One of the best Indian meals I have had. They even split the dishes in half because our group have different pallets. Some wanted super spicy, but I could only tolerate mild. The monkfish in coconut curry is unbelievable. Thank you Caitlyn and Shannon for such a wonderful dining experience. The restaurant has such a nice vibe. Everything was perfect! read more

Food tasted good but there was so much oil US might invade it. Also for the price, on the heftier side, the food portion and quality was lacking. Above all the chicken pieces in my curry were still lukewarm. I get pre-making curries but seriously, warm up the food evenly at least. read more

Bangalore Express - So much ghee!! - Indian Near Me - London, XGL

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We decided to go here after the Tower of London - wanted to try Indian food in London and I wasn't too impressed. The place was decorated beautifully and not too busy - tucked away in quiet alley but the food wasn't great. The thali was a great size and fed us well but wasn't to my liking. Perhaps stick to the south Indian specialities but the north Indian food which we ordered was done OK - I mean we got home and my kids asked me to cook the same dishes because they were craving it after eating there because it just didn't do the trick.... Maybe my expectations were too high? read more

Went in here before we were fully hungry. We ordered thatte idli, indo Chinese paneer and malai soya chaaps. Indo Chinese paneer was yummy. Thatte idli was pretty good too.Malai chaap kinda okay. Packed some of the food back. read more

Bangalore Express - Outside - Indian Near Me - London, XGL

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Really liked the thali that was served at this restaurant. It was sumptuous. The service was efficient as well

This place is tucked away in one of London's tiny alleyways off main roads, so keep your eyes peeled across from the Leadenhall Market. I didn't want to go back to Brick Lane/Shoreditch for Indian after a long afternoon touring the Tower of London. This place popped up on Yelp as an alternative. The name was right, I have lived in Bangalore and have good memories. I was quite impressed by the masala dosa I ordered. It was crispy and substantial (almost too big of a portion). The chutneys and sambar were tasty. The proprietors were speaking Malayalam, so from south India, so that might help with the south Indian food I was eating. I liked the peach bellini (made with prosecco). Can't help with the rest of the menu, but the ambience was quite modern/clubby with warm-toned walls and modern but spare decor. The bathrooms were great, staff quite friendly. read more

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The Seekh Kebab is wonderful and great ordered as a starter or with bread. We dined in on a Saturday night and they weren't busy at all, so the service was super attentive and friendly. I also tried the Chilli Chicken and of course, the Chicken Tikka Masala which were all excellent. If this were a restaurant in India, I'd still consider dining here. read more

Awesome place. Great food cooked very well at a reasonable price for the city. I will be going back! Highly recommended. read more

Bangalore Express - Lamb Biryani - Indian Near Me - London, XGL

I liked this restaurant. Kinda hidden away so probably would not have found it had it not been on Tastecards list. Bangalore Express doesn't just serve traditional Indian food but they have a little twist on their offerings including a little section with foods from around the world which is an interesting quirk. I've been here a couple of times and probably a little early as both times a little empty when we arrived but, by the time leaving both upstairs and downstairs pretty vibrant. Waiting staff were attentive although, did have to send them away a few times due to the number and frequency of staff checking on whether ready to order and things ok. Dishes very tasty and of good portion sizes. First time round and the full load poppadoms, to dessert and was truly stuffed. Second time skipped starters and had two taster dishes instead of main and was still very full with a doggy back accompanying me home. Everything was flavoursome. Although my taster fish dish was a little salty. read more

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Not your usual curry house! I mean, all the usual suspects are on the menu, but there's so much more to discover about Indian food at Bangalore Express! From excellent, super-smoky tandoori dishes to lesser known South Indian, Indo-Chinese and Indian Street Food plates, dinner will take you around the sub-continent and beyond! The very best way to travel with your tastebuds! read more

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My main regret from last night at Bangalore Express is not staying on to indulge in a full meal, as some of the other guests did which was imminently sensible and probably a missed opportunity. Charles Hill's philosophy is that it's important to select a comprehensive wine list that's varied enough to give customers a wide choice, but all of the selections should be robust enough to suit Indian food - and we sampled quite a few of those wines from their list over the course of a really enjoyable evening. Most of us do assume that Indian food = beer so this was really quite an education. The highlights for me were the Pieropan Soave which surprised most of us, and a Donnafugata Sherazade which were both deliciously drinkable, as well as complementing the Indian tapas perfectly: Golden fried tiger prawns with chilli jam, lamb meat balls in tempered mint yoghurt and everyone's favourite, tandoori salmon with dill. It feels only fair to say we'll have to go back and take the opportunity to sample more of the menu - purely to give a full review, of course... read more

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With all the indian restaurants in London, it's important to pick the right one. They can range from freaking-spectacular-better-than-you-can-find-in-india to why-did-I-waste-my-time-here. This rating may seem harsh but what I'm really saying is "Meh, I've experienced better". The sauces were not very flavorful. The chicken wasn't as tender as it could have been, the service was not very good. We were sat and then were immediately forgotten for the next 20 minutes. Which during lunch time is precious time. I ordered the chicken breast tikka masala plate with pilau rie and bombay potato salad. I enjoyed the pickled broccoli on the side, but other than that, I really wasn't impressed. If you're searching for a once in a lifetime curry experience, this isn't it and I know for a fact that you can get much better nearby. read more

Meh.. I've had better. The service was good, but the food was bland. I got a lamb jalfrezi, it wasn't hot and the lamb was over cooked. The spinach and tofu tasted dry and the squid started was chewy. Glad this was on a tastecard otherwise I would have dropped the rating even more. It's not worth it at full price. With so many other Indian options around I suggest you give this one a miss. read more

We came here upon recommendation as I was seeking some East or Southern Indian food that didn't turn into Bangladeshi Indian food. Can you tell I am an Indian food snob? Yes I like my curries. Tucked in an ally, this place has a romantic modern feel to it. Service was amazing. I started with the poppadoms and chutneys. I can't tell you which chutney I liked best so I will probably have to go back to try them again! I ordered the vegetarian thali with Malai Kofta. Delicious and massive and everything I wanted in a southern Indian dish, plus leftovers for the next day. read more

Overall, good atmosphere and welcome. The food is good, and, for a change, there is a large variety of curries (from Afghan to Burmese to East African...), which is great !!! The one thing that put us off (and that lowers the grade I'm giving now), is the service : one person in our party found some plastic in the salad. The waitress took it away, and seemed shocked, but didn't apologise. Then he asked for a coke, which never came... At the end, the bill showed the coke which never came, and, even with a complimentary dessert, it was hard for us to call it a good dinner... Let's assume it was a on-off error, and we'll go back to try some other delicious worldwide curries... read more

If you work or live around Liverpool Street/Shoreditch, of course your first stop for a curry is Brick Lane. This is a place built on history, a destination spot for coriander goodness from Whitechapel High Street to Bethnal Green Road. It is the heart of the city's Bangladeshi-Sylheti community and you have an expectation of good solid curry houses. As you walk down the street the guys promise you free drinks, free papadoms etc to entice you into their establishment. It can get intense. So, step further down Bishopsgate towards Leadenhall Market and if you blink, you miss a little side street called Corbet Court which is home to Bangalore Express. Firstly, I have issue with the name, because it gives the impression of fast mediocre food in plastic containers being farmed out for delivery on various mopeds. This is not the case, Bangalore Express is a contemporary bar and restaurant hidden away from the crowd of folk that drown the opposite Leadenhall Market pubs. It is the calm in the storm. They have just launched a new a la carte menu and were confident enough to shout about it. Good move, as yes, they delivered a solid bit of competition for the rows of curry houses on Brick Lane. But lets back track and start with the ground floor bar. This has loads of potential to be the more upmarket spot you go to if you don't want the busy pubs in Leadenhall Market or Crosse Keys pub next door. If they push this, it can work for them. As you move downstairs, it is dark and rich in colour with blacks and reds. You could say that this is best for Winter, but I think it is best for that feeling of escapism from the norm and samey venues nearby. The menu is traditionally Bangladeshi at its core, but has some other influences, in particular Nepalese. This does not make for a messy mix of dishes, but a well thought out merry go round of dishes that perfectly compliment each other. We were a table of many, so had the opportunity to taste all sorts of dishes. Dishes included lamb curry with potatoes, mushroom and peas masala, Nepalese steamed chicken dumpling, chicken rogan, okra fries, tandoori prawns, minced lamb with a buttered bap and curried duck breast, amongst others. It was a filling experience with a rainbow of tastes and textures to tantalise your tastebuds. What an experience. This is a yes, for an exceptional curry experience in the area. In terms of service, it started of badly with the receptionist sitting us at someone else's table and generally appearing very confused,, but once we were introduced to our gang, we were happy. Bar service great with a good selection of mocktails, restaurant service good with the Head Chef coming out and saying hi, fantastic! read more

Whatever you do, do not get the Fire cracker fiery phaal curry sauce in the "make your own curry" unless you're a glutton for punishment because you will suffer, like the person next to me realised. I tried a bite of his. First, it tastes great, then the spice starts hitting you, and after a few seconds you start regretting ever saying "i can handle spice". To be fair, both of us can deal with spicy food, but this was some next level stuff on the Scoville scale. Good thing for Raita, because once you mix that in, it's much more edible and yet still delicious, depending on whether you have any taste buds left. FYI - it doesn't come with Raita and it's extra - classic sales move. Other than the spiciness, everything else was as expected with the service and quality of food. Got some poppadums to start. I went with the Hot South Indian chicken curry (chettinad chicken) for my main. For the next 10 minutes, I became the social outcast as I just focused on eating rather than talking. I obviously ordered naan and rice because I can never decide and want the best of both worlds. Others had ordered the make your own curry, the biryani, and some other items. Overall, everyone was happy with what they ordered. By the time we were leaving (9:30pm), service had slowed down. Our waiter was on a meal break and it took us a while to flag someone else down to get our bill. I should note that we were a group of 8 and had reservations. I would recommend a trip here if you are in the city. With a couple of beers, shared poppadums, and a main, my bill was somewhere between £25-30. read more

Calzone, haloumi, plantain, goat? All in the same place? Experience the inventive and inspired dishes at Bangalore Express and you'll never be satisfied with a vindaloo and a lager again. I used to work in an Indian restaurant and have eaten at many, trust me... this is no ordinary curry house. It is such a rarity to meet the proprietor of a restaurant who is so charming and shows such a passion for what he serves his guests. It was clear from hearing Charles Hill speak that his restaurants are a labour of love, not just an effort to fill seats. This passion is conveyed in the wildly varied and, in my opinion, brave menu. The flavours may not have been robust enough for some of my companions, but they suited my spice-shy palate perfectly. As a vegetarian I won't be trying the Caribbean goat, but the salmon and tiger prawns were so amazing that one, two, were nowhere near enough. I cannot wait to go back and be unleashed on a full menu. And that chocolate and pistachio fondant on the dessert menu.. I won't be sharing. It was fantastic to hear Louise from Liberty Wines discussing how each wine was chosen to match the food. I wish I could say that I learnt a lot, but too many tastings left me well tipsy. Much to the amusement of the lovely Qypers sitting next to me. read more

The food is overall pretty good. The lamb spinach curry main is my favourite and is actually very good. Prices are also okay. The reason why this restaurant gets only 2 stars is because of the poor service. Upon entering we were seated downstairs. In the room next to us they were having a party event. It was very noisy and we had to ask to move several times before they actually did. The service was inattentive at best. The food took quite a while to turn up. When it finally came it became apparent the waitress hadn't written down my order incorrectly, despite me being very lucid with her. So had to wait another 10 minutes before I finally got my food. I then had to order more rice because my rice had by now gone cold. No apologies. Very poor service - just from their general demeanour and serving skills. Staff need to be trained! read more

Nice ambiance. Don't go without reservation as you'll be asked to wait even though there are many seats available. Services are not great. Takes ages for food. read more

This was my first time at Bangalore Express and I was amazed at the food. I had heard great things about Indian food in London and this restaurant definitely lived up to my expectations. The masala dosa was one of the best dosas I've had in a very long time. The spice level of all dishes is very good and taste is authentic. The cocktails are also very different from what you get in regular pubs and are delicious. Ambience and service is exceptional. I definitely recommend giving this place a try if you already don't love it! read more

This newly-opened branch of Bangalore Express is brilliant. I'd been to the Waterloo branch over a year ago and had a wonderful meal. This time was no different. I was fortunate enough to be one of the Qypers invited to participate in an Indian tapas and wine pairing hosted by Charles, one of the owners, and Louise from Liberty Wines. It was clear from their explanations that both of them were incredibly enthusiastic about the subject and had taken great care when it came to pairing the wines with the dishes on offer. And they were certainly generous too - 16 wines in total with eight rounds of food, not including the pre-dinner glass of bubbly! I very much enjoyed the food that was served to us, though I'm not sure I really liked the salmon. It was nice, but just didn't sit with my idea of Indian cuisine. I am generally open-minded, but I tend to like my salmon clean (i.e. without any sauce, unless it's teriyaki!). That aside, the wines went surprisingly well with the food. I'm sure I wasn't alone in thinking that Indian food and wine just aren't meant to mix, but that night sure proved me wrong. That being said, I'd just like to point out that if your stomach's a little sensitive to spicy food, it's generally not a great idea to aggravate that with alcohol, whether it's wine, beer or anything in between. Trust me on this one. You don't really want to find out the hard way. I had to make an early exit from this night as the enthusiasm of Charles, Louise, and indeed everyone in attendance meant that dinner went on for longer than I'd anticipated. By the time I left at close to 10 pm, I think there were still six more wines to go! Just in reply to simondoggett's note: I've had a full curry at the Waterloo branch, and I didn't have any issues with being able to go nuts with my choices. Service at both of the BE branches I've been to has been really friendly, so I'm pretty sure if I'm ever tempted to go crazy with random choices, I'll probably ask the waiter what he/she thinks first! read more

I was part of the gang that descended on the City branch of the Bangalore Express last night. To summarise our evening, I must say that I had the best time ever at this superbly organised event. We were around 16 people sitting at a U-shaped table, sampling one wine after the other while Louise from Liberty Wine told us some truly interesting facts about the wines we were tasting, as well as wine in general. Throughout the wine tasting we were served samples from Bangalore's menu. Now that, combined with great staff and getting to know some lovely Qypers and food bloggers certainly deserves 10 out of 10 stars (five stars would not do the evening justice). But, since this not a review of the evening but a review of Bangalore Express's food, I have to concentrate on the food and base my rating on it. I must say that, given the fact that food bloggers were expressly invited along, I was expecting an evening full of surprising textures and bold flavours. Although we were served dishes that you may not see in other Indian restaurants, such as Caribbean goat curry, I was searching for the culinary moments that would take me by surprise and set Bangalore apart from the countless other Indian restaurants in the capital. Unfortunately, there were not many dishes that fulfilled the above criteria; I found that the food was often lacking distinctive flavours and wonder if the chefs were hesitant to be braver with their seasoning in order to cater for a large table of people. This theory was backed up when, with a few other people, I ordered a post-tasting meal in order to better deal with the vast amounts of wine we consumed throughout the evening. The vegetarian dosa I had was bolder than most dishes I had sampled throughout the evening and quite pleasing. The better moments of the food sampling were the aforementioned Caribbean goat curry and the onion bhajis. The most unnecessary item on the menu that we tasted were, IMO, the chicken tikka masala cocktail sausages. They were just as bland and greasy as any English cocktail sausage; I did not think it was a good idea to create an Indian version of one of the unhealthiest foods that UK cuisine has to offer. I may go back to the Bangalore one day to see what the food is like if it is individually ordered and not cooked for a large number of people. I'm sure it will be very different to the sampling menu - after seeing how passionate the proprietor Charles Hill is about his restaurants I can only guess that his quality standards are sky-high. But, in the meantime, I can only judge by what we were served, which in most cases failed to impress me. read more

The evening at Bangalore Express was well organized and headed by great hosts including the owner Charles Hill. The restaurant is tucked away off the main street and has a smart modern look to it. After we arrived a starter was brought out and we had a teasing taste of what was to come. It was fresh and flavorful. I was excited to get seated and taste some more. Overall I found the food to be excellent. I enjoyed each mouthful to the fullest, again just full of wonderful distinctive flavors. Most of the dishes we had were on the milder side but it was a good reminder that there is more to Indian than really hot and spicy dishes. As well the sauce was kept to a minimum another reminder that Indian is about more than a dish of sauce needing rice to sop up and give it some substance. I'm not a wine drinker, but I enjoyed the wine tasting hosted by Louise from Liberty wine and it was proven that wine does go with Indian if chosen well. The prices on the menu give good value for money and I look forward to returning again to Bangalore Express. read more

What is the matrix? First of all, full respect to Bangalore Express for doing something a bit different. The decor, attention to detail, service and concept have all been slavishly worked on, and you can see the results when you get into the place. It's beautiful. I know the Waterloo branch has been heaped with praise for its interior design, and the City branch is different but still exquisitely finished. I also quite like the concept of indian tapas. It works pretty well, especially as they're pushing the concept of wine over the typically overpriced bottle of Kingfisher. Taking that in mind, I do have one issue, and that is with The Matrix. The Matrix is the way you order curry at Bangalore Express. It's a big table on the menu (a bit like where you can choose a meat, spice, rice and accompaniment - resulting in hundreds of different variations. Purists, I'm sure, are not keen on this idea. Now, I didn't end up having a full curry at BE, so can't pass judgement on the effectiveness of the Matrix as a menu gimmick. Conceptually, I'm not sure I agree with it. I'm no expert in Indian cuisine whatsoever, so the prospect of allowing me to choose what I want is a non-starter. The chef is the expert, I'd rather let him choose before I go nuts with a Duck Dhansak, just because I can. That said, go for the wine, the tapas, the ambiance and the warm welcome. There aren't many little nooks in the city as friendly as this one. read more

I was invited by Qype to come to an Indian food'n'wine tasting event - it took us a while to find the restaurant, hidden as it was inside a building off a side-street, but at least that gave it a rarified feel of exclusivity, taste and style. A feeling reinforced by the modest but stylish decorations. We were then treated to a passionate talk about Indian food from one of the owners, Charles, and in particular how he wanted to match it up with some fine wines as provided by Louise from Liberty Wines. Thus instead of the Indian food tasting I was expecting, we were drinking samples of fine wine that had been specially selected to compliment the bits of Indian food that were coming. Of the foods, dark mutterings were made about the duck roll, but the tiger prawn curry, and salmon got a definitive thumbs up. While the lamb tikka was deceptively mild, but then built into a slow burn. Don't add extra spice to this one. As for the wines, I was more of a white wine drinker so particularly enjoyed the Le Petit Jaboulet, and the Pieropan, with the Loimer giving a sharper kick. Some lucky attendees stayed after the tasting for a full Indian meal - I shall have to come back some day and do that myself. read more

I'm sure the only reason reviews of the Qype night out at Bangalore express on Wednesday have been slow to appear is because we spent yesterday dealing with the hangover that tasting sixteen wines will bring... I must admit, I was expecting more of a food tasting than a wine tasting but Charles Hill clearly has a passion for these restaurants in general and also to introduce wine drinking as an alternative to beer with curry. So what wines do go with Indian food? Well in general, it is the more full bodied reds or whites with a bit of something to save them being overwhelmed by the strong flavours in the food. Either in the fruit flavours or through a sharpness to cut through the spice. I notice that some of my fellow Qypers have commented on the food as being not quite as flavoursome as they might have liked - and I can see their point of view although maybe this was deliberate to enhance the wine experience. As far as the food goes, the bite sized tasters we were given certainly had their moments, I was a fan of the Prawn Korma despite usually being a Korma-hater, the salmon was good, the goat curry always a favourite and the Bhajiis tasty. I think it's fair to say that this place could be a cut above your average Indian restaurant although we possibly didn't fully get to appreciate that. Not that I'm complaining because it was a thoroughly entertaining eveing with an extremely affable host and Louise from Liberty Wine was very knowledgeable and confident about what they were trying to achieve. read more

Tucked into a small court in the Bank district, Bangalore Express could easily be overlooked in the deluge of fine eateries in the area, but that would be a shame, as this is a small jewel. While there certainly are some flaws to be found, overall the experience was quite nice. Upon entering I found the interior to be warm, while slightly distracting - the wall covering doesn't know if it wants to be artwork or simply art deco coloring. The food, unfortunately, followed the same type of ambivalence. Coming from the States and not having grown up with Indian food as a staple of daily cuisine, I was caught unawares by the fusion of Brit and Indian tastes. This may have explained some of my confusion in dealing with certain dishes. The chicken tiki masala and cocktail sausages felt like chip shop food having been dressed up for a more posh locale. It was obvious head chef Yogesh Datta knew what he was doing, but unsure as to what type of eatery he wanted his dishes to fit into. That being said, the tandoori salmon with dill was cleanly prepared, and the tiger prawn was gorgeous, fruity without seeming 'sweet' in an overly dressed manner. In fact, almost all of the dishes could have done with a lighter hand when administering sauces - I found it difficult to identify some meats what with all the accessorizing. Owner Charles Hill has a fantastic passion for Indian food and wine, which was welcome and frankly contagious. Maybe it was the 16 glasses in the tasting, but by the end of the evening I found myself wanting to take home a jar of spices and a bottle of wine and try my hand at cooking. Charles seems very keen on educating his patrons both on food and wine, an ambitious endeavor to say the least, and a very big risk in this economy. I think his gamble will pay off, as an informed and passionate consumer becomes the best merchandising tool a restaurateur has in this new media day and age. Yes the dishes could use with a bit more identity crisis therapy, but overall it was a lovely meal with lovely wines, in a lovely locale. read more

Delicious food and lovely wine, what a superb combination for the perfect evening!! Hidden in the heart of London's financial district is the city branch of Bangalore Express, Charles Hills latest enterprise. This cosy, yet sophisticated restaurant offers a great choice of rich and exotic southern Indian dishes, from salmon to goat, and an amazing wine selection that you will never be wanting to drinking beer with your curry! read more

Bangalore Express - An Evening of Wine Tasting and Indian Tapas - Pics @ The London Foodie (http://www.thelondonfoodie.co.uk ) I was one of the lucky 20 or so Qypers and food bloggers who were recently invited by Eamon from Qype to take part in an Indian Tapas and Wine Tasting Event at the new City branch of Bangalore Express. We were welcomed by the gorgeous Jennifer Goss from Complete Media Group, and seated shortly after with the proprietor Charles Hill and Louise from Liberty Wines who together gave us the low-down on the evening's 16 wines and accompanying tapas. My first impressions were excellent the décor was modern and sleek, and the staff friendly and very helpful. Charles' partner, Yogesh Datta (the acclaimed chef of The Painted Heron in Chelsea) was also present and quietly greeted us. I have attended wine tasting classes over the last twelve years and know a little about the different grapes and terroirs, and what to expect from each. I can pretty much match any Western dish to a decent bottle of wine, but partnering Indian food & wine is a whole different ballgame. I was impressed that Charles & Louise had taken up this challenge at Bangalore Express. We started the evening with a selection of eight different bottles of white wine, with accompanying dishes. These had been carefully chosen to compliment the spicy Indian food on offer and included some very aromatic and rich grape varieties like a Gewurztraminer from Alsace and an Austrian Gruner Veltliner, two of my favourite bottles of the evening. Our first dish was Chilli paneer cheese on yoghurt cake with red onions, followed by Tiger prawns with mild korma and Duck, cashew nut and raisin roll. These were all well flavoured and mildly spiced. Other outstanding whites included a Rhone Valley Viognier, a 2007 Vermentino from Tuscany, and an Australian Plantagenet Riesling. These were all excellent choices they were robust, complex and full of tropical fruit flavours, and stood up well to our food. The Salmon tandoori with dill was served next this was pleasant and beautifully charred. The Chicken tikka masala that followed was also flavoursome and nicely presented with deep fried curry leaves on top. We also tasted two bottles of rose wine including a French Grenache-based blend followed by an Australian bottle of Merlot. To accompany these we had Lamb meat balls in tempered mint yoghurt. This was one of the best dishes of the evening despite looking rather odd (more like white chocolate truffles than lamb). To accompany the meat courses that were to follow, we were then served six different red wines including a 2007 Boudeaux, another fantastic Austrian wine made of 100% St Laurent grapes (a grape I had never tasted before), an Argentinian Malbec, and three other Italian wines. These were all fine wines. The Caribbean curried goat was another excellent dish, the meat was perfectly cooked and the sauce richly flavoured. The Chicken tikka in baby corn sticks and Duck Roganjosh were also good. One of Bangalore's novel ideas is the ability to mix and match your favourite meats and cooking styles from a matrix in their menu. All you need is to choose a type of fish or meat, a cooking style, vegetables and rice to accompany it. You might opt for a Duck Roganjosh or a Prawn Tikka, the variations are truly endless. A big plate of chosen curry and rice will set you back £9.50 (or £8.50 at the Waterloo Branch). The final dishes were Lamb tikka marinated in mint and Onion bhajis with spinach and fresh fenugreek leaves. Both were beautifully cooked and distinct in flavour. Bangalore Express' menu is eclectic and will probably appeal to anyone who enjoys contemporary Indian cuisine. As well as some classics like dosas, tandoori dishes, thali and curries, the menu also offers dishes like Indian Fish and Chilli Chips, Masala Burgers, and their Indian Style Calzone, all @ £9.50. An interesting innovation to encourage wine rather than lager drinking with Indian food is the introduction of wine flights. These are different selections of three x 125ml glasses of wine (equivalent to half a bottle) at £12 for white and rose flights, and £14 for reds fligths. With bottle prices ranging from £17 to £28, the flights have not been marked up, making them a very interesting option for wine lovers. A big thank you to Eamon from Qype for allowing me to take part in this fantastic event, and to Charles and Yogesh for their great generosity and hospitality, and for showing us the way forward with contemporary Indian eating and drinking. Verdict Good Indian food at very reasonable prices. One of the best wine lists in town and serving flights of 3 x 125ml tasting glasses at no extra charge, a must for any wine lover. I cannot wait to return and try a couple of flights with a selection of Indian tapas. read more

Very good vegan food. Got the vegan dosa which was such a large portion and amazing quality. My table split the Chana masala and garlic naan sides which was excellent as well. Definitely a must for anyone with allergies as there is literally something for everyone read more

My wife and I happened to stay at a hotel that was just a short walk down from this restaurant. The restaurant itself is quite hidden, and so we wouldn't have realized it was there, except that I looked down the court and saw that there was a small sign advertising a 1/3 off special. Because it sounded like a great deal, something I was of course suspicious of, and because it was so close to our hotel, we decided to try it out for our last dinner in London. We were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant was very clean and modern, the food was very well priced and good and the service was excellent. For less than 10 GBP, you can order the meat or vegetable of your choice, the cooking style, a side and a type of rice. It's nice for two people because with two of these meals, by mixing and matching, you can actually try quite a few things, where if you were ordering individual dishes, you can only order a couple things without getting too much food. The bad thing for this place is its location. Especially on the weekend, there just were not too many people here. The restaurant is really shoved back in a corner off of Gracechurch. It is bad enough that on the weekend, it seems like this part of the city sort of empties out, but being hidden from the main street like that seems hurtful to their business. I'd recommend this place and if I am in London again, I will definitely stop here again for dinner. read more

While the ambience is average and that of a functional Indian restaurant, loved the food and service here. I ordered some kind of dinner set that came with Chicken/Rogan, daal/spinach, naan and rice/mushrooms ( I know, lots of food!). Delicious, well prepared and hit the spot. The wait staff and servers (Rekha) were very helpful and efficient. If you're in the area and crave Indian, this is your go-to spot. read more

I must say my vote for Bangalore Express is unreservedly a positive one because they clearly have taken a path away from the "standard" high street tandoori/Punjabi style restaurants (with no disrespect to both) and are serving a mixture of Indian fusion as well as fresher takes of Punjabi favourites. There are also some nice Southern Indian snacky offerings like dosas on the menu (although nothing like what one would get at Sakonis in Wembley). I was particularly intrigued by some of the "Big Plates" offerings which included a South African "Bunny Chow" and Carribbean curried goat - this reminds me of the global Indian dispora, something which Madhur Jaffrey wrote at length about in her Curry Bible. It is nice to have an opportunity to try such "dispora" cuisine and to consider how Indian foodways have evolved and developed away from mainland India. Also on the menu were Indian-ised versions of Western dishes e.g. Masala burgers and chilli chips with tomato salsa; Calzone, folded Indian style pizza. This reminds me of eating at Sakonis many years ago when they had a branch in Edgware where Indian-ised Chinese dishes were on the menu in order that an Indian family could eat out together from an Indian menu and the youngsters could try something different which the parents were going to approve e.g. vegetarian Manchurian something or rather ... my memory is hazy here but believe me, it was an invented dish. There are elements of Masala Zone at Bangalore Express (an inevitable comparison): the thalis and more 'home style' type of cooking. This is great! It must be tried. Although Bangalore Express' USP is not the thalis but their 'big plates of curry and rice' where one mixes and matches various elements of a main course: protein (e.g. chicken), curry sauce (e.g. roganjosh), vegetable (e.g. roast aubergine salad) and rice (e.g. lemon & chilli rice). I had this the last time I visited Bangalore Express (the Waterloo one, about a month ago) and had tiger prawns, roganjosh, chickpeas and spinach and lemon and chilli rice. The end result was pretty good though I felt that the prawns were a bit undercooked and may be my self-chosen combo didn't quite work together overall. But it was fun being able to combine and create! The wines. Oh the wines! Readers, the smart money is on Bangalore Express' wine list. Even my other half, Mr Penguin, muttered 'never thought of drinking wine with Indian food' when I first mentioned it. Perhaps we are all brainwashed into thinking that for such a robust cuisine, beer is the drink to go with it. Not necessarily so! Firstly, not all Indian dishes are 'robust'. It is a varied cuisine both by region as well as religious culture. Fellow reviewers have already said a great deal about the sumptious wine tasting session held and which I partook. It was awesome! More importantly, one reminded oneself that wine and food are to be enjoyed for what they are and it is their intrinsic qualities which one seeks to match, nevermind what cultural backgrounds they are from. Do try the fresh and lemony (but not too sweet at all) Tinpot Hut Marlborough Sauvingnon Blanc 2009 with, say, a roganjosh dish with the potato and sesame salad. With all wines priced under GBP 30 a bottle (and indeed the ones we tasted are soooooo good and would command higher priced in other non-indian restaurants), it is not to be missed. The Bangalore Express in the City (off Gracechurch Street) has dedicated its ground floor (entry level) entirely to a bar area, with the dining section located in the basement. If anything, do go and enjoy the wines first in the bar with some indian/fusion 'small plates' (hey, not that different from any other wine bars' offerings in the City really). Then pat yourself on the back for paying very reasonable prices for the priviledge!!!! read more

I ordered a take away dosa from restaurant . The sambar was like a potato gravy mash and tomato + coconut chutney tasted as it was made days ago and fungi has grown in it. read more

Lovely place, suitable for business or personal lunches or even dinner. They offer some interesting dishes on their menu and most of them come fast when ordered. Also, great ambiance and clean restrooms await you there. read more

Waitresses were extremely rude. Rolled their eyes, made faces when we asked a question and did not care about any complaints. The food was bland at first, after complaining (thrice) they got it back with SO much spice that we could barely eat it. We had to get everything packed and the waitress didn't even look at us again. read more

I was accompanying my husband on a business trip to London and that is when we got to try out this place. Bangalore express was recommended to us by on of his colleagues as we were looking for good indian restaurant around. Since it was conveniently located near our hotel, we thought about giving it a try. First up, food is really good here. The first time we went, we had the veg harabhara kebabs and the south indian vegetarian thali, i must say it was really good. Second time around we had the chicken biryani, which was no where near to what the actual biryani tastes like but it wasn't bad either. Dosa is very good here and so is the Indo-chinese veg platter. Trust me on this i am a south indian and i know my dosas, vadas and sambhar, they are really good here in bangalore express. Since we didn't like the biryani much we never tried any non veg dishes. I would have given 4stars or maybe more but the service is very very very poor. We had to wait around 15-20mins for someone to serve water and another 10 mins for someone to take the order. In-spite of the bad service we went there twice, but all the time it was same poor service. My advice, if you can bare with the poor service do try the south indian thali and dosa out here. read more