Quilon

Sadly chose this restaurant last night primarily because it was one of the few open. Thinking that a curry would be a good contrast to all the turkey and ham we'd been consuming over the last week we decided on Quilon. Sure, the prices are that of a Michelin starred restaurant, but we thought the place must be good given it's part of the Taj hotel, right?

Couldn't have been more wrong. Service was OK, but lacklustre, but I can easily live with that, but the food was simply bland, boring and portions miniscule for the prices charged (ca. £8 for starters, £20! for mains).

Was it just that it was the day after boxing day, or do all their dishes always taste as if they've been hurriedly put together, with ingredients bumping into each other, rather than seamlessly melding as they should? I think the worst dish must have been the Goan chicken, which should be a rich, deep flavour. All I could taste was the concentrated tomato paste from the tube!

Unless someone else is paying, I'd recommend staying away. If you want indian, there are far, far better places than Quilon.
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3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Service is poor. Food not spicy enough, I guess its for the Buckingham taste buds. Very expensive.

Could not bear it so left before the end of my meal.
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Ally
2 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Monday, April 11, 2011

IMHO, this is one of the best Indian restaurants in London and certainly is the best of the "starred" ones.

Quilon does not busy itself in trying to offer fusion interpretations of such cuisine. It is authentic and delivers a reliable and varied menu.

I would advise going for lunch and ordering a thali. This will enable you to sample a selection of what is on offer. Most people may have eaten a thali at Masala Zone. Quilon will show you how it is done properly!

The ingredients and spicing are all first rate and the staff will happily cater to any requests with the menu. I can also report that they make their own yoghurt at Quilon (and for an Indian restaurant that's quite a big deal!)

Other menu items to look out for are the Tilapia, okra and aubergine. Portions all generous and the food is filling without being greasy or heavy on the stomach.
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Saucewich
6 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 6
Saturday, January 22, 2011

I ate here on 16 July 2010 with my boyfriend. The food was ok but I wouldn't say it was worth the cost. I don't really understand why its got a Michelin star. The service was friendly though. I ordered the chicken mapla for starters which was delicious and I recommend that. For main I had the king prawn massala which was ok. Quite tasty but not worth £20. The bill for 2 starters, 2 main courses and a bottle of wine was £95. Overall I didn't think it was worth the money.
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6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Monday, July 19, 2010

loved everything about this place
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The 20th February may have been a bad day for the chef, but our eating experience was disappointing to say the least. I chose the snapper, an ordinarily flavoursome fish on its own, and yet they managed to present me with something that resembled in flavour a waterlogged baby wipe. My starter - oysters - was best forgotten. My friend ordered the shrimp, which was delicious.

The best part of the evening was the very good company that I was in, the wine, the coffee and the excellent service. Unfortunately, the food was entirely forgettable and served lukewarm. I have given it a 1 simply because it 'was on the plate'. This was my first visit to Quilon and it shall certainly be the last. It was not worth the £250 that our small group paid.
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Somethingtasytoeatplease
3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Delicious seafood dishes, seared scallops and the black cod were divine. Loved the okra crisps and lime rice and almost finished the pickles on the table. Ordered everything in half portions but we were still too full to try the desserts. Will go there again.
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evrim - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Monday, April 13, 2009

I can't believe this restaurant is a part of Taj group (India). Apart from the interior ambience and decor everything is pathetic about this restaurant. Waiters understood nothing about what our taste buds were longing to eat even after clearly explaining.

They carry an attitude with them. And most of all, they appeared to be interested in only in serving the local regular customers of the restaurant on a crowded Saturday evening. I wouldn't recommend a visit to this place if you are passionate about food. The food served was mediocre, pricey and came in very small portions. The restaurant is not good for a food lover except fact that they are few 100 yards away from Buckingham palace and some b-grade celebrities often frequent here!
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J Nair
3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Friday, March 20, 2009

Went to Quilon as part of London Restaurant week with 4 friends. The venue was lovely however the staff were not as warm and welcoming as I would have expected (in fact, could not be described as either warm or welcoming).

The food was average, we were expecting much more. Some of the portions were a little credit crunch-esk (1/2 a paratha each!) and I was overall underwhelmed.

I wouldn’t recommend a visit as the food really doesn’t stand out nor does the service. They had a good wine list but I had to try to catch the attention of the waiter to order.

Was expecting much more from Quilon, especially given Michelin's recognition of the restaurant.
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5 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

We had our office unit-party arranged here for 15 people. Though they initially messed up with the booking, the table arrangement wines etc were done promptly in time. Food was disappointing to most of us mainly because Keralan cooking and food is different from rest of Indian. You must know what ingredients and cooking style of specific dishes tastes like though the menu explains the same very briefly. Bearers did not do the job well I guess. Decor and ambience of the restaurant is very good. As other commented already, the menu indeed is very expensive.
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L Peterson - View all reviews by this user
4 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Friday, February 20, 2009