Have you ever had a hard-boiled egg coated with minced lamb, served in a delicious tomatoey sauce?…read more- No, well then it's about time to vist the Indian Ocean on Holloway Road... In fact, I am much obliged to Patrick R. , who has written the first Yelp review about the Indian Ocean and who - with his wonderfully enticing writing - had made me want to come check out this place asap. And finally, last night I managed to come here with a bunch of friends to put his whooping recommendation to the test: yes, yes, and yes! It is as good as he says! These are the dishes that I would heartily recommend you to try: the chicken dish with dried apricots and cashew nuts; the above-mentioned hard-boiled egg coated in minced lamb; as well as a very simple, but well-spiced dal side dish (the slight hint of cinnamon went very well with the autumny weather). I am so glad I found this place, as I no longer have to venture all the way to Whitechapel's Tayyabs for a really good Indian meal!!!

The Indian Ocean stands out as diamond in the rough that is Holloway Road. Now the following…read morestatement may spark some controversy, but there is a contingent of us that believe this to be the best Indian in London. That's right, you can forget Brick Lane, and head straight to The Ocean. Situated in between Camden Road and Parkhurst Road, it's pleasant exterior columns give it a bit of class juxtaposed against its surroundings. The atmosphere inside is pleasant, and refined, and the staff are always at hand with a smile. They've recently remodelled, which you will notice from the clean and simple interior decoration. They have a full bar, and serve favourite beers like Cobra and King Fisher. Personally I'd go for a mango lassi, which doesn't have any alcohol, but is so good you'll hardly miss it. Now for the food, which is spectacular. All the sauces are made from scratch by the resident chef. (He's actually taken a friend back into the kitchen and showed him the ins and outs of his cooking, and with great pride the fact that all his sauces are made on location.) Whatever you fancy, it is going to be good. My favourite is the Murgi Tika Masala, but I've tried a host of different things, and have never been had a bad experience. Not sure what to order? Ask the staff, as they can steer you in the right direction. Whatever you chose to get, I'm sure it will be good. After the meal is over you may be lucky enough to be greeted by the chef, who prides himself on checking on his guests. As they are all his recipes, this is certainly a treat. After a few visits you may even begin to feel like a regular, as they are quick to recognize return customers. All in all, you can't go wrong at the Indian Ocean.

How did I not know Dishoom existed until now? Visiting London from California, this ended up being…read moreone of the highlights of our trip. It has to be some of the best Indian food I've had outside of India. The little complimentary chai while you wait in line is such a thoughtful touch and really sets the tone. Even though there was a queue, it moved surprisingly quickly. Once inside, the service was warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming. As for the food... every dish we ordered was outstanding. Rich flavors, perfectly balanced spices, and you can tell a lot of care goes into every plate. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. If you're in London, don't overthink it. Just get in line, enjoy the chai, order what sounds good, and have a fantastic meal. We'll definitely be back the next time we're in town.

I just do not understand the hype surrounding this restaurant. It's hard to get a reservation and…read morethere's a long queue to get a table without one. I just don't get it. In my opinion, there are 2 main things to know about Dishoom: it's an Indian restaurant that is a chain, with 11 locations worldwide. The food is really good for a chain, bit it doesn't begin to come close to a restaurant that takes care of of its individual customers. Walking in, there's lots of energy. People are having a good time, there's no question. We were seated upstairs where there must have been around 40 tables. All of the staff are walking around in a hurry, cause everything here is in a hurry. The intention is to get you our in less than an hour. They want you in, through, and out. I saw this with multiple tables. Our server Yanko came to our table quite promptly and helped us make selections, both for food and drinks. For the first time in my experience eating in a restaurant, the appetizers arrived minutes before our cocktails. They came so fast that we didn't even think it was our order. And then moments after the drinks arrived, all of the main dishes and sides were placed on the table. With no way to keep anything warm. All of this with 10 minutes of placing the order. I appreciate prompt service, but this takes it to an absurd extreme. Our appetizers included the house Chaat and prawn koliwada. I enjoyed the prawns more but the flavors were facile, not close to what I expect and have enjoyed in excellent Indian restaurants. The main dishes were the Goan monkfish curry and Sali Goan. These were also just OK, absolutely nothing special. The cheese naan was soggy, though the flavor was good. This was an unacceptable texture for a naan. Dessert was Basmati Kheer, flavorful Basmati rice with fruit compote on top. In between and unneeded, was a thin layer of creme brulee. I did enjoy my tea: ginger, lemon and honey and my wife liked her mint tea. I do not know the restaurant scene in Edinburgh, we've been here for 4 days. But this is just not a place I'deven consider returning to. It's really a factory that feeds folks, not a restaurant that cares for its customers. The business model had been optimized to maximize income with lots of throughput. What's been almost completely lost in my opinion, is the heart and soul of the dining experience.

What a cool spot! The neighborhood is awesome, and this restaurant is incredible. It's got so many…read morecool levels with bars on the main level and also downstairs. Service is super professional and on point. The food comes out fast (almost too fast), and is perfectly cooked. Everything smells so wonderful and spicy. We went for breakfast before a show at the nearby Lightroom, but I'd love to go back for lunch or dinner!

3.7/5 -- i do eat indian food/ curry almost every day, so my palette is more refined :P no but fr i…read morethink dishoom is a great starter pack for someone who's never had indian cuisine, but my mum definitely makes better food/ even los angeles spots have more flavor. however, i love the interior design, bathrooms are old school, and waiters are charming

One dark evening, I returned home from work to find a shiny red takeaway leaflet on my doormat…read more This is not an uncommon occurrance - if I dare to go on holiday for a week, the front hallway is usually knee-deep in such things. However, this one, for whatever reason, caught my eye. Maybe I just felt like a curry. In fact, I clearly felt like a curry because I rang up to ask if they could deliver me one. The person on the other end of the phone was really polite and helpful, and the food arrived within 30 minutes, piping hot and extremely tasty. The dishes are all distinct in character (not the lumps of chicken in miscellaneous sludge that thankfully ever more rarely is passed off for curry) and you can taste the different spice mixes and ingredients clearly They threw in some free poppadoms, and some little cones of fruit jelly for afters. :) I have subsequently used them 3 times, and each time they've been brilliant. They also got a good writeup in the local paper by a critic who visited their restaurant. Apparently this has just been refurbished. My only criticism is that the naan bread can sometimes have a few gritty burnt flecks on the underside (the bread is delicious and certainly not inedible but I think they may need to clean/scrape some soot out of their tandoor oven!) If they fix this, they'll certainly get that extra star! Top local indian takeaway. Highly recommended. UPDATE JAN 09 Well, having been thanked on Qype by the owner who had read this review, I have since ordered from Spice Zone again and am delighted to report that the naan bread is now grit-free! The quality of the dishes has continued to be excellent. A restaurant that acts on feedback is a quality outfit in VnF's book, so twinkle twinkle

A very tasty curry! Went here on a Wednesday evening with my partner. Really enjoyed it, the food…read morewas great, the service was speedy and the restaurant itself is your typical small time Indian curry house. Cosy. Will definitely go here again.

Been ordering from here for years. Lovely food. Very pleasant staff. Being a curry fan I've eaten a…read morelot of curries. I have eaten better curries but not many. At their worst they're more than acceptable at their best they're excellent and they're mostly at their best.

Enjoyed eating karahi. Came here with my family and we were very pleased with the service and…read moreatmosphere.

There's a new curry ...excuse me.. karahi in Kentish Town. Lahore Masala House occupies the former…read moreCeylan and more recently Golden Kebab house. They have done an impressive job on the remodel updating it with a bright and clean interior tastefully decorated and well equipped. Two large screen TV's play Bollywood music videos and sporting events. When you enter there is a small kebab shop and takeaway, and you enter through the second set of doors to the dining room. The food is amazing! A dazzling array of choices and some special items. We ordered Karahi Fish, Karahi Methi Gosht, Tarka Daal and a whole tandoori chicken. This was more than enough food for four and we were all very happy to try so many tasty items. First the fish was perfectly prepared and delicately spiced. It had a great texture and wasn't "swimming" in sauce. The lamb curry was ordered spicy and the chef actually came to ask us how spicy we actually wanted it, so we explained EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA hot.. he laughed and asked if we were sure and we said we were. He delivered! It was a spicy inferno without being overpowering. The daal was very nice but the highlight was the Tandoori chicken.. it was the most flavorful one we had tried in a long time and came out perfectly moist and juicy and oozing with flavour, and at 7 quid it was quite a deal as well. We also noted on the menu the chefs special.. a WHOLE LEG OF LAMB! We vowed a night of hedonism and drinking accompanied by a lamb feast. We followed through the following week and we were rewarded for our determination with a stunning piece of culinary magic. The leg of lamb was so tender and flavourful that we decided to make it a monthly ritual.. but be forewarned you have to order it 24 hours in advance.. so think ahead! The Lahore Masala House is a welcome addition to the Kentish Town landscape.. they have great lunch deals and they also stay up late for those leaving the locals or the Forum.

Probably our top meal in London. Before I talk about the food, I want to highlight excellent…read moreservice. One of our group has a tomato allergy and we weren't sure how much of a selection he would have. The waitress went back and redlined the menu to show what he could have, what he couldn't, and what they might be able to alter. Super nice and it didn't take more than a few minutes. As for the food, a-maz-ing Indian. I recommend their prawn special - not too spicy but very flavor forward. The naan was a nice side to order as well. This location is fairly big with seating on the main floor, downstairs, and outside in a cover lounge area. We had a reservation, although they probably could have handled us if we didn't. That said, it was a busy weekend and the place looked fairly full by the time we left, so maybe grab a reservation. Enjoy!

Not just "hyped", dishoom deserves the recognition!…read more SERVICE Amazing service, easy to make reservations online, and easy to check in and get seated once your entire party has arrived. INSIDE Spacious, clean, and plenty of seating both upstairs and down. MENU For larger parties, they recommend their prefix menu which includes a various sampling of lots of delicious items. FOOD 10/10 I haven't eaten Indian food much, but was thoroughly impressed. From my mango lassi which was perfectly sweetened and tart to buttered buns, fried okra, black Dahl, garlic naan, and lamb skewers, everything was delicious. I esp loved the lamb skewers! We ordered a side of garlic naan with cheese which is basically a quesadilla and it was super cheesy and delicious as well. OVERALL Would def recommend Dishoom when visiting London. It'll definitely be a hit in your books!

Indian food restaurants are a dime a dozen in this city (or should I say ten pence?) but Memsaab is…read morespecial. I felt like they really took the extra care to make my meal excellent! When I walked into this corner restaurant at 930pm a a Friday we were the only ones inside, and so a tad trepidatious. However there was nothing to worry about at all. Service was attentive and helpful, and every dish came out looking and tasting delicious. The tandoori prawns arrived at the table sizzling over a bed of perfectly cooked green peppers and onions. They went really fast! The curries (aloo and bhindi) were wonderful complements to the meal. The Naan and garlic rice, often just fillers, were delicious in their own right. I very much recommend Memsaab for your Indian night out!

I had a random craving for Indian food. This place did not disappoint! I have no complaintsz. The…read morefood, atmosphere, service, everything! 5 stars.

Chicken Tikka Chaat Puri is so hot, I loved itread more