New Asia

I’m going out on a limb here, but both my wife and I liked this little place. It was crowded and a little noisy, but the customer base was international, and from the conversations we had with some, well versed in Indian food. Several told us that they returned here often, because the food was consistently good. The naan was exquisite, the mixed appetizer was mediocre, my lamb was flavorful and tender. My wife’s vegetarian biryani was a world beater. With a tall Kingfisher and friendly conversation we had a great evening.

Avoid this place!!! Avoid this place!!!
1. We were served dry drinks — meaning, we ordered gin and tonics and were served a glass of tonic. Plain tonic, in a glass with no ice and no fruit. After a few sips I called over the waiter and said «If this has gin in it, I’m Kate Middleton». He said they would take care of it immediately. It took 15 minutes to get a slightly better replacement. And despite the fact that the bottles of alcohol are displayed behind the register, the drinks were brought from the kitchen. Ask for your mixer to be served on the side!!!
2. There was a South Asian couple there, who when they received their change from paying their bill, were short-​changed by a pound. They tried to short-​change their own demographic!!!
3. The Chicken Tikka Masala, was just bizarre. I don’t think there was a drop of tomato purée anywhere near the dish. It tasted sweet, as if it were swimming in a carrot sauce. There was no butter, cream or yogurt to add any richness to the dish. Just an overwhelming taste of carrot. If this representation is supposed to be the new national dish of England, the Crown is in great trouble.
4. The other two dishes that came with the meal-​for-​two were swimming in oil. Yes, a certain amount of fat does add flavor or richness to a dish, but you could have floated the Lusitania on this oil slick.
5. The only good thing was, the food did not make me ill. I was disgusted, but not ill.
Disclaimers:
A. I live in New York City, and within the tri-​state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut we have the highest population of Indians outside of India. I’ve had some incredible Indian food from all different regions of the country for the past 36 years.
B. I’ve studied in India and have spent a great deal of time in Varanasi and New Delhi. I’ve had wonderful restaurant dishes and incredible home-​cooked meals in both cities.
So, while I am not Indian, I know what I’m talking about when it comes to writing this review and my opinions/​observations.

Neat little Indian joint snuggled in an unassuming alley filled with other ethnic fares — Filipino market, laundromat, coffeehouse, Chinese take-​out. The owner is a friendly fellow who offered good suggestions for lunch & was ready to chat when he noticed we are Americans who love Indian food but can’t understand why their are so many items here that we don’t have in SoCal. SoCal boasts the largest concentration of South Asians (Indians & Pakistani) in the US, yet our Indian food is nowhere near as good. Oh well, the Brits have terrible sushi so we’re even.

Very average, not really a great deal else to say.
Service was good and food came out quite quickly.
Would I go back? Probably not, as there are plenty of other restaurants in the area.

Es mag zwar sein, dass man in Indien sowas auf den Teller bekommt, aber in London sollte man mehr erwarten. Es schmeckte alles künstlich. Die Mango-​Lassi war einfach nur grauenhaft.
Die Bedienung war aber ganz OK.

We were staying at a nearby hotel over Christmas and were desperately looking for an open place that had seating. This place had a nice ambiance and the service was friendly and attentive. Our party of four ordered the menu for 4 people which included 3 starters, rice, and a variety of dishes. We also ordered a liter of water, hot tea, and a coke and the bill was 73 GBP.

I was staying in a hotel a few blocks from this restaurant and went wandering one evening looking for some good Indian food. This place was fairly busy, so I assumed it would be at least okay. Since I was by myself, they put me at a table in a windowless basement that smelled like old sock. The waiter clearly didn’t want to be walking up/​down stairs, so he wouldn’t take a drink order until I was completely ready to order everything. He was seen only twice more after that — to drop my food and to drop my check. The food was okay, but nothing to write home about OR return for.

Staggered in to here after a day of, er, over-​refreshment at The Great British Beer Festival at Earls Court. The New Asia was hopeless. Stale Onion Bhajia drizzled in ghee followed by a mediocre prawn curry. The side dish was some sorry sauce and three or four bits of indeterminate vegetable. If this is the New Asia, I want the old one back!