poorly at the job."
Asked on Channel 4 News whether he would resign if the party believed it was necessary, Starmer replied: "No, because I'm absolutely clear what the task is in front of me."
"We have a crossroads, really, in terms of the future of this country. We go forward with Labour for national renewal, a patriotic call about this country and taking this country forward, true patriotism, or we have division and decline under Reform," he said.
On Monday, the government faced another setback when senior aide Paul Ovenden resigned after comments he made in 2017 about Diane Abbott, Britain’s first black woman MP, resurfaced.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Trump said the suspect had been arrested earlier for 'terrible crimes,' including child sex abuse, grand theft auto and false imprisonment, but was released under the Biden administration because Cuba refused to take him back.
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has described Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, the Indian-origin motel manager killed in Dallas, as a “well-respected person” and said the accused will face a first-degree murder charge.
Nagamallaiah, 50, was killed last week at the Downtown Suites motel by co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a 37-year-old undocumented Cuban immigrant with a criminal history.
In his first remarks on the killing, Trump blamed the immigration policies of former president Joe Biden, calling the attacker an “illegal alien” who should have been deported.
“I am aware of the terrible reports regarding the murder of Chandra Nagamallaiah, a well-respected person in Dallas, Texas, who was brutally beheaded, in front of his wife and son, by an illegal alien from Cuba who should have never been in our country,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday.
He added that the accused, who is in custody, “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law. He will be charged with murder in the first degree.”
Trump said the suspect had been arrested earlier for “terrible crimes,” including child sex abuse, grand theft auto and false imprisonment, but was released under the Biden administration because Cuba refused to take him back.
“Rest assured, the time for being soft on these illegal immigrant criminals is over under my watch! Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Border Czar Tom Homan, and many others in my Administration, are doing an incredible job in making America safe again,” Trump said.
Nagamallaiah, originally from Karnataka, was attacked with a machete in the motel where he lived and worked.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said he was horrified by Nagamallaiah’s murder, calling him a hardworking Indian-American immigrant who was killed in front of his wife and 18-year-old son. “My deepest condolences go to his family. The perpetrator must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” he said.
Cobos-Martinez had been released from ICE custody earlier this year after Cuba refused his deportation because of his criminal record. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin said the case highlights broader immigration challenges. “This is exactly why the Trump Administration was removing criminal illegal aliens to third countries such as Uganda and South Sudan,” she said.
The Consulate General of India in Houston is monitoring the case and providing consular support. Consul General DC Manjunath said the consulate “is in contact with the family and local authorities, offering all necessary assistance.”
The Indian-American community expressed shock. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America condemned the killing, calling it part of a disturbing national trend. “These tragedies highlight an alarming societal breakdown where political discord erodes cohesion, violence spreads unchecked, and government responses are mere lip service. We demand full investigations and a national inquiry into America’s collapsing civil dialogue,” it said.
Indiaspora, a global network of Indian-origin leaders, said it was “deeply saddened and horrified by the brutality of this crime” and condemned the act “in the strongest possible terms.” It added, “Every person deserves safety and dignity regardless of identity.”
Suhag Shukla, Executive Director of the Hindu American Foundation, said the community was “shaken again” by the beheading. “In times like this, we must remember our shared humanity and choose patience and acceptance over violence,” she said.
Dallas Police said the killing was recorded on motel CCTV cameras. Cobos-Martinez remains jailed without bond pending trial.
Nagamallaiah’s funeral was held on September 13 in Flower Mound, Texas, attended by close family and friends. A fundraiser for his family has collected over USD 321,326. The case has renewed debate over immigration enforcement and the difficulties faced by US authorities when countries refuse to accept deportees.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Starmer talks with Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer is facing questions within the Labour party after the sacking of US ambassador Peter Mandelson.
Mandelson was removed last week after Bloomberg published emails showing messages of support he sent following Jeffrey Epstein’s conviction for sex offences. The dismissal comes just ahead of US president Donald Trump’s state visit.
Labour MPs have expressed frustration with the prime minister’s leadership. Labour backbencher Richard Burgon told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Starmer would be “gone” if May’s elections in Scotland, Wales and England go badly. “If May’s elections go as people predict and the opinion polls predict, then I think Starmer will be gone at that time,” he said.
Helen Hayes told BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour that if the dismissal affected Labour’s performance in the May 2026 local elections, questions about Starmer’s leadership would follow. She said she felt “devastated” about Mandelson but argued he should not have been appointed.
Baroness Smith defended Starmer, telling BBC Breakfast that Burgon had never supported him. She admitted Mandelson’s sacking was “not what we would have wanted” before Trump’s visit but said the prime minister was doing a good job.
Meanwhile, Conservative MP Alex Burghart demanded the release of documents related to Mandelson’s appointment, calling Starmer’s judgement “appalling.” He said the PM ignored warnings about Mandelson’s links to Epstein. Downing Street has said Starmer only learned of the emails on Wednesday and acted immediately.