Latest favourites and wishlist by dizzle

Chowki - review by herb

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:49:57 +0000

Chowki - review by herb

Rating: 4.1

Location: 2 Denman Street, W1D 7HA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7439 1330

Website: http://www.chowki.com/

this is the great idian restaurant that i have been for a long time, dont miss out, great real food and amazing service .

Chowki - review by misstravelbug

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:49:51 +0000

Chowki - review by misstravelbug

Rating: 4.1

Location: 2 Denman Street, W1D 7HA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7439 1330

Website: http://www.chowki.com/

Tags: indian, cheap eat, crowded

Great value, fast service - perfect for the theatre-goer in the west end. The menu is small but changes every month, 3 course set menu from the nominated region in india is good value for under 20 quid. Good drinks menu, non-alcholic cocktails are different from the usual - the exotic one with mango and lychee is my favourite.
The decor is like a cafeteria, good for an informal meal.
Service is fast, prompt, nothing to complain about. It's a large restaurant so ideal for group bookings.

Chowki - review by topruss

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:37:56 +0000

Chowki - review by topruss

Rating: 4.1

Location: 2 Denman Street, W1D 7HA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7439 1330

Website: http://www.chowki.com/

Another firm favourite. Has a very sexy feel, great for people watching.
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Chowki - review by SiReine

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 11:27:07 +0000

Chowki - review by SiReine

Rating: 4.1

Location: 2 Denman Street, W1D 7HA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7439 1330

Website: http://www.chowki.com/

Tags: indian, communal tables, average food, touristy. regional, pre-theatre, cheap eat

A.A. Gill wrote about Chowki: "one of the Stars of 2003".
After my meal there last night, my rudimental knowledge of astronomy makes me think more on the lines of "one of the White Dwarfs of 2008"!

Yes, the menu changes every month and yes, you get to sample authentic dishes from particular regions.just under Â£15 you get starter, main AND desert...Big deal!

You're in Soho or "rip-off/tourist centralâ¬ and therefore you pay for what you get i.e.: a very average meal!
It hits the spot but don't expect to leave the place feeling â¬Sstuffedâ¬. The portions are small: 2 spoonfuls of pilau rice, lentils, spinach, and 2 to 3 pieces of meat per person. Starters were ok. Deserts: average.

The 3 stars were only given because I couldnâ¬"t do 2 Â½ but the overall experience was very dull, and so was the food. The 3 of us all had Regional "Feasts" and a bottle of Chablis 2006 for Â£72.44 (serv. incl).

So â¬¦ I put it to you, TP users/reviewers:
What is the rule or secret to find a good Indian restaurant in London?
- â¬Sfor cheap and authentic head towards Algate, Southall or even Wembleyâ¬
- â¬Sif in the West End get ready to pay the price or abstainâ¬

Right now, Iâ¬"m thinking â¬SIâ¬"m going to have to stick to my local because I won't be going back to Chowki even though their naans and mango lassis were fabulous!â¬

Spice Of Night - review by dizzle

Wed, 09 May 2007 11:50:35 +0000

Spice Of Night - review by dizzle

Rating: 5.0

Location: 188 Castelnau, SW13 9DH, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8741 2052

Tags: indian, good value, crowded

Fantastic curry, been too many times to count. Everything on the menu has a special touch, quality ingredients and great flavours. And if you like it hot (damn hot), ask them for their cobra chillies (while stocks last ;).

The service is also great, have gotten to know them well now. If they're not too busy, they're always willing to have a chat and tell you the virtues of their cuisine and ingredients.

The owner is a veteran restauranter, with two other restaurants in the south west.

Chowki - review by foxie

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 12:08:02 +0000

Chowki - review by foxie

Rating: 4.1

Location: 2 Denman Street, W1D 7HA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7439 1330

Website: http://www.chowki.com/

Fantastic Indian Food from a variety of regions. Their "regional feasts" are particularly good value. Hard to beat for location too!

Khans Of Kemp Town - review by imagespace

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:02:45 +0000

Khans Of Kemp Town - review by imagespace

Rating: 4.0

Location: 40 St Georges Road, BN2 1EF, Brighton, United Kingdom

This is an excellent quality Indian Takeaway who do deliveries as well. Their food is nice and oil-free and is very tasty indeed. They also do some dishes that are not normally on the takeaway menu. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between one take-away and another, but this one stands out on the quality and taste of their dishes.

Chowki - review by tsunamih

Sat, 10 Feb 2007 16:18:18 +0000

Chowki - review by tsunamih

Rating: 4.1

Location: 2 Denman Street, W1D 7HA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7439 1330

Website: http://www.chowki.com/

Tags: lively, "fresh modern decor", "good value", "cheap eat", indian

great cheap, quality eat. good food, very well priced. Menu changes regularly so it should never get boring. been a fair few times and yet to find anything to complain about. And its in a great central location

Phoenix Restaurant - review by dizzle

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 16:28:04 +0000

Phoenix Restaurant - review by dizzle

Rating: 5.0

Location: 80 Coombe la, SW20 0AX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8947 2219

Tags: lively, korean, family & home feel, good value, crowded

A great indicator for a foreign restaurant is the fact that people indigenous to the origin of the cuisine always eat there, and even more so when they fill it up most nights.
The food seems to be authentic, with the decor and service typical to east-asian standards too.
They are very helpful and willing to teach you how to eat certain things, and even suggest dishes. When we went they even gave us bibs in case we spilt things, though to our concern we were the only ones wearing them, but it was all good fun.
I enjoy most foods from around the world, but I will say that Korean is not typically like Chinese food (being East-Asian), which I think is more accessible to the aspiring western gastronome. I say this as a word of caution, as some things my dining partner didn't find particularly palatable.
Anyway, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it for the range of food and the quality of service.

Matheous Fish Bar - review by dizzle

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:58:44 +0000

Matheous Fish Bar - review by dizzle

Rating: 5.0

Location: 104 Coombe Lane, SW20 0AY, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8947 9300

Tags: quick bite, seafood, family & home feel, cheap eat, good value, fish and chips

We love this place because the people who own/run it are very nice and know what they're talking about, not to mention that they've been in good business for years, which means the quality of their food (suppliers & cooking) is great, perfect examples of the classic Fish & Chips.
They also have a restaurant/cafe area (I've not eaten in there), but it's mostly takeaway. They also do other 'battered' things, if that's your thing.

Cocum - review by dizzle

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:49:07 +0000

Cocum - review by dizzle

Rating: 5.0

Location: 9 Approach Road, SW20 8BA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8540 3250

Tags: indian, family & home feel, good value, unique

What's most important about the cuisine in the Cocum is that it's from the Kerala state, which means the flavours, ingredients, etc of the food are different to the usual Indian style you are likely to have tried, which is always interesting. If it gets busy you may find the quality of service and food suffer, but not always. The choice of dishes is quite overwhelming, but it's likely you'll go back anyway.
If you like Indian, and like to try new things, you'll 5 star this place too (hopefully).

Ace - review by dizzle

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:21:48 +0000

Ace - review by dizzle

Rating: 4.0

Location: 6 Lambton Road, SW20 0LR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8947 4360

Tags: restaurant, good value, local, thai, clean

This place is a pretty good Thai restaurant (not said in the title), the lady in charge can seem a little brisk at times, but she's actually quite nice.
The food is authentic and reasonably priced, the music seems to be a little biased towards Elvis, but that's not so bad. What I also find interesting is the decor, it's kind of contemporary country kitcheny, so not so generic in comparison to other Thai restaurants in the area.

Cafe Marquee - review by dizzle

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 14:06:53 +0000

Cafe Marquee - review by dizzle

Rating: 5.0

Location: 48 Coombe Lane, SW20 0LA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8296 0205

Tags: cosy, quiet & relaxed, good brew, good value, expensive, italian

Great place to eat for all meals, or have a coffee and a chat. Nice atmosphere and nice service. A place with a personal touch, outside of the Generi-Starbucks-Industrial-Strength world ;)

Chowki - review by Hazzabout

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 22:44:43 +0000

Chowki - review by Hazzabout

Rating: 4.1

Location: 2 Denman Street, W1D 7HA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7439 1330

Website: http://www.chowki.com/

Tags: friendly, good value, indian

... in that the food is authentically Indian (unlike the usual chicken tikka masala etc created for an English audience). Each month they showcase 3 different regions of India, so the menu changes all the time - this month they had food from Utter Pradesh, Chettiar and West Bengal. It's also brilliant value at 13.95 for starter, main course (with side dishes, lentils, rice and bread) and a dessert. And all in the middle of Soho!