looking for good curry shops in London
 

We will be traveling to London in March, and would love to take advantage of the availability of East Indian food. We will be staying in South Kensington, most likely, but will be visiting (and eating near) many of the major attractions. I have seen some recommendations for upscale Indian, but I am interested in good everyday curry as well.

Do you really mean East Indian? And are you talking about restaurants or about specialist shops?

There aren't any restaurants specialising in food from India's eastern provinces such as West Bengal or Assam: there are a number specialising in Bangladeshi food around Brick Lane, but they're generally mediocre and designed to let lots of people have a great, raucous time.

London has a lot of good restaurants specialising in South Indian and North Indian food, as well as the cuisines of Western (mostly Gujerat) India. Few are near the main tourist attractions, which with a couple exceptions mostly are surrounded by dreadful "Indian" joints serving junk to people who know no better.

There's a reasonable thread on decent places at http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34709061, and searches here for terms like Wembley, Southall and Tooting will throw more up.

But the real source for good South Asian restaurants is the Time Out Guide to Eating and Drinking, whose "Indian" section is written by people who really appreciate the subtleties of the region's food. On these cuisines, its recommendations are light years ahead of anyone else's.

The bad news for a visitor is that virtually all the good places are - surprise, surprise - where affluent South Asians live: usually 20 mins or so on the tube from the central tourist ghettoes.

These neighbourhoods also have an extensive network of food shops, selling both the essentials of life for the local Asian population and often a wide range of high-quality ready to eat food. Some are also listed in the Time Out guide, though once you're in the neighbourhood, the best ones are obvious from the crowds of shoppers.

One central London exception to the general dreadfulness of "Indian" resataurants is Chowki in Denholm St, which focuses each month on a different region and has good value prix fixe menus.

Hi,

Chowki is good.
Masala Zone in Carnaby Street (behind Liberty's)

And as you are going to be in South Kensington, Bombay Brasserie off Glouscester Road Tube station is where I would take my friends for some Authentic Indian restaurant food, i.e. its not what we eat at home, but its what we would go out in India to eat. The local curry places are typically Bangladeshi restauarants although they call themselves Indian Curry House...we dont eat curry in India, neither do we have anything called the Balti (which in India means bucket) Chicken.

http://www.bombaybrasserielondon.com/index.htm

Cheers

Oh forgot to add, if you want to taste genuine Indian food i.e. not Indian restaurant food, but what we would eat at home, i.e. I rush to this place when I am in London and missing Mom....try http://www.indianymca.org/. Although its a hostel for Indians in UK, the restaurant is open for all and the food is soo good that you can find many suited and booted execs out there at lunch time. For directions check their funky map on their website, its v close to Oxford Street. But do keep in mind its a hostel, so no fancy stuff, just great food.

oh and the added bonus is everybody from Gandhi to Nehru have eaten and/or lived here....a bit of history too.

Hope am not plugging Ymca here...am not a Christian either.....but the food is good....http://www.london-eating.co.uk/3000.htm

LordoftheJ,

have added that to my favourites for next time I'm in London. Sounds great.

Places I've enjoyed, OP, are Kastoori (Tooting Broadway tube) and a bhel puri place behind Euston Station. Can't remember name - if I can find the details I'll post again.

Another thanks to Lordofthejungle for the Indian YMCA recommendation. Don't know how that one slipped past my radar all these years! Going to try and check out your other recs next time I get to London too.

Fuzzylogic, I think you are probably referring to Diwana Bhel Poori in Drummond Street. - Indian vegetarian and long time favourite of mine. I also second Kastoori in Tooting.

noe847 Another good vegetarian restaurant on Drummond Street is Chutneys which does the best value lunchtime buffet meal. Drummond Street had a few Indian restaurants but these are the only ones I ever go to.

Drummond Street is also a great place to buy Indian sweets. mmmmmm!

My other extremely long time haunt in central London is The India Club in the Strand Palace Hotel in the Strand. Up a dingy staircase and you will find (at least I imagine it's still there!) "good everyday" dishes in an unpretensious environment. Popular with staff from the Indian High Commission nearby.

Apologies,

I should really preview my replies but I often have a problem with that function.

The India Club is upstairs in the Strand CONTINENTAL Hotel.

thanks for all of the recommendations and links. I am looking for restaurants, and now I will have some wonderful places to try. I will also find a copy of the Time Out London Eating and Drinking.

Oh the India Club is legendary. My grandfather was dep high comm to UK....before I was born so i didnt get to enjoy it.....but India Club is a food away from food place for staff at the High Commission down the road.

Kippy -thanks, that's the place.

Are you, or have you ever been, a Londoner?

Cheers.

More on India Club, dont go there for a typical curry. Its a canteen for Indians working across the road, having said that, if you want to eat south indian food then its the place to go, when u order dal you will get south indian dal which is watery, idli/dosa/rassam yum yum

I LOVE curry and I am going to London this week. I have added a dinner out at the YMCA to my list of things to do. YUMMY!

Try Soho Spice in Soho on Wardour Street. Does an interesting spin on traditional curry but still reasonably priced.

Diz01

"...when u order dal you will get south indian dal which is watery, idli/dosa/rassam yum yum."

Geez, Lord. Thanks for making my mouth water! I love masala dosa (especially the giant 24" ones) with sambar. Luckily we can get good ones here in Toronto but I live too far away to enjoy them more than once or twice a year.

Lordofthejungle - all this talk of the India Club makes me wish I could go there right now!

fuzzylogic - no I'm not a Londoner, but I did live there for a very long time.