Eton, Indian Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: “Every dish is fresh and authentic” at this comfortable curry house which occupies a half-timbered building on the high street, and which has become well-known over many years for its superior Indian cuisine. Heston is a fan.

Malik Ahmed’s traditional but “exceptional” curry house has achieved consistently high ratings for more than 20 years. Part of a trio with siblings in Cookham and Marlow, it’s run hands-on by a family with 150 years in the business – the restaurant Malik’s great-great-grandfather founded in what is now Bangladesh is still going strong!

“The best Anglo-Indian food tasted this year!” is a typical view of this three-year-old venture from high-profile chef Atul Kochhar, which just might be the best of his half-dozen restaurants (which include Sindhu at the Compleat Angler, also in Marlow). Inspired by the cuisines of the Punjab and Rajasthan, it has a “lovely tasting menu” as well as shorter set and à la carte options, and serves some “interesting and very pleasant Indian wines”.

“Contemporary Indian cooking with flair and finesse” makes for an attractive dining option in the outer ’burbs at this colonial-style villa – a sister venue to Manor Vasaikar’s highly regarded Indian Zing, near Hammersmith. “The taste-stimulating amuse bouche to kick-off is definitely a harbinger of things to come” – (and “the loo decor must be seen...”).

The “absolutely delicious” South Indian vegan and vegetarian food at this quintet of low-key cafés – stretching from Harrow to Covent Garden – is “good enough to keep carnivores quiet”: in particular “the dosas, which are just what you want from a dosa: crispy, tender, flavourful”. The formula is “simple but it works, even if the menu is always the same”; and it helps that the experience comes at “very reasonable prices”.

This West London pair of Indian street-food canteens, in Ealing and Hammersmith, elicits little in the way of commentary this year but wins its usual solid ratings for food and service.

An all-you-can-eat buffet – with options at breakfast, lunch and dinner – is a longstanding feature of this no-frills veggie veteran: a family business that started out as a market stall in 1984. It also offers an à la carte menu, which includes a significant Indo-Chinese section. No alcohol, so knock yourself out on the array of milkshakes and lassis. (It also has offshoots in Hatch End and Kingsbury).

This West London pair of Indian street-food canteens, in Ealing and Hammersmith, elicits little in the way of commentary this year but wins its usual solid ratings for food and service.

2022 Review: “A real boon in Richmond”, run by exotically named founder Sudden Alberts, also behind Atithi in Twickenham. With its “delicious” Indian cuisine (“we particularly like the vegetarian side dishes”) and “prompt and perfect” service (“nothing is too much to make the customers happy”) it’s proclaimed something of a “hidden gem” by all who comment on it.

An all-you-can-eat buffet – with options at breakfast, lunch and dinner – is a longstanding feature of this no-frills veggie veteran: a family business that started out as a market stall in 1984. It also offers an à la carte menu, which includes a significant Indo-Chinese section. No alcohol, so knock yourself out on the array of milkshakes and lassis. (It also has offshoots in Hatch End and Kingsbury).

“Luscious, carefully spiced and original food” wins high ratings for this “very good upmarket Indian” in deepest Chiswick. Founders Kuldeep Mattegunta and Mustaq Tappewale (ex- Kricket, Amaya, Benares among others) took over the venue from the brilliant, much lamented Hedone (RIP), whose open kitchen makes it a “great place for chef watching”.

Set in a parade of shops, Deepinder Sondhi’s subcontinental (with smarter dining room upstairs) is a fixture in these parts for its high-quality cooking, including some more adventurous dishes (think chocolate samosas, or chicken tikka with Laphroaig masala). If you wish, you can kick things off in style in the cocktail bar.

2021 Review: Rohit Ghai not only opened Chelsea’s Kutir this year, but this February 2019 yearling occupying three units of the Wembley Boxpark (not the loveliest of locations, in the shadow of Wembley Stadium). As yet it’s inspired little survey feedback, but if you’re a fan of Indian cooking, its wide selection of dishes are said by some social media aficionados to be worth a try.

Slightly mixed feedback this year on this Indian two-year-old run by well-known chef, Atul Kochhar. Some reports acclaim it as “outstanding” in all respects. A medium view is that it’s “not fine dining and still finding its level”, while the least positive report says, “it attracts the ‘look at me, me, me’ brigade and is overpriced”. Still, local popularity is such that in late 2023 they’ve now added takeaway to its offering.

“Oh, you lucky punters of East Sheen… rejoice!” – this “unexpected” two-year-old is a spin-off from Ewell’s legendary Dastaan, and is praised in numerous reports for chef Manish Sharma’s “extraordinary Indian cuisine at fair prices”: “big, complex punches of flavour but all nicely balanced”. On the downside, ratings are capped by the odd reporter who feels it’s “OK, but not quite as good as its reviews and reputation would suggest”.

2023 Review: A world away from the Mayfair luxury that made his reputation, Atul Kochhar gets more ‘down and dirty’ with this new, glass-walled 120-seater in the shadow of Wembley Stadium with a budget street-food formula. So far, we’ve only had limited feedback, but it says the food is “very good” and in a December 2021 review, Jay Rayner of The Observer told readers to “expect uncompromising fire and depth”.