Elephant

Elephant may be smaller than its majestic namesake, but for many people it is just as impressive. The only Pakistani restaurant in Brixton, its speciality is the kind of intricately spiced food you would eat in a traditional Pakistani home. More meat-based than Indian food, Elephant fills its tiny space with big flavours. Most of the dishes are the childhood favourites of owner Imran Bashir and are heavily influenced by his mother’s cooking. Less formal than the ‘curry house’ style people are used to in the UK, Elephant serves a small menu that people come back for time and time again. One of the dishes that catches the eye is the keema, or spiced lamb mince with peas. Described by Imran as Friday night food, it’s a big draw to the restaurant: just the thing to start the weekend with, people queue up for it. They also come for the legendary buttery daal. Imran is the lentil whisperer. I have friends who come to Brixton for this rather than my company, scooping it up greedily before anyone asks to share and then talking about it for weeks afterwards. Marina O’Loughlin, restaurant critic for The Guardian, feels the same way about the light crisp samosas.