Hi, I am Rajiv and food is my passion - my art is creating a delicious and surprising menu that will overwhelm your every sense. Having been raised in the surroundings of mountains & rivers in Nepal, I grew up using the fresh herbs & spices for cooking that were often obtained through foraging. I started cooking from a very early age due to living in a large extended family. I learned to cook by observing my mom, aunts, uncles & grandma.
Now living in the Big Smoke, I want to share my childhood memories of laughing around the table, munching on spicy & delicious food with my fellow Londoners, the same as I do with my family and friends; hence the birth of Rajiv's Kitchen.
Rajiv's Kitchen is a new friendly & only Nepalese supper club in London/Bethnal Green/Whitechapel, run from our beautiful 1960’s themed lounge.
When planning your perfect dining experience, look no further than us. Food lovers beware...you're in for a tasty surprise.We love to meet people who want to share their love of food, at events, private parties and more. Drop us a line or give us a call to book a table.
Contact
Website: rajivskitchen.webs.com
Email: rajiv.kitchen@gmail.com
Facebook: Facebook page
Twitter: @RajivsKitchen
Reviews
03 Mar 16 by Culinary Adventures of The Spice Scribe
24 Nov 13 by Culinary Adventures of The Spice Scribe
05 Sep 13 by Ramblings of an Inner City Working Girl!
26 Aug 13 by Ramblings of an Inner City Working Girl!
Step into Kathmandu
Rating: 10
Lisa Mitchell attended
Nepalese Winter Warmer
in January 2019,
reviewed on 27 January 2019
The food was delicious. A lovely mix between inventive fusion and traditional tastes. A lot of fun meeting the fellow diners and Rajiv couldn't have been more welcoming. Only think I'd ask for is to hear more about the food and Rajiv's Napalese heritage. Are these family recipes, which region are they from, how do people make them traditionally?
Bloody Amazing!
Rating: 10
janai attended
Nepalese Supperclub
in July 2014,
reviewed on 30 July 2014
Thanks Rajiv and all your lovely staff for a great night! The food was amazing and there was a lovely relaxed atmosphere. I'll be recommending Rajiv's Kitchen to everyone!
Wonderful experience
Rating: 10
altgeist attended
Nepalese Supperclub
in July 2014,
reviewed on 29 July 2014
Everything about the night was great. Nice location, friendly staff and most importantly some incredibly good food - special mention for the goat curry. Wish I could have eaten twice as much! I'm definitely combing back again.
amazing night
Rating: 10
Mark do stad attended
Nepalese Supperclub
in July 2014,
reviewed on 29 July 2014
Just wanted to say that the entire experience for and my entire group of 12 friends was nothing short of perfect. The super food was backed up with really friendly and authentic customer service .
I strongly recommend that you gather a group of your closest friends and book yourselves on to experience rajivs kitchen . It will one of the best foodie investment you would have made in a long time . Plus it beats giving your hard earned cash to soke wander banker who does not give a toss about the food you eat or the experience you share .
The goat curry is also to die for .
Look forward to our next night with rajivs kitchen in the coming months.
Mark ( East London vibes)
Review
Rating: 10
Holly attended
Nepalese to Please
in June 2014,
reviewed on 9 June 2014
We had an absolute ball at Rajivs house. We were celebrating my sister's birthday and we were made to feel completely at home, the food was delicious and it was just an exceptional way to dine out. Would recommend to anyone.
Good luck Rajiv and your team with future endeavours!
Bringing Kathmandu to London
Rating: 9
Kathmandu & Cocktails: The Saga Continues was my first ever supper club and I am glad I chose Nepalese cuisine. I went to the supper club on my own but the atmosphere itself was so friendly and because it was so comfortable, I felt right at home! We were welcomed with a complimentary drink, Opihr Gin & tonic. The supper club also came with a cocktail masterclass provided by the Captain from Opihir Gin and was the perfect ice breaker for people like me who went on their own.
We started with the famous chicken momos served with sesame and tomatoes chutney. Momos are bite size Nepalese Dumplings and it was delicious! This was just a pre-starter and it was a perfect tease for what to expect for the evening.
For the starter, we were served Bheda & Achaar. It comprised of Nepalese lamb meatballs served in a bed of spicy eggplant coated with hemp seeds chutney, accompanied by garlic yoghurt & green chutney. I am not a big fan of eggplant but this dish completely changed my view. The meatballs were juicy and tender and it worked with the eggplant. The yoghurt balanced the spice of the starter pretty well as well.
For the main course, we had seven different varieties:
Khasi ko Maasu: Nepalese goat curry, slow cooked with Nepalese herb & spices.
Paneer ko tarkaari: Paneer & capsicum chilli with garden peas.
Chukauni: Potatoes & yoghurt salad with sweet red onions, fresh green chillies & coriander, tempered with fenugreek & fenugreek flavoured oil. ( Served cold)
Kukhura ko achaar: Spicy & tangy Chicken pickle, Nepalese style. (Served at room temperature)
Ramtoriya ko tarkaari: Fried Okra & potatoes curry. (My favourite)
Hyakula: Nepalese spicy lamb ribs served with hemp seeds & tomatoes chutney.
Kaalo Daal: Black gram daal cooked with ginger & tempered with ghee & jimbu (herb found only in the mountainous regions of Nepal). Served with fresh lime.
The main course was served with fragrant rice and paratha bread.
Each table were provided with sharing platters echoing the traditional Nepalese culture of sitting together and enjoying a meal. When I had portions of different dishes on my plate, the bright colors of the ingredients made it a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. We had to wait a bit for the daal but the varieties were so fulfilling that we didn't mind the delay much.
Unfortunately, I had to leave early to catch the train back home so I missed the dessert. However, it was a lovely and a fun evening making cocktails and meeting different individuals.
Booking a table at a London restaurant is impossible and if you are looking for food that uses fresh ingredients, then Rajiv's Kitchen is the new go-to place! There’s no doubt this supper club will quickly become the hottest reservation in town!
AMAZING supper club!
Rating: 10
I have been to two of Rajiv's supper clubs and they have both been amazing! The food is incredible and unlike other supper clubs I have been to, there is always lots to eat. The cocktails were a really nice addition and complimented the food perfectly.
Rajiv is a wonderful host, he takes time to speak to the guests and explain what's on the menu. The variety of dishes is amazing, there are always new foods to try and everything is delicious. There isn't enough Nepalese cuisine in the UK but if you want the best, go to Rajiv's supper club! It is food you could eat again and again.
Rajiv's Kitchen - Nepalese to please
Rating: 9
The Spice Scribe attended
2014 Celebration Feast
in January 2014,
reviewed on 16 January 2014
Having worked at one of Rajiv's pop-ups, I relished the chance to see him in action at a more intimate at-home event. Although he claims to suffer with terrible nerves, Rajiv is an effortlessly welcoming host and a wholly competent cook. He’s also adept at thinking on his feet; hence the swiftly-invented fresh melon juice and vodka cocktail dreamt up after an unfortunate accident with the Prosecco delivery. A decadent – and potent – way to begin the evening.
Plates of cauliflower, potato and spinach pakoras were zipped up with chaat masala and a spanking-fresh tomato salsa with a delicious, dangerous sting in its tail. Grilled lamb ribs are my favourite treat at Turkish restaurants, and are sadly underused – hence my stealing my companion’s last one AND begging seconds.
I never met a momo I didn’t like, but Rajiv’s are exceptional, especially when the juicy pork dumplings are served in an aromatic broth. Knowing what was to come, I turned down the offered top-up, but a big bowl of this is the kind of comfort grub you could eat by the bucketload. We had a welcome break as some late diners joined us – receiving their starters as a mixed platter to allow them to catch up (and a cocktail to help them settle in!)
Mains were served family-style along with an individual plate of rice. And it just kept coming. With his suspiciously slender frame, I suspect Rajiv is a bit of a feeder. Which is handy, because the general consensus was that we were more than happy to be fed. I even clocked those who claimed not to be keen on goat dolloping Rajiv’s deep, dark khasi ko maasu onto their plates after a first tentative spoonful proved pleasing. If you like Caribbean curry goat, this one’s for you.
Nepalese food has some interesting influences and many of the dishes will be familiar to Indian food fans. The aromatics are rather different, though, as is the way in which spices are used. Fenugreek seeds are cooked until dark; adding a earthy, pleasantly bitter savour to dishes like potatoes in a kadai-like yogurt sauce – a dish served cold and, like revenge, best so.
The contrast of cold and hot dishes on the table made for interesting eating for people like me who eat like magpies; moving between dishes, picking a choice morsel here and there. Chicken pickle was intriguing eating – the temperature cold, but the spicing hot and tangy. More chicken came hot, the Sichuan pepper in the choyela marinade all prickly-numbing on the lips as you tried to smack them in appreciation.
This menu offered plenty for vegetarians, who were amply catered for even without the additional veggie option of smoked, mashed aubergine that we all thankfully got to dive into as well. Simply-fried paneer and peppers, a dry-spiced cauli-pea dish and dal along with home-made mooli pickle meant five-a-day was well within reach – something not always considered with supperclub menus packed with lavish-but-heavy dishes.
That dal was another new experience – black-gram-based, thin, and flavoured with a native Nepali herb called ‘jimbu’ that added a haunting citrusy dimension and lifted the dish. By this stage, I think everyone was feeling they might need FORKlifting out of there; but somehow, a light pud of mango pulp and cardamom-infused ice cream disappeared without a trace.
Rajiv’s Kitchen is not a place to dine if you’re afraid of new and unexpected flavours, or you just want to get your head down, chow, and get the hell out. It’s a supperclub to savour til it’s way past your intended bedtime and you don’t care because the atmosphere is so warm and pleasant and you just can’t bring yourself to leave. I think people’s characters influence their cooking; in Rajiv’s case, both are ace and my point is proved.
Great food, great evening
Rating: 10
StephHH attended
2014 Celebration Feast
in January 2014,
reviewed on 15 January 2014
I booked Rajiv's Celebration Feast with a friend from Hamburg and we had a lovely time! The food was absolutely fantastic and so was the very welcoming host. I'll definitely join again next time I'm in London.
Fantastic night out!!
Rating: 8
Stephn attended
Nepalese Supperclub
in November 2013,
reviewed on 28 November 2013
I had found Rajiv's site online and was immediately keen to try it out. I already warmed to him from the site and his emails and was genuinely excited to try his food and experience his night.
The boyfriend and I rocked up to what was a beautifully lit room. We were seated next to a couple who turned out to be SO very lovely and immediately felt comfortable with. Phew!
From the moment we walked in, we knew it was going to be a good night. The staff were fantastic, so warm and friendly and just a delight.
Now... the food - AMAZING and would definitely recommend everyone to go. Rajiv also introduced each dish and came to our tables every so often to have a little chat. A lovely touch, particularly when he had been so busy and the room was full.
So many favourite dishes and just couldn't pick but at a push...the momos and ribs;)
Looking forward to seeing Rajiv soon and the next menu!
