Cafe Kaati ***

If like me you’re growing sick of having sandwiches and salads at lunchtimes then why not try something different and head to Cafe Kaati in the City and indulge in a hot kaati roll.

For those that don’t know, the kaati roll originates from Kolkata, India and is essentially a kebab wrapped in a paratha. There are various variations however and some of the more popular fillings are egg, mutton, chicken and paneer. The above picture was taken during a trip to Kolkata where the kaati roll is a quick, easy and inexpensive street snack.

Cafe Kaati is an excellent concept and it’s location, right in the middle of the City of London along Houndsditch, means that its busiest hours are during lunchtime. If you ever visit Cafe Kaati between the hours of 12 and 2 you should expect to see a sizeable queue and no seats.

The queues and lunchtime popularity is understandable as the rolls in Cafe Kaati are large, filling and incredibly tasty. They have various fillings including the traditionals and malai chicken as well as desi omlette. However Cafe Kaati also does other dishes including biriyanis, thalis and even curry and rice dishes.

The restaurant is clearly aimed at individuals working within the area and its ambience is accordingly sleek, professional and quite impressive. There isn’t the organised chaos you would see by the roadside in Kolkata, instead your kaati roll will be prepared on a panini press in an open kitchen area that appears far too civilised for this kind of snack.

In addition to this the concept of the kaati roll is that it is an informal snack and the ambience of Cafe Kaati loses this idea and the environment is charmless and serious. In addition to this their website has a professional feel and is clearly marketed towards corporate customers. Also the rolls, whilst incredibly tasty, are too large and don’t leave you wanting more but wanting to take a nap.

Cafe Kaati’s competitor in London is the Kati Roll Company in the heartland of good food – Soho. It’s rolls are smaller and cheaper and this appears to be the less serious cousin of Cafe Kaati.

Whilst it can’t replace the original concept Cafe Kaati is a great idea and credit should go to the owners for wanting to bring this to the City crowd. It is also a great crowd pleaser that they are branching out into other dishes although their marketing and the overall concept needs improvement and should appear less stuffy. I would nonetheless recommend Cafe Kaati for the rolls alone and would give it 3 out of 5.

http://www.cafekaati.com