Being from the south Asian subcontinent I always feel there are much better cuisines to try when I’m eating out. However, there are some Asian restaurants which surprise you at times. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a good Indian restaurant. I was invited down to Lokhandwala, which is an Indian restaurant based around Goodge Street or as I like to call it “food street”. Lokhandwala has been on my list of places to go to for a while so my friend and I popped in to try it this week and I was very excited about it. I am always astounded when places that I want to try contact me and invite me in!
I can’t start a post on Lokhandwala without mentioning the decor, because it is stunning! The interior is an amalgamation of old school Indian accents and very modern, current. The restaurant itself is beautiful.
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After I picked up my jaw off the floor, the owner of the restaurant met and showed me to my table. He suggested some dishes and off we went. As the meal was complimentary, we got 2 starters and 2 mains. I wanted a pretty drink, so I asked them to put something together and make it pretty and sweet. My friend got a drink that was very pretty but unfortunately they did not have a non-alcoholic version.
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The starters came out and I thought to myself where’s the rest of it! But we tucked in and oh dear lord it was SO GOOD!
The chaat was crispy, enough spice and enough tanginess. It was beautiful!
The chicken tikka pieces were equally beautiful, cooked to perfection (perfection!!) and the taste was so spot on it just melted in my mouth!
Our mains came along and we got Lamb Curry and Butter Chicken, with 2 naans.
I went for the lamb first, the lamb wasn’t as tender as I would have liked it to be but it was delicious. OH but the Butter Chicken… I’m drooling even now just thinking about it. It was very rich but the tastes exploded in my mouth and it was just the most delicious chicken curry I have ever had. The chicken was so tender, the tastes were very rich but did not feel overly heavy either. BEAUTIFUL!
Now for the disappointment of the night – If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that my experience was not great due to the service or lack of – I actually walked out, which I don’t do often. The service started off okay, the owner of the restaurant, Manny met me and showed me to my table. He went throughout the menu with me and recommended some dishes. The food was amazing, starters came out then mains. Once we had our mains, no one so much as asked us how we were doing. Eventually I went inside the restaurant and asked the manager if we could get some service, 20 mins later I then asked another waitress, the manager came out 40 mins later saying it was busy. He was not apologetic, neither did he ask why we were wanting service in the first place. When I said I was going to leave, he just said okay and picked up our plates! The owner had left by this point, we didn’t have dessert and I was left feeling so annoyed. In all honestly, I’m just disappointed that a restaurant went out of their way to invite me to come down, yet didn’t have the decency to make sure I was looked after. It was a pointless visit, and even though the food was SO GOOD I probably wouldn’t ever return. However, other people I know have had a totally different experience so maybe I caught them at a bad day. I wouldn’t not recommend Lokhandwala because the food is good, but you pay for an experience and I just want you guys to go with an open mind despite my sour experience.
Food – 8 out of 10
Service – 1 out of 10
Atmosphere – 5 out of 10
Experience – 3 out of 10
Overall, giving Lokhandwala a total TLH score of 4 out of 10.
Address: 93 Charlotte Street, Bloomsbury, London, W1T 4PY
Website: http://www.lokhandwala.co.uk/
Halal Status: All meat is halal, alcohol is served on the premises.
Closest Station: Tottenham Court Road (Central and Northern line) or Goodge Street (Northern line)