All Comments

Graeme - At Griff's suggestion, we returned to The India after an 11 year gap. I don't think much has changed in the meantime but it didn't seem quite as interesting as before - maybe the novelty of being under the railway arches has worn off.  The ambience wasn't helped by us being placed at the dead-end of one of the archways. The food was generally good without being special. I had Salmon Tikka to start and South Indian Garlic Chilli Chicken for main. The service was pretty good, esp. considering how busy the place was - it was rammed. At £50 p/h is was too expensive.

Jon - The India, the Cannon Tandoori that was, was certainly busy with a lively atmosphere in its unique setting but it was very expensive and let down by a rather bland main course.  The tandoori platter starter was good, and I enjoyed the veg with a previously-unseen sag channa, but my king prawn main dish was bland both in terms of taste and ingredients – the prawns were OK in terms of quantity and tasty, but the remainder was predominantly onions and the sauce was fairly non-descript.  Good night as always, of course!!

Jeff - Bland bland bland bland bland. Terrible Chicken Karahi, full of generic gravy, onions and no discernible spice at all. Furthermore, the vegetables were tasteless, there was no garlic on the Garlic Naan, and the lamb starter was average at best. Shame because I used to like it here. I've given it a VFM of 1 because I did not enjoy my meal at all, it was one of the poorest meals I've had in my 150+ visits. And at £50, not a cheap night. Interesting and lively conversation as usual, thank goodness.

John - Sheek kebab followed by chicken shashlik bhuna. Good food, but expensive. I enjoyed the sag chana and the plentiful beer. Service efficient although slightly dodgy as the waiter tried to pocket the cash that he thought was a tip over and above the service charge! Naughty boy.

Neil - Enjoyed meeting at a 'new' pub: The Blackfriar. This made for a welcome change of scenery although a bit steep price-wise. Same can be said for the restaurant, a fairly decent meal, if not spectacular, in an interesting underground setting but with a weighty price tag (£50). My cheese paneer starter was tasty but very small and the chicken dhansak main also on the light side. Would have scored the service higher as quite speedy but one of the waiters was slightly unpleasant when we asked him for a couple of things. Unlikely to go back any time soon.

Mark - Nice of Dave to choose a pub 'near where he used to work once' rather than near the restaurant! The India was fairly full but CurryMarks still had our usual seating in the back corner. Service was efficient despite the crowds and there was a good overall atmosphere. My starter of Lamb Tikka was excellent, just needed a touch more flavouring. Main of Chicken Kahari was a disappointment, lack of sizzle or bite and full of onions. Half a ton cost seemed a bit high although we were at least offered a digestif. Enjoyable overall but let down by the main.

Tim - We had been to this location before, a number of times, but under a different name; the current name seems particularly uninspired. It's interesting inside, with its vaulted ceiling, and surprisingly large, and busy. The lighting is quite atmospheric, though maybe a touch on the dim side for some. The tandoori mixed starter had a good selection of meat and fish and was of a decent size. The main of chicken jalfrezi, while nicely spicy in terms of heat, lacked a bit flavour-wise; it seemed more like English gravy with some Indian spices thrown in, and I'd have preferred more chicken and less large pieces of vegetable; I probably should have chosen something more interesting. One of my two pieces of keema nan had no keema, but the other was fine. I quite liked the veg - they seemed a bit more interesting than usual and I hadn't tried sag chana before. After some prompting, we were offered a free round of Amaretto to finish - a bit sweet but made a change from the usual Baileys. Overall, despite a few complaints, it was a decent meal, but rather expensive.

Brian - Huge portion of talapia for my main was delicious. Duck tikka starter was also very good, just not great like the main. I'd hope for a revisit. The Blackfriar is an excellent pub, iconic but not too busy, and it was worth the hike to the restaurant to have a drink there. Thanks Jon for introducing me to the Robbie video: I too am loving Big Ange instead!

Dave - Fantastic meal at the India. The prawn puree was superb. Strayed from the Griff set menu for the main course with a chicken shaslik - this was also very good. Excellent service despite the fact the restaurant was very busy (the bustling atmosphere made for a very good ambiance mark). Overall a very enjoyable (and well co-ordinated) evening.