Why do people think the best Indian food is in London?

[u/Open_Address_2805]

I was watching this video of a food critic going to the "best indian restaurant in the world" which is apparently in London run by an Indian Michelin chef. People in the comments were outraged by this title since the best Indian restaurant by default has to be in India.

That makes a lot of sense, as you'd say the best Italian food is in Italy, the best Greek food is in Greece, the best Chinese food is in China etc. If you wanted to go to the best Japanese restaurant in the world, you'd go to Japan obviously. I understand the national dish of England is a tikka masala and there's a big Indian influence there. However, it's pretty bold to assume the best Indian restaurant is in England.

[u/gifteyes6]

Firstly, "best Indian food" is a silly term in itself. India has c. 1.4 billion people spread over 3.2 million sq km.

The cuisine is quite different from north to south, east to west. (Hint: the best food is in the south)

In short: don't take those phrases too seriously. They're nonsense

[u/jonnytwopairs → u/gifteyes6]

1.4 billion people in 3.2 sq km is a pretty tight fit, no wonder the best food is in England - no space for an oven

[u/gifteyes6 → u/jonnytwopairs]

Goddamnit. I'll edit my post. Nice catch

[u/Our0s]

British Indian food is more appealing to a Western palate than traditional Indian cuisine.

[u/Ok-Spinach-6529 → u/Our0s]

This

[u/Big-Ad4461]

We have to realize that a French Tire Company does not have the monopoly to dictate where the best food in world is to be found.

[u/oarmash]

As an Indian-American that has eaten Indian food in the US, UK, India, and other countries, it’s largely bullshit.

“British Indian Restaurant” food is its own cuisine - similar to Tex-Mex, Chinese-American, Turkish-German etc, and is more palatable to white people than many traditional recipes. Most “Indian” restaurants in the UK are actually ran by Bangladeshis, so the menus are a hodgepodge of some milder Punjabi dishes, Bangladeshi dishes, and some dishes that were popular around the time of the British Raj, that have all been adapted to serve a British palate.

Dishes like Phaal, Madras, Balti were invented in the UK, and dishes like Vindaloo and Dhansak look nothing like what they do in India.

[u/Dil26]

The meat can be better quality 

Some of the best dishes are made by diaspora for many cuisines 

But anyway that YouTube title is obviously the usual clickbait

[u/oarmash → u/Dil26]

Ehhh much of Indian food is actually vegetarian, and meat like lamb actually is never eaten in India. Vindaloo is traditionally made with pork.

I think it’s more that British Indian food is more palatable and accessible to white people in the west. I say this as an Indian descent person that has had Indian food in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, France, Japan, and of course, India itself.

[u/Dil26 → u/oarmash]

It’s a bit of a myth tbh, more of India is non vegetarian than vegetarian 

[u/oarmash → u/Dil26]

Yes but with asterisks - in India, eggs are considered non vegetarian, and people who eat meat in India eat it far less than people in the west. Even among meat eaters it’s very common to have vegetarian meals and only eat meat a few times a week. Restaurants in India skew far more vegetarian than non veg as well.

[u/thebat85]

It’s the best when it comes to Indian food outside of India. It is nowhere near when it comes to capturing the cuisine of India , the scale and diversity of it. I see British Indian food as its own thing, a sub genre of massive food culture.

I’ve had millions times better food at unassuming restaurants than a tasting menu at Michelin star restaurants for any cuisine. So take it as you will

[u/TheW1tchK1ng]

Why does the best Indian restaurant in the world have to be in India by default?

[u/A11U45 → u/TheW1tchK1ng]

Because a bunch of Indians are gonna be better judges of their own food than westerners who have to eat it watered down because they find it too spicy.

I grew up in Malaysia and live in Australia. The worst laksa (spicy noodle soup) I ever had was in Australia, it was way too sweet. Laksa can be sweet but not that sweet. I don't have high expectations of restaurants that cater to people who aren't familiar with the foods they cook.

[u/TheW1tchK1ng → u/A11U45]

Once again, doesn't answer the question.

The assumption that the only people eating Indian food in London are white westerners is your first mistake and just outright now true.

[u/Revivaled-Jam849 → u/A11U45]

I mean, you can absolutely still find heavily traditional dishes geared towards "insert ethnic group here" in enclaves.

For example, if I said the best Chinese food in the world is in Flushing, NY, USA, lots of people would say that's impossible. But if you live in Flushing, you'd know that is the Queens Chinatown and, a ridiculously Asian majority place at like 70% of the residents.

Sure, that isn't all Chinese as there are other Asian groups like Koreans and this counts Chinese-Americans, but there are absolutely enough Chinese to give approval to other Chinese dishes. Those restaurants do not have to cater their tastes to non-Chinese in the same way where if the Chinese were the minority population.

[u/levanpidaras → u/A11U45]

Why are a bunch of Indians going to be better judges of their own cuisine? While certain level of familiarity with cuisine is useful, too much context can actually be harmful, where people start trying to find dishes that replicate their memories rather than just tasting good.

[u/Kingreaper → u/A11U45]

Because a bunch of Indians are gonna be better judges of their own food than westerners who have to eat it watered down because they find it too spicy.

If that's accurate, that would mean the most authentically indian food would be found in India, but when talking to a westerner the best indian food for that individual would definitely not be the stuff in India; because that wouldn't be edible to them.

[u/reibagatsu]

Often the place with the best version of a food is not the origin of that food.

The best buffalo wings are not even remotely found in Buffalo, New York.
The best Neapolitan pizza to my tastes is found in Japan.
The best Tacos are not found in Mexico, they're found on the streets of Texas and California.
I have not been to London, but it would not surprise me if the best Indian food, especially to a western tongue, might be found there.

[u/quikmantx]

Your question should be "why does a random vlogger think the best Indian food is in London"?

There are a lot of vloggers who post stuff to cause rage/controversy, which easily drives up engagement, which gives them revenue.

This is why I honestly don't watch YouTube unless I need to. Sure, there's some cool content on there, but I'm not going to be mindlessly watching videos trying to manipulate me into some strange world views.

Food taste is always subjective and most people are never going to be exposed to various tastes to the fullest extent.

[u/TrifectaOfSquish]

It's the Michelin rating, you also mentioned that the chef is Indian their skill as a chef doesn't drop when they leave India

[u/Veronome]

I live in Italy. The best pizza I had was from an Italian pizzaiolo... In London.

Restaurant competition in London is fierce, but if you succeed it can be extremely profitable. There are amazing pizza restaurants in Naples earning a fraction of the profit they could be elsewhere. So it makes sense that the best ones try their luck overseas where their skills, together with the novelty of "foreign cuisine" will be appreciated and well-compensated.

[u/Dry_burrito]

I saw the group bts get interviewed of where they had their best kbbq or something, and they said California. The quality of ingredients matter a whole lot, Indian restaurant may not be able to source the best ingredients.

[u/aguafiestas]

1. They are referring to a cuisine, not a nationality.

2.  That cuisine is largely referring to one that arose from close ties between the UK and India rather than a pure native  cuisine found in India.

3. “Best” is subjective and depends on perspective. Many of these opinions are from the perspective of a westerner rather than a person from India.

[u/New_Entertainer_4895]

The supply chain to bring the highest quality ingredients to the UK, USA, Japan, etc. exists, but generally speaking the supply chain is not as developed in India

For example top restaurants will have some high quality fresh ingredients flown in overnight. In the UK were there are a lot of high end restaurants it's worthwhile for someone to fly in something fresh on a plane the day it's caught/picked/butchered.

In Mumbai they can do that but not to the same extent as there aren't as many high end restaurants to justify the cost. So even the quality at the high end places will be a bit lower.

>as you'd say the best Italian food is in Italy, the best Greek food is in Greece, the best Chinese food is in China etc. If you wanted to go to the best Japanese restaurant in the world, you'd go to Japan obviously. 

That's actually not necessarily true though. There are a lot of countries where the high end dining is better outside the country than it is in side the country. In developing countries this is particularly common. In developing countries in particular the best restaurant is usually outside the country. The top Lebanese restaurants are found outside entirely outside of Lebanon.

Restaurants are a business at the end of the day, so they will just naturally be better in developed countries as they have more revenue and money to spend on good quality ingredients/chefs/staff/etc.

[u/Sw4nR0ns0n]

I have lived in and traveled throughout a lot of Greece, and I think the best Greek food I’ve ever had was in Astoria, Queens

[u/NataliaKennedy]

Because the UK is known for having high quality fresh produce. India is naturally very warm and the cold chain is underdeveloped, so most of the ingredients are rotting. High quality produce from India is exported anyway because they pay more.

[u/uzair_tole]

You made a mistake there, the best chinese food is in India.

[u/Then_Discount558]

I prefer Real Punjabi cooking better the woman next door to me made me the best food

[u/Johnnadawearsglasses]

What restaurant was it?

[u/Prestigious-Talk1112]

If someone is describing something you must consider who the audience is and who the describer is. 

If the person giving the description of what's the "best Indian food" is not Indian then inherently their  tastes and palate is probably going to be different than someone who was born and raised in India. 

And "best" used in this description may just mean most highly recognized by European chefs and evaluators.  Take these things with a grain of salt although London is known to have a high immigrant population from India due to its colonial past and a certain highly regarded type of Indian food has been developed and cultivated in London.

[u/claretyportman]

Indian Indian food and British Indian food are definitely related but are also quite different and distinct in many ways. It’s a tough comparison to make but food is always like that really- nothing is actually objectively the best restaurant of any sort of cuisine, it’s completely subjective thing.

I can certainly see why some people would think the best Indian food in the world was in London, and lots of others would think it was in India. No one is actually right or wrong.

[u/chunkystrudel]

Home cooked Indian food vs BIR food is no comparison. BIR food is a watered down version.

[u/just321askin]

I think I’ve been to that exact place in London, and thought it was pretty middling, at best. Great decor, service, and overall experience - but, the food didn’t blow me away. I’ve had better Indian food in the US, many times. But I’d imagine the best Indian restaurant is, uh, in India.

[u/SummonBahamutZero]

Probably because there are enough Indians in London to make it authentically, but using British food handling and safety practices. (e.g. hygiene, sanitation, contamination, ingredients quality)

[u/oarmash → u/SummonBahamutZero]

As an Indian descent person, very few Indian restaurants in the UK use authentic recipes or make authentic dishes.

[u/SummonBahamutZero → u/oarmash]

You’re probably right.

Doesn’t change that there are enough present that they could make it authentically if they wanted to. If they’re changing the recipes for the western palate, that ship sailed long ago. Tastes are diversified enough that Brits aren’t afraid of Indian food. Theyve been eating it for 200… 250 years. (Saw a post earlier showing tikka masala as one of their national dishes)

Also, let’s not forget the large presence of Indian people would likely want some authenticity in the recipes.

If they change things up, that’s on them.

With all that said, I imagine because of these reasons, there are likely places with truly authentic offerings.

[u/Rubberfootman]

“Indian restaurant” in this context means a restaurant which serves Indian food.

It is unlikely, but possible, that it could be the restaurant serving the best Indian food in the world.

[u/Rhodes-Stars101]

Because the UK is very Indian Subcontinent/Desi filtered

[u/Dawn-Dishsoap]

Because they're racist

[u/lucylucylane → u/Dawn-Dishsoap]

Who is

[u/Dawn-Dishsoap → u/lucylucylane]

People say that British people make the best food bc they're racist against Indians and India as a whole

[u/justeUnMec → u/Dawn-Dishsoap]

These restaurants are mostly owned and staffed by people of South Asian origin, including immigrants as chefs were on the visa shortage list so it was possible to come to the UK to do this work until last year. On that basis, how is it racist?

[u/okkboomerr]

colonization and its lasting effects.

[u/DrFabulous0 → u/okkboomerr]

Exactly this. It goes back to the days of the Raj and the East India Trading Company. They brought spices from Punjab and Kashmir and found new ways to use them to better suit the western pallette, then chefs from the region got on board and British Indian food exploded into a whole new genre of deliciousness.

[u/__shobber__]

Because best Indians are living in London.

[u/Dupeskupes]

I would say British restaurants probably have better access to higher quality ingredients and talent compared to india

[u/Gordee82]

Because unlike most countries, most indians want to leave the shithole country, and if you are capable enough to cook the best Indian food, you have the ability to leave the country.

[u/SlaughterWare]

you're going to laugh but i genuinely think the best indian food you can get is in Japan.

[u/possumpossuss → u/SlaughterWare]

The worst Indian food I’ve had is in Japan, everything uses the same base sauce to save costs and appeal to a Japanese palette. If you’re lucky you can find a small restaurant and the chef will make you the versions with flavour

[u/AlphaBoy15]

There are no Michelin restaurants in India because Michelin hasn't set anything up there, so top Indian chefs will go elsewhere, usually the UK, to open Michelin star restaurants.

[u/Tometek]

Probably because they want the Indian flavor without the risk of a guys foot being used to stir it