Fresh and fiery at The Indian Room

Indian restaurants get a bit of a bad rep in London. It feels a little ‘all or nothing’ here; unless you’re forking out for Kricket or Gunpowder then you’ll probably be heading to a BYOB place that, fine, you can have a good time in, but the food is probably microwaved and certainly flavourless. Right?

… Wrong. The Indian Room in Balham is the sweet spot between the expensive upmarket spots and the places that might give you a dicky tummy afterwards. The food here is so good and reasonably priced considering the quality- it’s tasty and fresh; they make all their curries in house. You’ll not find anything frozen in that kitchen. It’s a real USP of the place, they pride themselves on creating their own flavours which won’t be tasted anywhere else and, having tried out the menu, we think they nail.

We started with the non-vegetarian platter, a lovely trio of sheek kebab (spiced, ground lamb with loads of aromatics like ginger, garlic and coriander), zinga 65 (these are really meaty prawns in spicy butter and quite possibly the star of the show) and the final part was banjara chicken tikka (herby marinated chicken which has been grilled in the tandoor). What a start to the meal! A perfect plate to share with a fellow meat-eater, especially if you enjoy the convivial family style of eating that Indian restaurants lend themselves to be.

The signature Kashmiri lamp chops was the first, incredible, main dish. The meat on these was soft and flavoured with more delicate spices than what we were used to; saffron and aromatic spices meant that the meat flavour really sang, as well as that unique tandoor smokiness. A must try. Then we had the chicken chettinad curry which is a classic Southern Indian dish; lots of tomatoes in the sauce and absolutely packed with fresh spices. Of course there were sauces to mop up, so we had some classic pilau rice and a deliciously sweet peshwari naan which added an addictive sweetness when scooped up with the curries. 

Proper Indian flavours, served fresh and in such a welcoming setting really won us over. But don’t just take our word for it: they currently rank as 3rd best Indian restaurant in the whole of London on trip advisor! The Indian Room really is a must visit when you’re next getting some curry cravings.