10. Bangladesh. Kolapata, Whitechapel

We knew this one would be special the moment we walked through Kolapata’s door on Whitechapel Road. Bangladeshi families sat at metal tables enjoying their Friday right dinner, chatting in Sylheti, while waiters bustled around delivering plates of tasty looking food on trolleys.

Sitting at one of the last available spaces by the door, Alf and I scanned the laminated menu, feeling pleased with our choice of an “authentic” Bangla restaurant. There are countless food joints run by Bangladeshis in London, most serving up generic Indian fare. But Kolapata isn’t one of them. There’s no butter chicken or vindaloo here. In fact, we barely recognised anything on the menu.

With the help of a friendly waiter, we started ordering. A rich beef curry (tangy and almost sweet), flaky parathas, mustardy elish fish fry and bhorta – a rather bland combo of mashed potato.

The flavours were (besides the bhorta) strong, spicy, and not always immediately familiar – especially to a ‘British’ style curry eater. We were a bit out of our comfort zone with some of our order – the fish was full of fine bones and Alf ordered a rather revolting, sulphorous drink called a Borhani. I was glad of my mango lassi, while Alf grimaced through his spicy rotten egg refreshment.

Despite these pungent flavours, (and some rather garish wall art) the other food was so good, it barely mattered. And in any case, the whole point of this blog is to try different things, and Kolapata didn’t disappoint.

For me, Kolapata is a great restaurant. The food is delish, the waiters are friendly, and it’s clear this is a taste of home for many of the other diners. We both had the feeling we’d been transported half way round the world.

Alf and I found a Brick Lane pub afterwards where I declared it was the best meal we’d had on the adventure so far (I think Alf, traumatised by the Borhani, was a little less convinced). In short, anyone looking to eat authentic Bangla food should head to Kolapata.

Score: 9/10

Cost: £30 (cash only)

Location: 222 Whitechapel Rd, Whitechapel