Last Updated on September 14, 2026 by Halal Food Guy
Paddington already has more Malaysian restaurants than anywhere else in London, and from 17 September there’s another one to add to the list, at least for a few months.
Duda Diner is a family-style Malaysian pop-up run by husband and wife Hakeem and Zura Ahmad, a Malaysian couple who have been building a following in South East London. They started with an eight-month pop-up at Goodcup in Nunhead, then went permanent on Nunhead Green, and now they’re bringing what they call their living room and kitchen across to West London for an autumn residency at The Pilgrm, a boutique hotel on London Street. It’s the fourth and final guest chef takeover in the hotel’s 2026 Incubator Kitchen Series.
The cooking is inspired by the places they love eating back home: roadside stalls, late-night suppers, market breakfasts and wedding feasts. Everything is designed to be shared and the menu rotates with the seasons. Expect Malaysian stir-fries, whole grilled fish like ikan bakar served with a laksa beurre blanc, kerabu salads with a ginger and lime dressing, and their two cult dishes, the Tempoyak Oyster made with fermented durian and the DUDA Burger with Sarawak peppercorn chilli sauce.
It’s a very different style to the Malaysian canteens you’ll find a few streets away on Craven Road, so if you’re into nasi lemak and mee goreng, this is the modern, restaurant-style version worth trying while it’s here.
The residency runs Wednesday to Saturday evenings, 5:30pm to 9:30pm, until late December.
📍 Duda Diner at The Pilgrm, 25 London Street, Paddington, London W2 1HH
📅 17 September to late December 2026
🕠 Wednesday to Saturday, 5:30pm to 9:30pm
❓ Halal status to be confirmed – see note before publishing
