bensyd

Money isn't a concern but a range would be nice. I do find you get less value as you go up the price scale.

How's Lahore or Tayyabs, still any good? I'll be over there with a mate who's not been to London in years.

lhrsfo

Brick Lane is the standard answer, but I find it increasingly disappointing. Perhaps my taste buds have changed over the years and I'm searching for something interesting.

My two favourites at the moment are Noor Jahan, just off the Old Brompton Road, for a traditional curry but nicer surroundings, and The Painted Heron, just off Cheyne Walk for a much more upmarket experience but still at fairly modest prices. I tried The Cinnamon Club the other day but I was not particularly impressed and it was VERY expensive.

bensyd

I avoid like the plague. My friend has been talking up Brick Lane as the place to go, I'm trying to educate him.

I'll have a look at the other places you suggested, thanks.

ajax

Oh yes. Money and quality are almost negatively correlated in my experience.

Lahore's great as always; it's more authentic to Pakistan (where as you know I've been several times) and not quite as traditional "British" curry as some other places.

I've kind of gone off of Tayyab in recent years. It's starting to believe its own hype. Every time I go (four times a year or so) it seems more crowded and more frantic. It's loud and crowded and the waiters are always scurrying by your table with something sizzling that makes you cough. The food is good but the atmosphere is really off-putting. If you do go, you must book ahead though.

I've you're looking for something on Brick Lane, I swear by Muhib at #73; I've been going there for 10-ish years and it has literally never disappointed me. It's the most authentic British curry I've ever had on Brick Lane and it's extremely tried and true.

There are some lovely curry houses down in Tooting and over in Southall, but I don't know if you'll be wanting to go that far. Let me know if you want any recommendations for those areas.

Avoid the overpriced, gimmicky, £20-a-plate places in Mayfair etc.; they are not worth the paper the menu is printed on.

lhrsfo

Better yet, go and see The Hundred-Foot Journey and salivate vicariously.

Swiss Tony

Yep, went to Tayyab jut before Christmas. Food was good, price great, but the staff are very arrogant. It's truly not all that great vs my local curry house. You can do worse, but...

icegirl

The Brilliant in Southall is always a winner.

Diwana Bhel Poori in Euston, London is also good, but be warned this is a vegetarian only!

rollingdeep

Head out to Harrow loadsa great places there! Try Blue Ginger!

VivoPerLei

Not sure I agree with that. You can get great meals at low-end places and bad meals at high-end places, but that doesn't mean the high-end (more money) is always bad, or that the low-end is good. I've had great meals at Veeraswamy and Moti Mahal that were very expensive, and a rubbish meal at Golden Shalimar in Paddington. All depends on the place

JohnnyColombia

Nazrul next door to Café Bangla on Brick Lane has always been consistent. Don't know why its TA reviews are so mixed. I was there in November, food and service were both good. Café Bangla itself changed hands, still has a giant Lady Diana but the food has taken a dive.

Munim that owns the halal estate agency at 13A Brick Lane also owns Sheraz at 13 Brick Lane, it was being refurbished in November but should be open again now, their achari lamb is seriously delicious.

I went to Biryani House at 100 Mile End Road every night for 2 weeks whilst I was back in London. As a fat Whitechapel resident I'd say it was as good as anything I have eaten in the area. Lots of ghee and you are hard pushed to spend more than £7 each. It's a café with bright lighting and a big chiller with all their wares.

Lahore and Lahore 2 are good but even better if you can go with someone that can get you access to the secret menu items. Tayyabs I have always found to be disappointing, nice ribs, unfamiliar menu and very cramped.

stifle

Couple of good places on Drummond Street.

bensyd

Some great responses, thanks guys. It's still a few months away but let me have a read over the places mentioned and get back when I've honed in a bit. Maybe the trick with Brick Lane is to know where to go. When I've been before it's been sort of a crapshoot and I left disappointed. Looks like I'll lock in Lahore but might leave Tayyabs of the list based on some of the comments here.

Definitely. Hit me up.

Swanhunter

I still think the food in Tayyabs is good but the rest of the experience is pretty rubbish.

Wingnut

For my money, http://www.ganapatirestaurant.com/ is serving some of the best Indian food in London at the moment.

A possibly out of date Tooting recommendation is http://www.sreekrishna.co.uk/ (a couple of years since I've been).

Tayyabs is fine, but can be quite hectic as others have noted.

bensyd

I'd be meaning to try Ganapati the few times that I was in London but never made it. Thanks for jogging my memory!