Dishoom, 1 Stable Street, London N1C 4AA

Dishoom, 1 Stable Street, London N1C 4AA
www.dishoom.com
08/11/2014

She said: We were in on the first day of the soft launch so even the website didn’t mention the latest addition to what is becoming the Dishoom chain. Forget the other branches, this St Pancras-based wonder will blow you away. I can spend ages praising the stunning industrial space with a great open first floor dining space and stylish basement bar; and go through the magnificent list of fantastic food and drink options which led us to order as much as we could fit on the table but this is really somewhere you have to go yourself. I was so overwhelmed by the grand setting, delicious chilli martini and compulsive flavours in everything from prawns to beans that the fact I found a bit of plastic in one of my mouthfuls (which the manager guessed was from packaging) and that my yoghurt was forgotten were minor mishaps in an otherwise perfect experience. Yes the 50% off helped, along with the lovely company of a good friend and him of course but service was keen and friendly and Dishoom just has that buzz balanced with calm that makes you want to keep coming back. I hope they don’t lose the magic when this place becomes over-run, which it will.

He said: this branch of Dishoom is miles better than the 'ho hum' Leicester Square branch we hit some time back.  The huge converted Kings Cross warehouse space is perfectly suited to Dishoom's street food/railway snacks gambit. It's a very cool space to hang out in, and with lots of good reasons to keep you there: the cocktail list is extensive, and the menu has been made more veggie-friendly. We went during soft launch, armed with a half off discount, so we ordered much more than usual. Every dish we tried has been engineered to be the best version of itself. The crispy fried bindi is like crack, the black dhal is excellent, the kati rolls delicious, and ditto the stewed kidney beans. We went back with my brother a little while later, paid full whack, and still enjoyed it.  My only minus is that the menu is not as extensive as in most traditional Indian restaurants, so you might end up repeating yourself on return visits. But what you do get there is really great, and the vibe is very cool and laid back.  I'm looking forward to going back already!

Shikara, 65 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7PS

Shikara, 65 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 7PS
No website

25/10/2014

She said: It’s 2014 but power cuts still remind us we’re at the mercy of the fat cat energy companies…After digging around for torches and finally convincing him it was not at all romantic to cook and eat dinner in our dark home, we hit this local Indian. I had noticed Shikara whilst waiting for my nails to dry across the road and thought it would be great to find a good local Indian so was keen to test it out. Short answer, it failed. On entering, it has all the qualities of a reliable classic: dated décor, Bollywood tunes from the last century, mafia-types having brow-raised conversations over buckets of curry and a long menu. Unfortunately when the food arrived it was clearly tailored to those of you who like your more bland flavours. It’s not that the food was bad; it just lacked any spice or authenticity of the east. Plain Jane, such a shame.

He said: we checked-out Shikara on impulse, having been locked out of our kitchen by a power cut literally as I was about to start dinner. This Indian restaurant is a short walk away from our place, and we were lured-in by its shabby-but-clean appearance and menu of classics: it looked like Shikara had been in business a while, and that it might do the home style version of Indian cuisine which really is the best. Unfortunately our bubble burst pretty quickly. Shikara evidently advertises in local hotels, or the Eurostar magazine, because most tables were filled by continentals, and the kitchen has very regrettably adjust the spicing to suit our European cousins' timid palates. Bummer. In my book there is no bigger let down than disappointing indian food.

Shayona, 54-62 Meadow Garth, Neasden, London NW10 8HD

Shayona, 54-62 Meadow Garth, Neasden, London NW10 8HD

www.shayonarestaurants.com

17/08/2014

She said: A find! Shayona is a vegetarian Indian restaurant by the car park opposite the amazing Neasden Temple. The restaurant is a large, simple, modern space. The menu huge! Price great value. Food authentic. If you fancy the lunch buffet instead of a la carte it’s only £8 for all you can eat. We opted for the a la carte, picking a mix of delicious starters and spicy but compulsive vegetable curries. There was a moment of comedy when the sizzling, spicy vegetable tandoori came out in an all-consuming smoke which left everyone coughing and choking (but tasted amazing). We couldn’t try everything we wanted as there was so much choice. There’s an on-site Indian sweet shop and supermarket. This place is amazing. The real thing. Suffice to say Shayona is a place we’ll return to many times. Jai ho!

He said: Shayona reminds you that Indian food is great without any of the fiddly nouvelle trickery on display at all the shmancy Indian restaurants that you find exclusively in those postcodes where high rents mean having to scam your punters into dropping a packet for food they don’t really like or understand. Those places are just like opera or $1000 dollar bottles of wine: everyone’s too chicken to say what they mean. But not at Shayona, which is attached to the biggest Hindu temple in the UK, so the karma and all the shakras are just so. You get your Wow! moment looking around the temple; then you sit down for lunch in a spotless room; receive genuinely courteous and friendly service; gobble tasty, cruelty-free food cooked really well; pay very little for it, and walk out the door already thinking about what else you’ll have on your next visit. Now that’s a no-brainer!

Sagar, 17a Percy Street, London, W1T 1DU

Sagar, 17a Percy Street, London, W1T 1DU

27/04/2014
www.sagarveg.co.uk

She said: I’d been for a long run and was starving. I had been looking up cheap vegetarian restaurants and came across Sagar which looked like a cheap and cheerful South Indian vegetarian restaurant in Fitzrovia so off we went. We were the first ones in for lunch. The space was modern and bright and I was looking forward to my meal. The menu is huge and prices fair. We started with onion bhajia which was a good portion, a little dry but still tasty. To follow, we went for a mix of vegetable dishes. The okra and aubergine were delicious but they got our order of ‘onion sambar’ wrong which was a shame as the standard sambar was essentially a very spicy gravy. We thought garlic rice would be a fluffy fragrant alternative to plain rice but it was a little oily for my liking. My sweet lassi was lovely. Service was relaxed but efficient and it was good to see several more diners arrive as our meal progressed. So overall a mixed bag but for me still a good, easy-going, value option at £32 for two.

He said: Ever since spending quite a lot of time in Dubai (home to the largest South Asian community outside of that continent) we have been scouring London for Indian food of that quality (very high) at that price point (very low, e.g. £4 for an unlimited refills vegetarian thali; good luck finding any thali that refills in London, even at three times that price…).So naturally we ended up at Sagar, which is a very good value, long-established veggie place off trendy(ish) Charlotte Street. The food was pretty nice, though I’m more partial to North Indian cooking and naturally biased against Sagar’s style of cooking. Still, I liked it. But I simply could not get over the fact that the rice was overcooked; I mean that is totally unforgivable for any Indian kitchen; it’s like overcooked pasta in Italy, or soggy Belgian fries – your compatriots would never look you in the eye again. Would they dare send that out to their mother? And also the wrong sambar came out; I really am good and loving to my fellow man, giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, but we were the first and only people in the restaurant when we gave our pretty straightforward order. By all means go, I will again, but beware!

Gymkhana, 42 Albermale Street, London W1S 4JH

Gymkhana, 42 Albermale Street, London W1S 4JH

01/02/2014

www.gymkhanalondon.com

She said: Every magazine seems to have been banging on about this place. I tried booking a few days ahead a number of times in the past few months but it was always full. So I was surprised when they had a table after he called on the off-chance, 30-minutes before we were hungry. He had been much more keen than I to try out Gymkhana as I have never been able to justify paying excessive prices for Indian food offered as a morsel of what I have enjoyed in ‘normal’ Indian restaurants in London and other parts of the world. But lets move on and see what the fuss is about. Sitting very gentlemanly on the posh Albermale Street inside what looks like a former pub, the entrance level of Gymkhana was lively and noisy with diners sitting in what had an upmarket café feel. The room was bright but forgettable. However, we were taken downstairs to a darkly lit tavern looking space with days-gone-by artwork covering the walls. We opted for a set lunch menu at £20 for two courses plus the Gol Guppas from the a la carte menu, which was indulgent and unnecessary but yummy. My set starter was a ‘Duck Egg Bhurji, Lobster’ which turned out to be a rather tasteless, thin omelette with the odd bit of lobster in it. As we were sharing everything, I helped myself to his massive starter of potato chat which was delicious. After a very long wait and one reminder, my main Goan Bream arrived; a good portion and very tasty – that’s more like it. I rinsed the whole meal down with a sweet lassi which again was perfect. The set lunch option is a good way to see what Gymkhana is about. For me, it falls into the group of aspirational Indian restaurants targeted at the wealthy western set that don’t want to get their hands dirty with real Indian food. The whole experience did take an unfortunate turn when I got home and spent the rest of the day in the bathroom ‘evicting’ every milligram of my lunch, and a lot more. As he and I shared everything and he was fine, I cannot say for sure that my bathroom confinement was the result of Mayfair’s raving addition but I will not be taking any chances by returning there ever again.

He said: I work not far from this place and walked in one day, soon after the builders moved out but sometime before the official opening. Seduced by the Anglo-Indian Raj clubhouse décor, I made a note to comeback. Unfortunately Gymkhana’s PR machine went into overdrive soon after, and it was quickly declared everyone’s favourite new opening with every table booked solid for weeks. Still, one Saturday lunch we took a punt on short notice and scored a table downstairs, which made me grumble silently at first but, it turns out, has a much nicer feel than the busy and already-slightly-shabby looking main room. The lunchtime set menu is excellent value at £27 for two courses and a glass of house punch. Having been to Gymkhana’s sister restaurant in Marylebone I was primed for portions that would leave even the most anorexic supermodel feeling slightly peckish. So I was shocked to find myself defeated by a starter of potato chat that certainly would’ve been enough for four. Mains was mushroom pilau which was as good and forgettable as this dish always is, but accompanied by excellent sides (incuded) of dal and palak paneer. It was excellent value given the quality of cooking and location, for lunch. Prices rocket for dinner, at which point Gymkhana becomes, just like every other ‘Fine Indian’ around,  a blatant con.

Bombay Palace, 50 Connaught Street, London W2 2AA

Bombay Palace, 50 Connaught Street, London W2 2AA

14/10/2012

http://www.bombay-palace.co.uk

She said: Following a refurbishment we wanted to see whether this Hyde Park Indian was any good. Situated on the corner of Hyde Park Gardens under a newly developed residential block, Bombay Palace can be easy to miss. The refurb has seen a more contemporary design with marble floor and dark furniture in a cool, calming room. We were seated at banquettes at the edge of the room and were the first to arrive for lunch but the place quickly filled up with what seemed like mostly locals.

Being where it is, this is not your local, cheap and cheerful curry house – so though the menu was extensive (and we were immediately disappointed to be told what we were ordering was not available) the prices are higher than they should be. I did enjoy my food – a mix of delicious Indian vegetables with rice but to me, Indian food is not something that improves the more money you pay so at £47 for two vegetarians (with no alcohol) this is a pricey affair not justified by location. One for corporates I would say.

He said: It’s definitely fair to say that Bombay Palace is an institution. Since it first opened years ago, branches have sprung-up all over the world. But, equally, others since then (e.g. Cinnamon Kitchen) have shown that upmarket Indian is about more than just high prices. If India Palace reminds you of mummy-ji’s  cooking, or of your first experience of ‘proper’ Indian food, then you’ll love it. For me if you moved it from W1 to E2 it would probably go out of business if it didn’t reel-back the prices big-time. The cooking is fine if you live nearby and don’t fancy walking to Roti Chai, or cabbing it to others, but anyone who loves Indian food with know many better options.

Cinnamon Soho, 5 Kingley Street, London W1B 5PF

Cinnamon Soho, 5 Kingley Street, London W1B 5PF
05/05/12

http://www.cinnamon-kitchen.com/soho-home

She said…I was craving some Indian food and had been looking forward to the Cinnamon experience since reading the menu online. Having read a review I knew beforehand that the plates would be small so to order a good mix of dishes. We arrived via the Kingley Street entrance though later realised there is another ‘main’ entrance which is prettier from Kingley Court. We didn’t pay much attention to the setting as we were both starving and so got stuck in ordering a mix of 5 small dishes which consisted of crab and vegetable balls, tandoori salmon, mushroom on toast and mathri with a roasted aubergine dip. Except for the mathri (which were essentially corn-like fatty snacks with a mis-matched sweet and rather chunky dip) and the vegetable balls which were ok, the other plates were fantastic: soft crab in a crispy batter with a perfect sauce, succulent salmon which melts in the mouth and a sort of curried mushroom that was over too soon. For ‘mains’ I went for a pea and cauliflower kichri but they got the order wrong and brought me a fish one instead. I didn’t want to wait for the correct order so took the fish one which was lovely – and was pleasantly surprised when they did not charge me for this on the bill for getting it wrong, exemplifying their already excellent customer service. I recommend the sweet lassi to drink which complimented the whole meal. It was only when we had digested our food that I took a proper look around the room and did wonder why a bit more effort didn’t go into the design. The dining room is fairly stark and lacks personality with dark wooden furniture and generic art in frames; a little more style would have been the icing on an already delicious, Anglo-Indian cake. Prices? Mmm, bit steep given the size of the dishes but worth it.

He said… If I didn’t know that this was part of the Cinnamon Club Group then I probably would not have tried this excellent restaurant. It doesn’t have much of a street presence, and the space is small and dark and really quite dull. But its daddy has a big reputation, so I was excited when I stumbled across this place on a walk around town. There are a lot of Indian restaurants in London (most of them Bangladeshi, it turns out), and some of them serve-up incredibly good food at an unbelievably low price. But Cinnamon is one of the few that does something really distinctive. The basic premise here is the best of British fused with the best of Asian. Not since the 60s would you see an Indian menu that included ‘safe’ options like mushroom on toast, or seafood pie. Except that here they’re not a concession to fearful diners, but instead a chance to reinvent and even improve on classics, bringing them bang-up-to-date for kids raised on exotica, like tamarind or garam masala. You will never eat a better mushrooms on toast than you will here. And that’s the reason to come to Cinnamon; the space may be uninspiring, the prices seemingly high, but you can’t get this kind of inspiring cooking in many other places. The portions are on the small side, so order more than the usual one starter one main.