Ravi Shankar

I went with a party of six on 27 January 2012. The first problem was the waiters who did not have enough English to take my initial booking over the phone and then to direct me to my table, booked in my name, when I arrived last of all. It is an incredibly noisy place: it was impossible to hear anyone apart from the person directly opposite me or the person next to me. The whole point of this evening out was for everyone to be able to talk to everyone - which we couldn't do. Taking the orders was another pantomime. The food was OK without being anything special. We then got the bill - or rather a handwritten and undecipherable piece of paper, with the total crossed out a couple of times: it was impossible to work out what we were being charged for and my feeling at the end was that we seemed to have spent more than we thought (which might have properly been the case). When even the smallest cafe can give you an itemised printed bill now, there is no reason for such bills. Will I go again? Well, I'm not sure - there is nothing of any quality, either in the food or service.
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LondonVegetarian
3 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 4
Monday, February 06, 2012

First they said in our hearing that people could have our table in a few minutes. We were still eating. Then they tried to take the bill before we had finished sorting it out. Then they asked us to leave as people were waiting for the table. We were still eating. So unbelievably rude!!!! A very insincere apology when this was pointed out to them.
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4 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 6
Friday, January 27, 2012

Fabulous food, friendly service and vibrant atmosphere - brilliant!
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Rosie Moore
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, August 29, 2011

Fantastc place ~ exceptional food and such a warm and friendly welcome ~ so good I went back twice in one day!
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Karen Holton
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, August 08, 2011

Went in for lunch a couple of days ago. We both had the Thali. The food seemed to have mystery ingredients in it. The dal soup was cold and tasteless, the sweetcorn and courgette dish smacked of trying to make up the numbers on the Thali and one of the Thali dishes had a bout half a centimetre of oil on it. All in all, a very mediocre experience. To add insult to injury, they appeared to have rounded up our bill! We left no tip.

Maybe they were having an off day, but if they have off days, they should not expect my custom again.

I know its a bit of a hike, but this type of veggie food is far better in Tooting where its served hot and with no concession to Western tastes. Also, its half the price!
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Nick
1 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, June 01, 2011

I’ve been a regular to Drummond St and this particular restaurant for very many years. The food has always been good, and the value exceptional. However, over the last few years things have changed. First, the old problem of being allowed to enter for a meal after 22.00 but then being unceremoniously hustled out ASAP after the official closing at 22.30, has been relaxed, I guess due to the current economic situation. However on the debit side, the prices have risen considerably (same cause as above?), so the ‘value’ element has disappeared, and when it comes to paying there has been the introduction of a Bill (admittedly a while back) that only contains a list of the items from the menu but no prices. A tick against the individual items indicates what you have been charged. Then a total appears at the bottom. On querying the bill when visiting with a friend this week, the waiter brought along a calculator tapped out some figures (contained in his head) and said “See, correct!” The difference between our own (rough calculation) and his, was explained by the tip, added without our consent and missing from the space for ‘Service’ on the Bill. A pity. It was good while it lasted but I won’t be going again. And yes, it can be difficult to have a conversation as, like many modern restaurants, the décor does nothing to dampen noise, but rather the opposite, with sound bouncing off the Spartan floors and walls.
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6 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Thursday, October 14, 2010

Food was excellent, especially enjoyed the Kulfi ice cream.

Not expensive either. Toilets are not flash, you might say 'bog-standard'.

Service is okay, but nothing special.
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6 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Excellent and a marvellous new special dosa that even beats the old amazing dishes
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Gareth Edwards
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, July 24, 2010

I hadn’t been to this restaurant - an old favourite – for a while – and guess what? It has got even better. We had the £5.99 buffet lunch on Saturday 12th June and it was wonderful. There was a vast array of fresh salads, dal, naan, poppadoms and dips and many hot dishes. Desert was galub jamun, Indian rice pudding, halva and a fantastic fruit platter including melon, kiwi, pineapple and grapes. At the risk of sounding excessive, it was some of the best food I have had. The staff were friendly, and did not mind you asking for a jug of water – always a sign of quality. If you love Indian veggie food do yourself a favour and get down here weekday or Saturday lunchtime – and come hungry.
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Jules
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Thursday, June 17, 2010

I was recommended this restaurant by Indian friends, and was delighted to find it completely lived up to my expectations. I think this restaurant may actually serve the most authentic Indian food I have come across in London - it's often hard to find somewhere that serves lassi, for example, and places that serve paan at the end of the meal are usually few and far between.

The food was absolutely delicious - in particular the selection of street snacks that are available as starters and the coconut chutney that was served with my dosa. Staff were incredibly friendly and everything was good value for money. I was very impressed and will be certainly be going back soon.
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Angharad
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, June 01, 2010