LONDON KEBAB FESTIVAL LAUNCHES

2 days ago
2 min read

Colonel Saab launches celebration of the mighty, Indian kebab

Kebabs have been a staple of Indian cuisine since the 1200s, when they were brought to the country by Afghan invaders - not quite Deliveroo, but delicious nonetheless.

The cuisine originated in Turkey and the Middle East and dates back to the 13th Century, when soldiers would skewer marinated meat on swords and roast them over a fire.

They became so popular in India that explorer, Ibn Battuta recorded how Indians would eat kebabs for breakfast in the 1300s.

And they have evolved over the centuries to the kebabilicious feast celebrated by Trafalgar Square's luxury Indian restaurant, Colonel Saab until 19 September.

A special menu has been created for the festival, which includes Malai Lobster with creamy coconut milk, Galouti Kebab, Beef Pepper Fry, Shikandari Raan (goat) and Peshwari Chapli Kebab (lamb).

Other stand out dishes include the Banno Kebab, Shabnami Chicken, Dakshin Fish Cake, Mushroom Galouti, Nadre Ke Churme, Sabudana & Aloo Tikka Chaat, Awadhi Dhufhiya Paneer Kebab, with almond rice pudding or bread and butter

pudding for a sweet ending.

Colonel Saab owner, Roop Partap Choudhary says: “We launched this restaurant to celebrate India’s authentic and diverse cuisines - many of which were previously unknown to people in the West.

“Kebabs are an important part of that and we wanted to show how India has taken the kebab and transformed it into something quite unique, using our own spices, ingredients and recipes.

“We are so excited to welcome new and returning customers to Colonel Saab during our Kebab Festival and to introduce this cuisine to a new audience."

Today, the cuisine is loved all over the continent, with the vast differences in available spices and ingredients paving the way for hundreds of regional variations in the way kebabs are prepared and served - many of which will be available for Colonel Saab’s customers to try during the next four weeks.

The restaurant was created as a “love letter” to India and is housed in the grand, former Holborn town hall, crammed with stunning, museum-worthy art and artefacts collected by Roop and his family over the years, including the now-legendary, chandelier-filled ceiling which has exploded across Instagram.

So we can also guarantee that it will be the poshest place a kebab has ever passed your lips.

Colonel Saab, Trafalgar Square, 40, 42 William IV St, London WC2N 4DD. Kebab Festival runs until 19 September 2026