Our Review Of Fatt Pundit Soho: Lip-Smacking Indo-Chinese Fare That (Really) Packs A Flavour Punch

Why try one cuisine when you can have two at the same time? It certainly keeps life fun, and for a perpetually greedy food lover like myself, I just can’t say no. If you’re the same, meet Fatt Pundit Soho, a cosy, Indo-Chinese restaurant down bustling Berwick Street. 

Fatt Pundit Soho or Covent Garden? The choice is yours, but perhaps try both...

DesignMyNight Review Of Fatt Pundit Soho

We’ll start with what's likely to be the first question on your lips: the restaurant's name. Mirroring the unique, country-spanning scran, ‘Fatt’ is a popular surname in China and India's ‘Pundit’ means scholar. Well, they’re definitely teaching us a thing or two about delicious food. Fatt Pundit Covent Garden opened in 2021 by Huzefa and Hamza Sajawal, a successor to 2019's original Soho launch. Drawing inspiration from memories and recipes handed down when the Hakka community migrated to Kolkata from the Chinese province of Canton (Guangzhou), London's Fatt Pundit menu excites and intrigues in equal measure.

The Fatt Pundit restaurant, just shy of Oxford Street and Wardour Street, has bags of personality from the off. Once inside, to the left, you’ll see an industrial-style bar area with stalls and stylish hanging lights, while tables of two or four cuddle the right hand side. It’s very intimate, without feeling penned in, and the whole space gave me Mumbai cafe kinda vibes. We loved Fatt Pundit Soho’s reclaimed wood and brick floor, Chinese graffiti on the wall and hints of teal throughout, plus cute trinkets like vases, plant pots and tiffin carriers. 

After our friendly waitress carefully explained the concept at our Fatt Pundit review (including a suggested three plates per person, served as soon as it’s ready), our cocktails swiftly arrived. The Birds Eye Margarita (£12), presented with a chilli on the side, was well balanced and, interestingly, proved to be an apt extinguisher for the flames in my mouth (more about that later). Meanwhile, my date’s Fatt Pundit negroni (£12) delivered on the classic cocktail, plus the twists of orange peel were a nice touch.

Fatt Pundit Berwick Street London is the place to be for an extraordinary culinary journey.

You would have thought being told ‘you're ok with spice, yeah?' after our host took our order would be slightly foreboding, but the heat was spot on for us. While there aren’t technically starters at Fatt Pundit London, the traditional Nepalese dumplings, called momos (£7), are generally served first. These neat little green parcels, stuffed with slices of spinach, mushroom, courgette and tofu presented on a banana leaf, were a delight. Especially when dunked in the curry sauce and fiery chutney. Our popcorn cauliflower (£10.20) followed, and no lie, it remarkably looked like actual popped corn. Think bite-sized florets in a non-greasy batter, paired with a garlic-heavy, chilli dip with a mammoth kick.

As I sat back with an Instagrammable gin, lychee and elderflower White Tiger (£12 - you could really taste the prosecco, it was great), more plates flew out of the kitchen. My go-to takeaway always includes fried seaweed, so you can imagine the smile on my face when our Crackling Spinach (£10.20) - promising leaves dried out for 24 hours to ensure optimal crispiness - was placed on the table. You’ve seen the iconic Fatt Pundit photos, right? Best described as a mountain of moreish shredded leaves, drizzled with sweet yoghurt and a tamarind plum sauce, dotted with jewels of pomegranate. For me, the creaminess worked well with the salty slices and although my partner scoffed it down, he would have preferred less yogurt to let the star of the show (i.e. the eponymous veg) shine through.

Googled Crackling Spinach Fatt Pundit? We adored the famous dish, that's for sure.

Announcement time: my date’s standout dish of the night was his lamb chops (£21). Just imagine a secret mix of over 30 spices rubbed over a perfectly pink, juicy slab of meat, charred for extra smokiness. Our fragrant coriander dip took the heat off nicely too. The culinary mesh of cultures was evident in Bombay chilli mock chicken (£13.25) and I could not stop eating it. Prepare for meat-esque chunks of seitan and red pepper in a sticky, sweet Szechuan sauce. Incredible. My affection for bouncy cheese runs deep, so chose the Hakka paneer (£13.25). The rectangular blocks on a bed of lettuce were absolutely smothered in shallots, something I would have personally preferred less of, but this dish still was a hit.

Being in theatreland, it seemed right to order a show-stopping dessert from the Fatt Pundit Soho menu. Enter: Snowflake Gelato Sizzling Brownie (£11.50) – a match made in heaven that sees Fatt Pundit teaming up with a local luxury ice cream parlour. Right by the table, our host poured a rich chocolate sauce over the chewy, decadent pud, dramatically raining down on to a piping hot skillet where it bubbled like lava. Even though we decided to share, I wish I ordered one for myself. 

Fatt Pundit Soho: Overall

After checking out the Fatt Pundit reviews in advance, I was thrilled to visit this gorgeous gem in real life – and it didn’t disappoint. The atmosphere on a busy Thursday night was buzzing (there was a queue out the door at one point); in part helped by passionate, helpful and informative staff. Our divine food had a delicious, devilish kick that took our palates to new levels, so in summary, do yourself a favour and grab a Fatt Pundit reservation sharpish.    

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