The earliest known dedicated Indian restaurant opened in the United Kingdom was the Hindostanee Coffee House on George Street in Westminster, owned and run by one Sake Dean Mahomed, and which began trading in 1810. Though Britain apparently already had a taste for curry by this point, as shown by the fact that curried dishes were included in cookbooks published during the eighteenth century, the Hindostanee Coffee House apparently closed only a year after opening due to a lack of business - though some accounts suggest it continued trading till 1833. To put this into context, the first outlet dedicated to selling the dish now most synonymous with the UK - fish and chips - opened during the 1860s. Curry has become a staple of the British diet, and is easily one of the most popular 'takeaway' foods commonly served in the UK. Almost everyone has a favourite curry dish, and a favourite curry restaurant. We're not going to try to change that, but maybe you're thinking about trying somewhere new, and if you are, we've got you covered. To help you get your search started, here is our list of the 11 best Indian restaurants in South London.
5 Best Places for a Romantic Meal in Lewisham Borough
In years gone by, the Arctic Monkeys song ‘A Certain Romance’ could have have definitely applied to Lewisham. The area has come a long way since then and now, due to significant investment and infrastructural change, straddles that perfect middle ground between its dark-ish past and its highly-polished future as a major centre of London - according to Whitehall’s 'London Plan' anyway. Currently classed as 'edgy' Lewisham's unique landscape makes it a pretty cool place to go for a romantic meal.