Restaurant
Name: | The India | |
Previously: | Cannon Tandoori | |
Area: | Cannon Street | |
Address: | 21 College Hill | |
London EC4R 2RP | ||
Phone: | 020 7248 5855 | |
Website: | www.theindia.org.uk |
Visits to this restaurant ...
1. 28 Aug 2003 | | | 2. 30 Sep 2004 | | | 3. 26 Feb 2009 | | | 4. 28 Apr 2011 | | | 5. 26 Jan 2012 |
6. 31 Aug 2023 |
Visit Report
Visit Number: | 133 (visit 4 of 6 for this restaurant) | |
Date of visit: | 28 Apr 2011 | |
Cost per head: | £27.00 (2 beers) |
Serv | Amb | Beer | Start | Nan | Rice | Main | Veg | VFM | Score | Comments | |
Overall | 7.4 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 7.0 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 7.6 | 6.6 | 6.9 | 6.93 | |
Jon | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 7.7 | See Jon's comments |
Graeme | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7.2 | See Graeme's comments |
Neil | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6.6 | See Neil's comments |
Dominic | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6.5 | See Dominic's comments | |
John | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7.0 | See John's comments |
Mark | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6.3 | See Mark's comments | |
Alex | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6.9 | See Alex's comments | |
Richard | 5 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 6.0 | See Richard's comments |
Tim | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7.6 | See Tim's comments | |
Robin | 7 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7.5 | See Robin's comments |
All Comments
Jon - The India proved to be a good choice serving up a good combination of excellent service and very good food. The 50% food discount from toptable.com meant that it was also very good value, although paying full menu prices would have made it very expensive. The tandoori mixed starter was very good and the mixed grill I had as main course was excellent with all the meat cooked superbly. The only slight downer was that the special rice wasn't particularly special. All in all an excellent meal and an excellent evening for my 100th CurryMarks appearance!
Graeme - A very enjoyable and good value meal. The brick arches give this place a different and cosy feel. It was very busy but the service was efficient. Although the sundries (rice, nan, veg) were OK but nothing special, my Tandoori Platter starter was tasty and my Xacutie Chicken main excellent. The toilets were top-notch. A good venue to celebrate Jon's 100th appearance, co-incidently in the same place that I reached the milestone (although it was called the Cannon Tandoori then).
Neil - A good curry house, everything average or above but nothing sensational. A major positive, however, was that all of the food was relatively healthy avoiding fatty meat and oily sauces. The mixed tandoori starter was much bigger per person than the individual portions (five items rather than two) so worth getting that if you're hungry. Also, another new beer, the name of which escapes me, but it went down very well. Not too much alcohol choice otherwise though, hence the 'low' mark.
Dominic - Only the second visit for me to this eatery and this time we were placed deep in the back which allowed me to see how big the place is. And the "subterranean cavern" feel is very enjoyable. The service was quite good as everyone was attentive and this time we were "offered" a free round of beers (at some prompting). My combination Salmon Tika starter was very small with only 2 small pieces and some garnish – although tasty it was marked down because there wasn't much of it. I went for the Sag Jumbo Prawns which was very good and the first time I have tasted this dish. The sides were largely fine while the wine list was again good although somewhat pricey. Not sure about the VFM compared to other eateries as without the discount it would have been quite lumpy!! Congrats to Jon who is now a "Centurian". As always, a great night out.
John - Good service and good food. The Jalfrezi was more like a Thai curry but very tasty all the same. Veg dishes were excellent. VFM was good once our discount was factored in - otherwise it would have been quite a lumpy experience (unlike the morning after!).
Mark - Another visit to the India and another Centurion as we welcome Jon to the fold. He chose this venue for a revisit and it was similar to before, OK but nothing special and not a place to visit without the TT discount. Friendly welcome from the staff and a good table towards the far end. Singa beer on offer but needed to be at that price! I had Jinga prawns to start which was tasty but tiny. Rice with the main was good as were most of the veg dishes I sampled while main had some good bite but lacked zest. Somewhere to recommend for others but not top 6 in my book.
Alex - Think I was unlucky with choices perhaps … Sheek kebab was mysteriously chewy and the duck main's sauce was a bit sweet in an insipid sort of way.
Richard - The India is an odd place: a dungeon dressed up to be posh. It had a rather intimate atmosphere suited to bringing the missus but not for a lads night. Dom helped lower the tone by explaining that eating chicken feet is like performing a certain act on a leper – and apparently he likes chicken feet. Go figure. The prices are eye-watering and although we had a sizeable discount thanks to Top Table I felt ripped off (£5.60 for a bottle of Cobra!). The food was however very good quality with an interesting menu. My tandoori mixed grill was very good, followed by Duck Towa Ashili with the usual mix of sides and nan. Although the food was good it should not be top 6.
Tim - The restaurant is in a large underground room with vaulted ceiling, which gives an interesting ambience. Nice to see they had a choice of beer this time. It was all pretty expensive (as was the wine), at over £5 a bottle, although the 4-for-3 offer on Singha made things a bit more reasonable. The mixed tandoori platter was pretty good, with a selection of five meat and fish. I also enjoyed the main of chicken adrakwall - succulent chunks (incorrectly described as strips on the menu) of meat in a rich sauce. Service seemed pretty good; after asking for tap water they kept it topped up throughout the evening without having to be asked. The overall cost was reasonable considering the quality of the food, but would have been expensive without the Toptable discount on the food and the special offer on the beer. And thanks to Dom for some excellent wine.
Robin - I like this restaurant. Its subterranean setting is very unusual and creates a nice atmosphere despite its (literally) cavernous proportions. My starter of King Prawn Puree was excellent, as was my main course of Chicken Adrakwall - an unusual mixture of chillies, peppers and spices in an aromatic gravy. The special rice and veg dishes were all very good too. I was disappointed with my keema nan - hardly any keema at all, and the prices would have been horrendous had we not booked through Top Table at a hefty discount. Overall a thoroughly pleasant experience that I'd be happy to repeat.