Gurkhas

Reasonably good food, but expensive for what you get and not very friendly service either

Brilliant food in nicely appointed surroundings. Went for a well deserved meal for two, portions were perfect with both of us suitably stuffed and needing a taxi home afterwards.
Staff very friendly, personable and not intrusive.
The good itself was well presented with amazing flavours. They pride themselves on their delectable combinations of herbs and spices, the Gurkhali Chicken was testiment to this.
Make sure you have something off the desert menu… The bananas were to die for!

I remember when this restaurant was being ‘assembled’ about 10 years ago. At the time I lived next door!
We were not so familiar with Nepalese food… in fact I am pretty sure I’ve never had it before, so we decided to order a selection of the main courses — the Vegetable Tapari. Of the selection the pumpkin cooked in tomato and onion sauce with Carom seeds was probably my favourite, but the stir fry, diced potatoes and spinach were all tasty too. Mopped it up with a spicy bread called Pire bread and washed it down with a bottle of Gurkhas beer, which while basically a lager was one of the smoothest lagers I’ve ever had and was certainly better than I expected.
There was no room for dessert, no sir.

Amazing from venue to food.

So let me preface this by saying, as a child… I had a really bad experience with a curry. A very spicy, strong, neon yellow curry. Was forced to wash it down with a tall glass of milk… my babysitter didn’t know I was lactose intolerant. Since that experience, the smell of a curry (still unsure what kind of curry exactly) can cause me some anxiety.
Fast forward, Mr. Snarky suggested Gurkhas Diner and I became a bit anxious. However, I decided to look at the menu to see what might be of interest to me. As luck would have it, there were a number of dishes that I sounded very delicious to me. So I was game! The place was not very busy, but we were warmly welcomed. Instantly I noticed that the place did not overwhelm you with the smell of strong curries. The décor was minimal, but very classic with white table cloths and simple table settings.
The menu has lots of lovely things on it, but I was really taken by the Mayur Lamb… particularly the lemon and tamarind parts of the dish. I like sour things. We had a lamb feast. Both of our starters… lamb. Both of our mains… lamb. So we started with the Lamb Dumplings (Momo) and the Barbequed Lamb (Choyala). When it came out, the smell was lovely and the dishes looked amazing. Honestly the presentation made me feel like this place was gourmet. The Lamb Dumplings looked like Chinese Soup Dumplings and had this beautiful orange sauce on either side of the five dumplings. They were delicious! The Choyala was very good too, although Mr. Snarky did find it a bit on the spicy side, so just be warned.
For mains we had the Mayur Lamb and the Sherpa Lamb. The waiter suggested to Mr. Snarky that he should consider a side with some kind of sauce as the Sherpa Lamb does not have a sauce. He told us about the sides that had sauces and said that if we were having rice, the lentils would be the best. So we ordered the lentils and rice… and a side of Garlic Nepali Bread. We may have gone overboard. The food came out… Mr. Snarky’s was sizzling and smoking. The whole spread just looked amazing and I regret not taking a picture. The Garlic Nepali Bread had real pieces of garlic and had some Fennel Seeds inside the dough, giving it a very unique flavour. The Mayur Lamb was delicious! Although it wasn’t as sour as I was hoping and honestly I got a bit nervous when the waiter said, «And your Lamb Curry.» However, if that is a curry, then I am all about it. The Lentils were amazing as well, however we had to order more rice to finish off the sauces from my main and from the lentils. if you order saucy dishes, you should really consider two orders of rice.
While we were very full after our dinner, I will say that I didn’t think the portions were huge… I think they were just right. The portions allow you to order a few different dishes to try and I like that. The staff were very attentive and helpful. They brought us a dessert menu and even the desserts looked delicious, but we were just too full. I think it was the Garlic Bread that put us over the top! Anyway, I have been converted… at least to this restaurant and wish that I had one here in the states! And it was good value too… I think our entire feast was about 40 or 45 quid. Not bad when you consider how much we ordered and ate. Lots of people were ordering for takeaway and they do deliver, but just in the Balham area.

Nice place to go from time to time but cannot say it’s the best. Food is good quality, service is fine and prices are under average and still they could do better. But if you’ve never tried Nepalese cuisine and you’re curious that’s maybe the best place to do it in London.

I loved this place. Really great food and a bit different from the standard fare, offering options like pumpkin curry. Our entire group really enjoyed the meal and I’m sure we’ll be back. I also thought the price was better than the Bedford Hill run of restaurants.
It’s under 5 minutes from Balham station and definitely worth checking out. Enjoy!

I’ve had numerous takeaways (through hungry house) and eaten in at Gurkhas Diner and can’t really fault it for something a little bit different to a mediocre Indian takeaway. The restaurant itself is very nicely done out, the staff are attentive if a little slow at times, and the general atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Takeaway wise, delivery’s always been on time and the food piping hot — though I do only live five or ten minutes away.
The appetisers seem to have a lot in common with the far east. I always get the Momo Cha — steamed lamb dumplings with a sweet spiced sauce, which are really tasty, but there are also a lot of battered vegetable options which I imagine are similar to Japanese tempura, plus meat skewers, prawns and squid.
Then it’s over to the curries and spiced mains. Apparently the Nepalese do lamb very well so I really should try that next time, until now i’ve stuck to chicken, like the dish in a ‘secret’ green sauce. I ate the whole thing and still couldn’t work out if the green colouring came from peas, coriander, chilli or food colouring. I guess we’ll never know.
My top pick so far is the Kukra, chicken with tomatoes, garlic and spices. Share a rice and have one of the speciality breads on the side — these are much more exciting than your usual naan-​the-​size-​of-​your-​head and great for mopping up the sauce.
If you’re eating at the restaurant, take a look at the dessert menu if only because it’s very pretty and designed like a scroll. There are some good ice-​cream flavours on offer which really surprised me — I recommend the cinnamon /​apple one.

Have only been there once thus far, but am going to get them to do some catering for an event I am running early next year because I really enjoyed my time there. Following on from some of the other reviews, I went the lamb knuckle option which was really great.
Aside from the food, the staff are really friendly and the décor is great — so definitely worth a trip (or several).

The Gurkas Diner in Balham has the friendliest staff I ever experienced in a restaurant. They are nice, always have a smile on their face and help you to choose the perfect dish for your taste. They know everything about the food they offer and with their recommendations I had one of the best Nepalese meals in my whole life :) The restaurant is clean; the food gets served quickly and is always very tasty. Definitely give it a go if you come to Balham.

I headed down to The Gurkha Diner with my mum who was up in London for the evening on Thursday. Neither of us had had Nepalese cuisine before but I’d been eyeing up the takeaway menu that had come through my letterbox for quite some time so we decided to give it a whirl.
When we arrived we were impressed by the lovely light and airy décor. We were sat at our table by the politest of waiters and brought complimentary spicy prawn crackers for us to share while we looked over the delightful menu.
For a starter I eventually went for the deep fried courgette and mum went for the prawns. Both arrived looking darn good. The batter on the courgettes was like something I’d never had before; light, tasty and not an ounce of grease in sight. It came with a wonderful mango sauce and a generous salad. Mum’s prawns came on a bed of delicately herbed sticky rice which was a true wonder.
For mains I went for the Khasi Tang, a lamb knuckle which I would recommend to anyone. It comes in a fantastic sauce of tomatoes, chickpeas and coriander and the lamb melts the second it hits your mouth. Mum went for the Tarai chicken which arrives in a lurid green sauce but taste simply divine. Alongside this we had the steamed rice, pasa chamri (cheese, peas and onions) and patina patre which is a wonderfully minted bread. Although a feast, it was all extremely light and incredibly satisfying.
Feeling full we weren’t sure we could manage a desert. However, on seeing the menu we forced down deep fried bananas in rum with a cardamon spiced sauce between us. A wonderful end to a incredible meal.
A note should also go to the impeccable service we received. Polite and attentive without being intrusive.
For a bottle of the house white, two starters, two mains, three accompaniments and one desert we paid a very respectable £56. An absolute bargain in my book.

Last Sunday night me and 3 friends bowled on in here for a delicious feast. The restaurant was pretty empty but they seemed concerned we didn’t have a reservation. Doh! How could we forget Valentine’s day? Regardless we managed to get a table set up for us and what a fantastic feast we had. Gurkha’s Diner is my favourite Balham restaurant. The décor is pretty bland but the food and hospitality make up for it ten times over. We each chose a different main dish and a side, and share the lot which is always the best way to do it here. The lamb knuckle was a firm favorite with us all (we should have known when the waiter complimented Chris on his excellent choice) as were the cheesy peas.
If you live around Balham/​Clapham it’s really worth the effort finding this place, it’s a little gem and not as far towards Tooting as the Unilocal map was showing last time I looked. The waiters are great and can help you with your choices if you are overwelmed by the vast menu.
Hot tip; the deliver and it’s just as awesome as eating in.

This was the only place recommended to me by qype when I searched for Indian, Balham and the result was great!
We phoned for a take-​away. Very friendly. It was a Saturday evening — but they manage to deliver within 30 minutes.
We asked for what turned out to be a whole stewed lamb shank with chickpeas and they told us that they didn’t normally deliver that dish but they would if we would not mind being delivered in an ice cream tub. We thought good sign and were certainly not disappointed: truly delicious.
All dishes felt like home made and distinctive, certinly not your usual curry. Highly recommended.
We have ordered twice more since :-)

The Gurkha Diner is a nice place to go for a curry with a little difference.
I do enjoy a curry, in fact I am now on my third one this week. Although I should add a curry three evenings in a row is not very common even for me. A series of dinner appointments which have resulted in curries. Tonight was my sisters birthday and this was her choice of restaurant. Not the first time I’ve been here so I was looking forward to it.
The restaurant can get pretty busy, so it is a good idea to book in advance. Whenever I’ve been there it has got pretty busy, and the service does slow down a little when it gets really busy.
The food tastes fresh and full of flavour, they have a chilli guide to let you know how hot the dishes get, and they do get hot!
Moderately priced and delicious food.

I agree with my fellow qypers. Great food, friendly prompt service and a lovely clean restaurant.

Just got back from a great meal there. staff are really friendly, large portions and nice atmosphere — very calm.