food & drink
Inside Passage to India ― By Cara Cummings
Abu Koiss runs Passage To India - one of south London’s most beloved Indian takeaway restaurants, and one of the oldest eateries in Gipsy Hill. He reveals the secret behind their famous garlic chilli chicken, and why good old-fashioned service is the key to a great meal.
How long have you been serving south Londoners?
How have your first two years in Gipsy Hill been?
I took over the business two years ago. Our restaurant has been open for 35 years, and it’s always been an Indian restaurant. I bought it from the landlord, who used to own the business, when he retired a couple of years back. This is my fourth Indian restaurant.
Initially it was tough. Lockdown was hard for people, but we have really good supportive locals who supported us during lockdown. It’s going well. I’m trying to build the business by looking after locals and always giving them good service. Some of our customers have been using the restaurant since it first opened three generations ago! Grandparents come in and tell me what the decor was like 35 years ago. It’s nice to support that local nostalgia. Some people move away, but they still call and ask if we’ll do a delivery. We’re still relatively new, but we already have a few customers we know very well. We know what our regulars like!
What’s your background in the food business? I had a couple of restaurants in Rotherhithe in the 1990s, until 2008. They were also Indian restaurants, and we were always fairly busy looking after locals. It was very local-community-focused. People in Rotherhithe are very nice and down to earth. We had a good time there. Then in 2008, when the financial crisis hit, I sold the business. It was hard, initially, but I was very lucky - I had somebody who was working with me who decided to buy it from me. I took a break and went into property, for about 5 years, before getting back into the food business.
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What are your most popular dishes, and why? I’d have to say chicken tikka masala. That's one of our mild-ish favourites for locals. We do our own sauce, a special blend. Garlic chilli chicken is another favourite, with a fresh blend of spices made by our chefs. It’s
