Salloos Restaurant

Off the beaten path, but in the heart of Knightsbridge, Salloos appeals primarily to regulars. As one of those regulars remarked to us, he has been dining at Salloos regularly from back in the days when it was cheap. As a newbie, I was impressed. Ask for advice on what to order and take it.

What a truly awful experience. Friends that we know told us that they never go to London without going to Salloos, so we thought we would give it a try. Our hotel made reservations for us and it was very close to where we were staying. When we arrived, Ms. Salloos was on her way out and greeted us and said we would have a great dinner. We were taken upstairs. I told the head waiter (black suit) that I did not eat peppers, hot spices, beef, or any dry fish or chicken. He said he understood and made recommendations for me, and that we should try the prawns along with the chicken skewers. The waiters (white shirts) brought our food, my prawn was so dry I could not release it from the shell. My partner however had a good prawn. The vegetables on the skewers were burnt to charcoal. The chicken was as dry as a biscuit. I took a small bite and told the head waiter, and he assured me, my next course, the chicken korma would be delicious. We finished our first bottle of sparkling water and asked a waiter for another. When he brought it to our table and poured the water, he dropped the screw top on the floor, then proceeded to screw it back on our half full bottle. I asked him to take it away and bring us a fresh bottle. They seemed upset at my request. When the korma arrived, I was hungry. It was two pieces of chicken (with bone-​on) in a brownish colored sauce. I took one piece out of the bowl and placed it on my plate and tried two small bites. The chicken and sauce were so hot with spices, it burned and lingered in my mouth for hours. My partner had asked to try a small piece, and it was too hot for him as well (and he likes spicier hot food). I called the head waiter over and told him the problem and he took the korma away. I had lost my appetite at that point & I focused on trying to «cool» down the heat in my mouth. The grilled vegetables and rice were good. My partner had the lamb, which he also said was hot, but not as hot as my dish. When the bill came, nothing had been deleted for the food that I could not eat. This place is not inexpensive. I have never minded paying for good food. I called the head waiter over to raise the issue. I said I had not been able to eat the food that he ordered for me, yet he wanted to charge the full price. He insisted «there is nothing wrong with the food». I replied, «Except that it was inedible». He finally agree to remove just 10 £ from our bill. This is a place to avoid when going to London. It’s too bad Unilocal doesn’t offer «minus» — stars as part of the review.

Hidden gem on a quiet street in Belgravia, only found through recommendation. Pakistani menu was put together by server. Wonderful flavor, balanced spice and heat, fantastic quality and tenderness of meat. Wines paired well with menu. Service was some of the best in London (coming from an American). Will definitely return.

Very intimate, great Indian food, super cozy.

Salloos located in Knightsbridge has been serving food for over 30 years. Established at a time when asian food was not so popular in England their food was over priced, but that has changed over the years. The restaurant is completely Pakistani in cooking and style of food it serves.
It’s décor is very old world colonial style with twinkling shining chandeliers, geometrical grills, and the tenfold table linen gives it a heavy Raj Vibe.
The menu has all the basic dishes you would expect. I had the tandoori chops which were succulent having been steeped in a garlic yoghurt sauce-​they had just the right amount of pinkness and were deliciously smoky. The chicken tikka pieces punctuated by seared peppers on a long skewer were tasty-​accompanied with a pleasent ginger coating. The aromatic cardomom scented pilau was the best because it was fluffly in texture and the spice was subtle. I think what was disappointing were the oversized koftas cooked in an insipid tomatoe sauce. In my opinion if eating there for the first time then stick to the meat grills and if you are vegetarian then eat somewhere else.