They may not have secured investment on Million Pound Menu (then working under the name XXVI) but after a rebrand to KityCow and another tasting session with Jamie Barber and Atul Kochhar, chefs Joe Allen and Aaron Thomas managed to bag a residency on the first floor of Hush in Mayfair.
We didn’t actually catch the episode that the guys appeared on, so the only thing we knew about KityCow was that it’s Indo-Nepalese food. On that basis, we let the kitchen decide what to eat by going for the sampler menu.
It starts with a series of small plates – pani puri, which comes with a squeezy bottle of tamarind water for you to fill yourselves; onion seed crackers with coriander yoghurt; and salsify, truffle and onion momo. We loved all three and could have easily had a few more rounds of these. The curry sauce that comes with the cauliflower and ricotta dish also deserves a big shout out – it’s deep, rich and good enough to eat all on its own.
The main courses of pakku pork chop with hispi cabbage and spiced skate wing with crushed turnips see more of the British influence on the menu shine through, although they were paired with the more traditional Indian sides of saffron rice, daal makhani and saag paneer.
The dessert option on the sampler menu is chilled rice pudding with date and pistachio sorbet and this was our least fave of the night (not helped by the fact there was a very long wait for it), so we would say that if you’re particular about your puds it’s better to go a la carte.
KityCow is in residency at Hush until April but we really hope Joe and Aaron manage to find their own place so they can put their stamp on a restaurant as a whole, including the service.
8 Lancashire Court, London, W1S 1EY
kitycow.co.uk