India Spice Express

No I’m not Indian but I do love me some Indian food.
I was recently visiting friends in London and got a craving for Indian food. My friends know I’m picky so they took me to this place in downtown.
As soon as I stepped in I felt like I was in an authentic Indian Dhaba (Indian fast food joint). I was greeted by a cute little Indian woman who ran down the menu with us.
Unlike most Indian restaurants with ‘100+ items that all end up tasting the same, everything at this place is distinct.
So we split family style:
Chicken Biryani
Masala dosa (Indian crêpe studded with curried potato) served with finger lickin’ chutney dip.
Vegetarian samosas –Yum
A couple of curries (butter chicken and I forget the other one)
Onion ball thingys. (good thing I wasn’t on a date, but even if I was it is worth it !)
You have to try the chicken biryani! Drooool. I was surprised to see the food made to order. I can vogue for it as the owner actually invited me back to the kitchen to show me how to make it! I ended up picking up a couple ingredients there so I could make it for my friends.
Oh and this place is super clean!
The only thing I didn’t like is one if the sweets I took to go. I had this bright orange sticky curly sweet but it was too sweet for me. I wish I would have just taken another one of those onion balls.

I passed by this place not too long ago and wondered when they had opened up as I had not heard of them before. I tried them recently and they seem to specialize in cheap, inexpensive Indian fast food that’s quick and convenient. I had a vegetable thali which had an onion bhaji, basmati rice, choice of dal (lentils) or beans (I went with a chickpea curry), vegetables (I had aloo gobi or potatoes & cauliflower), and raita (spiced yogurt). Everything was more or less pre-​made and served to me from a hot table (like a cafeteria). It was edible yet unexciting Indian food. My second visit was better as I decided to try some of their south indian food which I probably couldn’t find elsewhere in London. I tried their masala dosa which is a crêpe made from a batter of fermented rice and lentils, stuffed with spiced potatoes and served with sambar (a spicy south indian lentil stew with vegetables) and coconut chutney. This place has potential to be better but it’s fine for what it’s worth when you consider the lower prices. The servers/​staff were also very friendly which is always a plus.