Cochin

The food is amazing!!!

I love this place, have eaten in the East Finchley branch and have had a takeaway and both were excellent.

My partner and I had starters and mains and the curry I ordered was the best I have ever eaten! Service was great although the waiter was very attentive (I would have rathered we were left alone a bit).

The food is pricey but definitely worth it.

I can't recommend it anymore - GO THERE!!
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Anna
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Tried the Finchley Central branch of this restaurant for the first time, having enjoyed various delicious meals at East Finchley.

The decor was excellent and the food did not dissapoint. The service was a bit over the top as the restaurant only had a dozen or so customers.

All the dishes were beautifully presented and the mix grill was to die for. Also try the spicy Goan Balacho with lemon rice. Had no space for dessert but would definately return for some more!!!
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chandra
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, October 04, 2011

To summarise this restaurant in one sentence: rip off in the name of fine dining!

Being a South Indian and used to fine dining in various south Indian restaurants in London I found Cochin a total rip off. All the food a group of us ate (which covered a good part of the menu) was not authentic south Indian food. Most curries had the same base with just different meat as ordered. It was spicy though - which anyone can do.

Price is steep but I would have been happy if that matched the quantity. What you get is 'baby portions'. Let me give an example, a non veg platter (starter) was 2 mini meat samosas, 2 mini cutlets, a mini dosa (yep, dosa in a non veg platter) and tiny bowl of sambhar (sauce 1) and a similar one of coconut chutney - more thokku than chutney, really. This was priced at 10.95 with the description "Selection of delicious meat starters garnished with salad and spices (suitable for 2 persons)."

I did enjoy a couple of things - 'freedom lager' and the decor of the place.

It seemed to be that it was a great con for the British to go visit and enjoy the ambience and think 'its a unique experience'. If you are Indian and have a true sense of Indian cuisines you will easily see the difference.

I WILL NEVER VISIT THIS PLACE AGAIN AND WOULD SERIOUSLY ADVICE PEOPLE TO KEEP OFF.
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Raj
5 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 0
Sunday, September 18, 2011

Decor & ambience: good, modern, comfortable; Indian music at right volume - audible but not intrusive.

Service: friendly but a bit distracted and variable - took 45 mins. to get a bottle of wine; main courses similarly delayed.

Food: garlic & chili poppadums excellent; I had Lamb Masala Dosa which was superb and feather-light - the sambar was just right. I then had 'Awesome (sic) Aleppey Fish Curry' - well it wasn't awesome but it was very nice.

Value: a bit steep at £123 for 3, including 2 bottles of wine - if you avoid alcohol, pretty good value for the quality, though portions are not over-generous (Ras Malai, very good but about 3 mouthfuls). Coffee very good Italian, which makes a pleasant change.

Overall I would definitely go again but not on a Saturday.
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Peter Dorrity (Cambridge)
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Good food and attentive service albeit rather pricey. But think twice before going on a Saturday evening. The place was packed and we had to wait an hour for the mains and then a further 40 minutes for the desserts. Next time, it will be a week-day visit ...
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7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Sunday, June 12, 2011

Love this place. Have been a few times as live locally and always have a good time. There isn't many Indian restaurants in this area that serve good Indian food, NON GREASY.

The staff are great, friendly and the owners always make an effort to get feedback to keep on improving there service.

Only criticism is they do not do a delivery service to Southgate.
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udai
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Friday, June 03, 2011

Absolutely great. The decor made me come in because it looks great and the downstairs seating is so stylish. But after eating I have to say that the food is on par if not better than how it looks. Fantastic, actually I'm still in there now and just needed to write something. A little drunk I guess but blimey this place is the bees knees!
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Timmy Boy
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, January 07, 2011

AMAZING!!!!

Having tried lots of different Indian eateries (including the Michelin starred Benares and Tamarind) I have to say that this is by far and away the best Indian restaurant in London in my humble opinion. The food was beyond perfect, not a touch of grease in sight and everything freshly cooked and beautifully presented. The place is immaculate and the service attentive yet not at all intrusive. I would recommend this place without hesitation as the ideal place to sample Indian food at its very best.
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Shiri
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, November 14, 2010

Amazed and shocked that we were not allowed to have finger bowls after eating king prawns. We were told it was not "the policy" and we'd have to go to wash our hands in the toilets even though we would smear all the knobs and handles that we touched apart from waiting for other occupants to come out. The manager was totally intransigent!! The final straw came when we asked for 2 cups to share a pot of mint tea which held enough for 4 cups. Again it is not our policy to do this, you will have to have 2 pots for 2 people.

We'll not go there again nor will all our local friends. Customers cannot be treated like that. It is a shame as the food is quite good. The price is high though and does not compare with other local quality south Asian restaurants
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3 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Monday, August 30, 2010

Its the best restaurant in london... best food .. Must try..
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Dhruv Parikh
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, June 09, 2010