A new restaurant focused on family recipes from Goa in southwest India opened this week on the south side of the currently pedestrian-only Hammersmith Bridge in Barnes. Postbox is the first restaurant from Leo Noronha, who leads the front-of-house team, with his cousin Lorenzo heading up the three-man kitchen.

The menu features unusual takes on Portuguese-influenced Goan classics including pork cheek vindaloo and Cafreal chicken wings, along with wider-ranging favourites such as Peshawari masala lamb chops. Maria’s banana and bread pudding follows a recipe from Leo’s mother.  

Leo says it was a tough decision to launch a business under his own name after 20 years working in restaurants in both India and Britain – most recently at the Sri Lankan group Hoppers. “I had a comfortable job there, but this was something I just had to do. Our food is all freshly made and local, and every dish is cooked to order, with no generic sauces – everything from the robata grill has been marinated for 48 hours.“

The short menu will change with the seasons, with more game in the winter and a chalkboard of daily specials to provide variety for regulars.The name comes from the early years of the Indian diaspora, when families would exchange recipes via postcard.