Masala Zone The Joint 147 Earls Court Rd London SW5 9RQ phone: +44 20 7359 3399 Cliff I had the Lamb Coromandel — coconut milk, fennel, and red chilies provided most of the flavors. It was simply great. It came with mushroom rice and had fresh cilantro in the sauce. I’ve been craving fresh cilantro pretty much ever since we moved away from the U.S. It was labeled as “quite spicy” or similar in the menu, and they weren’t kidding. It was pleasantly hot. Sarah I had the Chicken Madras noodle bowl with Udon noodles, tandoori roasted chicken, lettuce of some sort, fried onions, green onions, white onions, red chilies, bean sprouts, red and green peppers and a heavenly sauce.
Invicta Tandoori The Joint 15 Harbour Street Whitstable, Kent United Kingdom Phone: 01227 264700 Cliff This is a find; we’re so pleased Ian and Michelle introduced to this place to us back in April 2003. Sadly (for Invicta too!), they’ve moved to another part of the country, and now we’re short on motivation to return to Whitstable — other than for a meal at Invicta Tandoori, of course. Sarah This was the first time I had Indian that really knocked my socks off. Way to enable an addiction, Invicta. Teeny-tiny venue – barely enough room to turn around – but absolutely lovely food. The amount is surprising and the menu is extremely varied. The waitstaff is lovely. Altogether, a great joint.
Shalimar Garden The Joint 42-44 Gloucester Terrace Paddington, London W2 3DA http://www.shalimargarden.com Cliff I had Goa Chicken and pilau rice, and we split an order Sag Aloo. This little bitty place was not even really visible from the street — you can see the sign for it coming from the Paddington tube station, but you enter the restaurant after descending an external staircase. It was small and seemed almost hastily put together. But maybe that made the food all the more delightful. This was my 2nd favorite Indian restaurant in London. Sarah This place was a little treat. Like Cliff said, not impressive looking, but the food was pretty tasty. And it was on the walk from the tube station to our crappy hotel. So points for convenience. [mappress mapid=”34″]
Bhatti The Joint 37 Great Queen street London WC2B 5AA U.K. Cliff The main waiter seemed annoyed that we were there, and the entire staff seemed like they had something better to do. We got hit twice with upsell tactics and the food itself was rather weak on flavor. I had the Kabab Afghani and Funky Pie ice cream dessert, which was a joke. It was served rock-hard out of their freezer. I’d say skip this place altogether. We were only there because we wanted some Indian food close to the theater where we’d just seen The Producers. Sarah This place sucks. Nothing else to say about it. But seriously, how can you resist trying something called ‘Funky Pie?’
The Everest The Joint 41 Craven Road London W2 3BX Cliff This was a little place quite near our apartment at Apartments Apart that we spotted on the way to/from Paddington Station. The staff was quite friendly and the food was good and relatively cheap. My only complaint was that the quantities were so small; especially given the fact that the portions of rice were not included in the entrée. Sarah The staff here was so friendly and this was my first step into London’s Indian cuisine scene. I wasn’t disappointed by the food, but I was rather shocked at the tiny portion size and the fact that rice or naan bread doesn’t come with a meal – everything is a la carte. Given how expensive London is, I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise, but I was thinking in terms of how food in restaurants is served in Germany (hugely). Just a difference we needed to note for future reference! [mappress mapid=”34″]
Bombay Express The Joint Am Ölberg 3 93047 Regensburg Germany Sarah I have become an Indian-food obsessive. I try to cook it (from scratch) and it never turns out right. Which is no longer that big of a deal, since the best Indian take-out in Regensburg is literally around the corner from us. This is a tiny place, but impeccably clean and charmingly decorated. There are a handful of tables at the establishment, but they seem to do most of their business as take-out. The menu is a little limited, but everything they serve is extremely flavorful and the prices are unbeatable. And I think the proprietor has an encyclopedic memory of his customers. He seems to remember our order and the level of spiciness we prefer.
Ganesha The Joint Indisches Restaurant Ganesha Maximilianstr. 23 93047 Regensburg Tel: +49 (0) 941 5861994 Fax: +49 (0) 941 5861995 Cliff Make sure you come hungry — it’s hard not to stuff yourself here. Get a Tandoori dish if you want a free side of Naan bread. Oh, and if you think you can hack it, try the garlic soup for a cold winter evening appetizer. Lately we’ve been hitting Ganesha on holidays like Christmas and New Year’s. Sarah This is the very first restaurant I ever ate at after we moved to Germany, so I have an extra soft-spot for it. It’s fairly formal looking inside – starched tablecloths, lots of silver and gold statuary and a riot of color from the artfully draped saris hanging from the ceiling. But it all pales in comparison to the food. They always start you off with pappadums (light, crispy tortilla-like flatbread made of – I think – lentil flour) and dips. The menu is extensive and varied. Cliff has tried nearly all of the tandoori offerings. I have ordered from the vegetarian, chicken, lamb and biryani sections – there is also a generous selection of curries involving fish and duck. The staff is friendly (although occasionally indifferent) and the prices, while a little higher than what we usually look for, are a value for the quality of ingredients and expert preparation. Dishes to try: -Alu Gobi (vegetarian; potatoes and cauliflower in mild sauce) -Mutton Nilgiri (mutton chunks in mild coconut milk and coriander sauce) [mappress mapid=”32″]
