“Darjeeling Express is on the move,” chef-restaurateur Asma Khan announced in an Instagram post this morning. “We are moving to a bigger place.”
After three years in Soho’s Kingly Court, Darjeeling Express has found a new home at the nearby 38-40 Rupert Street. The move will take place in a few months’ time, to a “place which will allow us to feed more of you”.
“Our team have all been used to working in a very tight space, and now they’re so excited because we’re all moving to a bigger kitchen, a bigger dining area,” she said.
Khan’s dining concept – which started as a supper club in Soho – has moved several times since opening its first permanent site in Kingly Court in 2017. Since then, Calcutta-born Khan became the first British chef to star on Netflix’s Chef’s Table in 2019. She runs her kitchen with an all-female team, turning out a mix of Bengali, Hyderabadi and Kolkatan cuisine.
Khan hopes that her new space will let her expand the menu. “A bigger kitchen means kathi rolls, keema samosa, vada pav, falooda – all the things that are your favourites. Maybe, bring back a midweek biryani.”
The new 5,600 square-foot space will fit 130 diners over two floors. “I’m so proud of how far Darjeeling Express has come in the last few years,” said Khan in a statement. “What started as a passion project for me has become a mainstay of Indian dining in London, and a successful example of female empowerment in hospitality.”
Darjeeling Express will relocate to 38-40 Rupert Street in the coming months.
