Curry Recipes Online
Indian Restaurant Reviews => Highly Recommended British Indian Restaurants => Topic started by: chewytikka on July 22, 2014, 12:41 PM
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This used to be my local haunt some 30-odd years ago when I lived in Notting Hill and I spent many a happy beer and curry filled night (and day) in the locality.
I tried every curry house there at that time, many (and the best) of which no longer exist. The one that we avoided was Khan's. Well apart from the one time we went there. It's offerings were over priced, the setting too formal and the curry, while adequate, was well below the quality of the surrounding smaller eateries. But as I say that was over 30 years ago.
Your description of the curries is spot on from my memories though especially the green Jalfrezi and the smokey Dhansak, both very characteristic of the area's curries.
It could be that they adopted the better styles from the smaller places that went out of business. It may be that you now know why I have very high standards when it comes to BIR. ;D
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I have very high standards when it comes to BIR.
Me too!
I first went to Khan's about 30 years ago and have been there about half a dozen times, the most recent being about 4 years' ago. I like the fairly large dining area and busy atmosphere but never considered the food to be any better than 'adequate'. The food quality may have improved but in the past, I was never anywhere near being 'blown away' as CT says he was. It just shows how different people can have different opinions.
Given that the dhansak has been mentioned specifically, I must go back again soon, just to try that.
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It just shows how different people can have different opinions.
There's just no doubt that there is a wide range of what we BIR connoisseurs consider a good curry and that's obviously down to an individual's personal experience. Specifically regarding Khan's, who's to say, until a few others try it, that it isn't the mutt's nuts now given that my experience is 30+ years ago and yours 4 or so.
Judging just from Chewy's recipes though (in particular his madras) it's clear to me that we have a very different opinion on what constitutes a good curry. To be honest I'm just happy I can for the first time relate to a restaurant review because I actually know the place. :)
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Maybe London curries are better that the ones you get up north. My only experience of a northern curry was a dhansak in the lake district which was served with a whole pineapple ring in the middle which did not thrill me at all.
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My only experience of a northern curry was a dhansak in the lake district with was served with a whole pineapple ring in the middle which do not thrill me at all.
Ahhh..the Gollum Dhansak..my preshussss!
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Was the dhansak the reddish dish at the back? And the dhal the yellow soupy looking one at the front?
I see their menu on the website says they cook their pilau in chicken stock, that's a lot of stock when you consider how much pilau a restaurant will shift. So how do they have so much stock on hand? Butchering their own chickens and ending up with a lot of bones to stew into stock? Doesn't seem likely. Or when they say chicken stock is this curried chicken stock, ie thin gravy residue from precooking chicken breast chunks in spices? More likely perhaps.
A good Indian is a rare find these days, worth a visit for sure
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Daal bottom left, korma hiding behind the glass, and dhansak just above it...if I'm not mistaken?
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Well I find myself sitting here in Khans awaiting my simple order of meat madras and pilau rice to come out. Will let you know how it goes...
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At 19:52 on a Friday evening, I would expect them to be very busy. Are they ?
** Phil.
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I've no idea Phil, I was long gone by that time.
When I was in at around half six there were about 7 tables occupied, which isn't much in such a large dining area as they have. Now as I mentioned I only ordered small because I already had a pub lunch today, but what did order didn't impress me much. The rice was nice enough actually, very good separate grains and well flavoured, but no taste of the promised chicken stock, so this must be a subtle addition. The meat madras had a distinctly tomato soup flavour to it which didn't sit well with me. The meat was beautifully tender and the heat level was right, just a very red and slightly sweet curry which didnt ring my bells.
I'll go back another day and give them another chance.
I don't need or want waiters fawning over me, and the service was fast enough, but I have to say there was no friendliness or personality on display and the guy who brought the food didn't say a word or make eye contact. Maybe this is related to the fact the bill arrived with 10% service charge auto-added so clearly they don't feel a need to work hard for tips!
But like I said, it's no skin of my nose and I don't need the waiter to do a tap dance while I eat, for me it's about the food and today was a 5/10 could do better.
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Hmmm. I have been there once or twice, in the dim and distant past, but although it was very highly recommended at the time I didn't feel that it was exceptional. Unfortunately I no longer have any recollections of the service, so on that aspect I cannot comment at all.
** Phil.
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I find myself back in Khans tonight. Chicken chaat starter already down my neck and that was quite pleasant. Chicken dhansak, Bombay aloo, pliau and naan incoming.
Service still as hostile as ever!!
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No tap-dancing waiters yet Donald? ;)
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Chicken chaat starter already down my neck and that was quite pleasant.
Can you describe the chicken chat please, Donald, and in particular (a) was it served hot or cold; (b) was it served with cucumber; and (c) did it in any way at all resemble tandoori chicken or chicken tikka ? And slightly more subjectively, were you able to distinguish tamarind among the flavours ?
** Phil.
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Well the Bombay aloo had a good flavour to it but the dhansak really wasn't good, and portion sizes were small. The rice was fine but the naan had been stretched so thin before cooking that it was dry and flaky and just not good at all. Everything about the food screamed death by a thousand cuts, as the naan had clearly had gram after gram shaved off the doughball and was still stretched large for appearances sake. The bombay aloo inexplicably had random sweet corn kernels clinging to the potato chunks (doubtless the spuds were pre cooked with other veg then fished out). The dhansak was a small portion by anyone's standards.
Service is, as mentioned, woeful to the point of open hostility. I've done nothing to these people. Only a restaurant which automatically adds 10% service to the bill and doesn't rely on customer goodwill for tipping could have such charisma free, distant waiters.
Overall I'll give it 3/10 on this visit. I returned thinking last time was an aberration. It wasn't. This place just doesn't try hard enough.
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Chicken chaat starter already down my neck and that was quite pleasant.
Can you describe the chicken chat please, Donald, and in particular (a) was it served hot or cold; (b) was it served with cucumber; and (c) did it in any way at all resemble tandoori chicken or chicken tikka ? And slightly more subjectively, were you able to distinguish tamarind among the flavours ?
** Phil.
No.