LCB

Introduction

I spoke in my last review about the proliferation of street food cafes now open in Tooting. It's hard to keep up with the latest, but so far trips to SKVP and Dhoompan have not disappointed. This week it was the turn of Naan Staap and another review with Tooting resident, J Spellins; a man fast approaching disagraced founder, Tom's, number of blog appearances.

Venue

Nothing says 'pay me attention' more than a cheeky pun in a business' name, and I'm here all day for it.
There really aren't enough in use by curry houses across the capital, unless they're hidden from me in Hindi or the like. But, with 'naan' a homophone for 'none', there are so many potential names going to waste - 'second to naan', 'naan the wiser', 'naan of the above', or 'naan of your business', to suggest a few.

So, Naan Staap makes a good impression from the off, and inside is equally impressive. We liked the funky colours of SKVP and Cha Sha has a tasteful, if a bit twee interior, but Naan Staap pulls out all the staaps. 

With its effervescent green and yellow furniture it's like you've been transported into a Twister ice lolly and the cooling air con, on what was a very hot day, helped complete this illusion. Colourful murals of the  Badsahi Mosque, women in traditional dress (one who looks oddly like Ivanka Trump!), and an old bloke on a moped spoil the illusion a little but still add their own twist (see what I did there).

Comfort and space is also in healthy supply, which can't be said of all Tooting curry houses, so all round it's a great addition to the scene.

8/10

Sides and starters & Curry

Channa Bhatura

Desi Samosa Chaat x2

Lamb Dum Qeema Naan

It's fair to say there are some dubious menu items here that we deliberately overlooked in the name of more traditional Pakistani street food, namely, the club sandwich and cheesy chips. The rest of the street food menu will otherwise be familiar to many, with parathas, samosa, curries and naan all featuring.

As it was lunch we didn't go (too) overboard, although were left stuffed from our three dishes. Both choosing the desi samosa chaat (Spellins copied me), we supplemented this with a qeema naan and channa bhatura respectively.

The desi samosa chaat was a fine portion of two samosa drowned in a delicious sweet and sour, tamarind and onion, yoghurty mix. Like the other dishes, it was probably ample for a lunch on its own, but that didn't staap us ordering more.

The chickpea channa was denser than usual and mushier as a result, reduced down into thick spicy sauce.  A little similar to the samosa chat in consistency and flavor but the chickpea had a nuttier, earthy flavour with a coriander edge. The bhatura was again different to the norm, thicker and denser than the puffed up puri that usually comes with a channa bhatura - it was a nice change somewhere between a puri and a naan.

The qeema naan was also great -  buttery, delicious and piping hot from the tandoor, it had a lovely light layer of lamb mince swirled within and a nutty sesame and nigella seed tinge. A thoroughly good looking and tasting bread, this is the prefect replacement for the now deceased equivalent that used to be found at Lahore Spices (RIP).

15/10

Service

Upon entry, we were greeted with a very welcoming wave of air con and a lovely smile from the woman behind the counter. She was the only staff member in sight, but doing a great job. As with these smaller eateries, there isn't table service, but food is still kindly brought out to your seat. Ours arrived fairly promptly but we were made to wait for our naan, which in fairness was clearly being made to order.

6/10

Value For Money

You can't really argue with £7.20 for a good helping of channa with three bhatura breads or samosa chaat for £5.25. However, the lamb qeema naan was probably a bit toppy at £6.75 even if effectively a pizza in quantity and excellent to boot. We were certainly well satiated for about £12 each and a very decent lunch could be had for nearly half that so value marks are strong.

8/10

Summary

Not since Otis the Aardvark or Jaap Stam have double As in a name entered into my consciousness as much as they have for Naan Staap. Maybe it was the heat, or maybe the spin of the Twister-coloured interior, but it made a strong impression. 

Yes, this is new wave of south Asian diners that won't be to everyone's taste and probably aren't a substitute for a good old, evening ruby murray, but nevertheless, they deliver on taste and value in a way that's perfect for the devolved, London, work-from-home generation.

Make sure to staap by.

37/50