Horn Ok Please is a pretty good westernisation of the Indian street food vendors I remember from my childhood trips to Bombay (aka Mumbai). Serving up a selection of street staples such as pani puri and samosas, they've combined the variety and flavours of Bombay with the Health and Safety regulations of the UK to deliver some tasty treats without the accompanying risk of food poisoning (or the wittily named Delhi Belly).
Naturally, I rocked up to try the pani puri first. This dish, for those no familiar, is composed of an ultra thin crisp dough shell about 1 inch in diameter (the "puri") partially filled with potato, chickpeas and chaat masala and chutneys. The puri is then filled with a spiced water mix (again this varies but usually has some tamarind and a bit of chilli). Pani means water in Hindi, thus the name Pani Puri. These delightful little packages are then meant to be put whole in your mouth and when you chomp down you are rewarded with a range of flavours and textures. No wonder they are so popular on the streets! As kids, my cousins and I would beg a few rupees from the parentals and race down to our favourite vendor to get a serving of pani puri whenever we felt a bit peckish. HOP isn't exactly like that, but pretty close.
Next up, I opted (read: coerced by a friend) for getting the samosas. Usually, I find samosas in the UK to be small and oily but was pleasantly surprised when these turned out to be about the size of my fist and covered in chenna (a tomato based chickpea curry). This dish is a meal on to itself and will definitely leave you feeling satisfied. The spice of the chenna and the heartiness of the samosas were pefect for a slightly chilly day.
HOP also serves up some Indian classics when it comes to drinks. No alcohol, but you can get Thumbs Up (think root beer mixed with cola and ridiculously good), Limca (a lemonade fizzy drink), Chai tea (proper chai, not the chai tea stuff Starbucks pushes), and my personal favourite - Mango Frooti. I can still remember the ads that played constantly on the tv in my Nana's flat: "Mango Frooti...so fresh and juicy!".
Overall, credit goes to HOP for bringing some quality Indian street food to the UK. Now as they are a street food stall, they don't have a set location but rotate around. I've found them regularly at the London Street Feast on Brick Lane and Eat St on King's Cross Blvd though. Check out their website for more regular updates on location so you aren't disappointed!
PS...The name is a reference to the phrase painted on the back of almost every truck in India. Check out HOP's first blog post or Wikipedia to find out the theories behind the origin of the phrase. But really, nobody really knows and now it's an accepted part of Indian language and culture. It would be ultra weird to see a truck rolling down the streets of Bombay without that on the back.
PPS...It's a street food stall so cash only. read more