THIS IS LONDON SUMMER ISSUE 2025 - Flipbook - Page 62
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THECHA AT THE LANSBURY
In the back of my mind – maybe in
yours too – I think of a hotel restaurant
as something quite posh – and also, a
little dull? You stayed in because you
were too tired to go out to eat? Not so
with Thecha. This latest outpost from the
bold and bountiful Swati Varanasi (best
known for founding Curry on Naanstop,
a popular street food business visible at
locations such as Seven Dials and
Camden Market) is both hidden gem
and cheerful local.
Perhaps Poplar needs a woman like
Swati. It is a very quiet, un-touristy place
just to the north of Canary Wharf.
Suddenly, beyond the huge roads and
big skyscrapers, you step from the
Docklands Light Railway into a land of
Victorian architecture. One handsome
old building is a college. Another is The
Lansbury Hotel. We walked past people
playing bowls (yes actual bowls, not
boules – nothing so modern) on a grass
pitch. Inside the hotel, Thecha – which
is a green chilli, garlic and peanut
chutney and derives from the Marathi
verb ‘to pound’ – is a cosy dining room
in the basement. You can smell
something glorious as you exit the lift.
Maybe it is that very chili paste – or a
combination of robust spices associated
with Maharashtrian cuisine. Rooted in
Swati’s personal culinary heritage and
inspired by the food she grew up eating,
Thecha explores the bold, untamed
flavours of Mumbai, Kolhapur, Nagpur,
and the coastal Malvan region, bringing
them to the London food scene with
heart, heritage, and heat.
‘This is the food of my childhood,’
says Swati. ‘It’s my mother’s cooking, the
street food I grew up with, the festivals,
the stories – every dish is deeply
personal and unapologetically
flavourful.’
You’ll quickly get the idea with an
array of snacks like Sabudana Vade –
crunchy tapioca, potato and peanut
patties, Paneer Thecha – grilled paneer
tossed in a green chilli-garlic punch and
Bharli Vangi – baby aubergines stuffed
with lentil and garlic masala. It’s natural
sharing food and it does fill you up
rather fast. Praise the lord it is light on
oil, because you don’t need the calories.
You should save a spot in your belly for
the famous Butter chicken, or the saffron
coloured prawn curry. Lamb was also
meltingly tender and delicious. The only
criticism I had was a preponderance of
brown food (well pounded, maybe!)
since only the Kachumba, a tiny dish of
raw onion, cabbage and peppers bore
any resemblance to salad.
Still, it’s hard to believe we ploughed
on through mango Shrikhand (wonderful
sweet and sour yoghurt dish) and
chocolate Paan (like a brownie but
gooier.) Even the greedier diners
amongst us will find it hard to spend
more than £30 per head at Thecha.
Which leaves ample funds for hiring a
handy e-bike outside and beetling along
the cycle paths back to central London.
Just to peddle off the calories?
Sue Webster
Thecha, Lansbury Heritage Hotel,
117 Poplar High St, E14 0AE
Telephone: 0203 929 7560
T H I S I S L O N D O N M A G A Z I N E • T H I S I S L O N D O N O N L I N E • w w w. t i l . c o m • @ t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g
