Restaurant
Name: | Little India | |
Area: | Bloomsbury | |
Address: | 137 Gray's Inn Road | |
London WC1X 8TU | ||
Phone: | 020 7831 1149 | |
Website: | www.littleindiacuisine.co.uk |
Visits to this restaurant ...
1. 21 Dec 2017 | | | 2. 26 Jul 2018 | | | 3. 28 Oct 2021 |
Visit Report
Visit Number: | 241 (visit 3 of 3 for this restaurant) | |
Date of visit: | 28 Oct 2021 | |
Cost per head: | £37.00 (2 beers) |
Serv | Amb | Beer | Start | Nan | Rice | Main | Veg | VFM | Score | Comments | |
Overall | 7.3 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 6.8 | 6.4 | 6.84 | |
Jeff | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6.7 | See Jeff's comments |
Jon | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6.8 | See Jon's comments | |
Dominic | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7.4 | See Dominic's comments |
Mark | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6.7 | See Mark's comments | ||
Tim | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6.9 | See Tim's comments | |
Dave | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7.0 | See Dave's comments |
Neil | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6.3 | See Neil's comments | |
All Comments
Jeff - I had somehow missed the previous two visits to this place, and was 'sort of' in the area beforehand so was happy to arrange this. The Blue Lion pub was pretty busy and the beer was ok. The restaurant was empty barring us, although it's a small room so that didn't affect the ambience (a few came in later) and our continued excitement at getting back together, especially with Dom at the head of the table, was ambience enough. The food itself was pretty good, although the vegetable portions were slightly on the small side. Starter of chicken chat was perfectly spiced, and the lamb chops I chose for a change didn't disappoint either. There was draft cobra too, although I thought it not quite as fresh as it might be so I switched to Kingfisher. Altogether a good evening, good food, good company.
Jon - A pleasant if unspectacular meal at the New Little India. Nothing really stood out as either excellent or below par - just decent. Great to see our Aussie representative out for the first time post lockdown and always good to catch up with everyone.
Dominic - The drought has broken! Yes, October 2021 has finally seen my return since February of the previous year although still with some anxiety as this would be my first bit of socialising in the covid era. So deciding to avoid the pub as it was too crowded, I made my mask-wearing way next door to the eatery and settled for the end of our table and promptly asked that the place-settings nearest to me be pushed further along to give me a little bit of distance to my fellow members - being a rose-drinking Aussie meant I was used to being ostracised! Once our gaggle had arrived, it became clear that we would be one of very few tables which suited me enormously so I've reflected this in my ambience score. But now to food: my Reshmi Kebab off-piste starter was very good, always made tastier by the leftover poppadom condiments. For main, I went for what has become my current signature dish of Lamb Tikka Nag which was excellent. Of the rest, the standouts were the Stuffed Paratha, (watch this space for what is normally the "Diggers polar-opposite view"), and the well-priced wine. Service was good all evening with a free-round of liqueurs always a nice touch. The manager even recognised us from a photo he took several years before though I can't help feeling if this was from a particularly rowdy night and he was just being prudent should he need to provide identification to the local constabulary! All in all, a fantastic and somewhat emotional evening for me as it was great to see a good number of the club after some 20 months. The only disappointment was the absence of he who shall be named "Finger-God" … now that would have been the perfect 10!
Mark - There is something about this place that I like. Reasonable size, efficient service and fairly old school. Was surprised at the cost this time but as things have moved on over the last couple of years should accept the new higher costs when everyone goes for the platters and extra veg! Samosa to start and lamb sag with mushroom rice was all very tasty and although no highlights it was all a good solid meal. The staff even remembered us from before which is a bonus (perhaps Griff's singing was so memorable?) Great to see Dom The Hermit out and about even if he has trouble working out the cost of a meal for more than 1 person due to lack of practice. Good to see Tim's Halloween pumpkin outfit! OK, I'm off to have a half biscuit and play Subbuteo.
Tim - It was pretty quiet in the restaurant, and it was nice to have a bit more elbow room than last month. Some of the spicy poppadoms looked a bit burnt. The mixed starter was a bit of a mixed bag - I was least impressed with the onion bhaji - it was hard, dry and chewy - I wondered if they were made in bulk and then reheated in the microwave; the other meat items were fine. The main of daba murgh was quite flavourful, but although it was described as containing chicken and minced lamb, I didn't notice much lamb in it. The veg dishes were good, but the small piece of stuffed paratha I tried was poor - hard and chewy with no obvious filling (as I didn't order any bread, I haven't marked it). The overall cost was quite high, though not that much different from 3 years ago. A free round of liqueurs at the end was welcome. Nice to see Dom has returned.
Dave - An average performance from Little India - few food highlights but overall ok. Honoured to be sat next to el presidente and witness a "pop(adom) art" creation first hand and great to see Dom back, heralding the return of the free liquor at the end of the meal! Also came away from the evening enriched by the knowledge that there are 2 songs which feature the word Subbuteo in their lyrics. Overall v. enjoyable evening.
Neil - A great pub to meet (The Blue Lion) and a curry house next door, combined with Mr Dom's reappearance made for an excellent evening. Mixed starter should have had a slightly higher mark but the onion bhaji was over cooked and a bit chewy. The vegetable biriyani main was very tasty and a good sized portion (I couldn't finish it all). Stuffed paratha a tad bland though. Staff very friendly and service good.