I enjoyed my first visit to Safa. Service was excellent and wine good, in particular the Soave was…read moremoreish. But the wine list in-restaurant is different to that detailed on Safa's website. Would be good to see it updated. I visited with 3 friends and we started off by sharing crisp, crunchy, fresh poppadoms. Unfortunately the accompanying dips were a little lacklustre as there could have been a bit more flavour to them. My Vegetable Pakora appetiser was delicious and my main of Ponnier Bhuna good but with a slightly strange bitter taste. My side of Mushroom Pilau Rice disappointed as it lacked mushrooms, being more of a mixed vegetable rice. Probably room for improvement in food flavours required for me personally. One of my dining companions thought the meat in her Goat Korma tough. Another that her Vegetable Madras not spicy enough, though on sampling it I thought it had quite a kick but could have been more flavourful. A nice little restaurant visually, but very quiet on a Friday evening with few other tables occupied so ambience was low. Nonetheless, our visit overall was a pleasant experience, enhanced by the friendly staff and great service. Probably a 3.5 star spot for me personally.

Safa has a great city centre location above the historic Kellys cellars, with a bright, modern…read moreentrance including glass banister as u head up to the dining area. The warm and welcoming L shaped dining area has plenty of room for groups, parties or pairs. Delighted to find cobra on tap it's so refreshing and great accompaniment for a spicy curry. Our visit was part of a group event, we where served poppadoms and dips while our meal was set up on chafing dishes for a buffet style service. I was disappointed to find basic options of foods to showcase Safa. Although what we did have - veg pakora, pilau rice and a chicken dish was nice. I was hoping to have a little more variety of main meat or veg options and maybe some sides saag aloo or naan to experience the offer. I would try here again as I know this style of event is different and sometimes difficult to cater for with so many taste buds!

My husband said this is one of the most authentic Indian restaurants he's been to. We sat down for…read morea quick bite, we didn't order much as it was getting late into the night. The staff was overly nice, each and every single one of them. They noticed we were desi ourselves and made our food "desi style", oh boy was it spicy! The chef and the customer sure likes a challenge. The menu has a lot to offer. Great spot for really well don Indian cuisine. Royal Tandoor Platter 5/5 -(chicken banjara, malai chicken tikka, seekh kebab & tandoori monkfish skewered and cooked in a clay oven), great option if you're not too hungry, you can ask for a small bowl of rice to accompany this Lamb biryani 5/5 - a lot of meat, the rice was so fragrant Goan Seafood Chowder 5/5 - hearty, flavorful, highly recommend Hot chocolate fudge cake 4/5 - can't go wrong, exactly what you expect, don't think it is made in-house though

Couldn't resist this restaurant. Just up the road from our hotel. Modern Indian restaurant-- No…read morereservation but they managed to get us a table got 4. Our server was exceptional steering us in the right direction as not to order too much food. All the food was delicious with the correct amount of heat and spice as requested. The manager even provided us with a round of shots. Not your traditional Irish food but well worth a visit.

Not just the best Indian food in Belfast but the best Indian food I've ever had! We were…read moreimmediately sat and had very quick service. The food was so flavorful and very well priced. I wish I could take it home with me to the states!

I've known the Archana since the late 90s but really started going in the early 2000s after…read morevisiting their market stall several times. Archana has the greatest vegetarian range that I have ever seen on an Indian menu and quite possibly the greatest vegetarian range of restaurants in Belfast in general. The vegetarian selection is even sub-categorised into potato dishes, pulse dishes etc. Favourites of mine would include Burta (aubergine) and Raj Mah (red kidney beans). On my most recent visit, I had the Dal Chilli. Sometimes I have meat but the veggy options are too interesting for the enquiring omnivore to ignore!

Met a couple of Belfast friends at their favorite local Indian spot for dinner here & could not…read morehave been happier with the service, food, & the atmosphere. I got a spicy curry dish, some somosas, & a cobra beer. It was the perfect pairing. Staff were great & did not care that our larger party spent a good amount of time here enjoying each other & the food. Looks like an unassuming little place from the street but is moody & well decorated inside. I'll be going back next time i visit Belfast for sure!

Amazing atmosphere and food! Would definitely come back. We…read morehad a very large party reservation and we were greeted with warm smiles and were promptly served drinks. Food came out in a very timely matter and was spectacular. No complaints other than the fact we were the only ones in the restaurant and there didn't seem to be any background music so it felt a bit empty.

I've been trying my hand at Indian cookery over the last few months and think I'm starting to get…read morethe hang over spice combinations and cooking methods. That said the food on offer is certainly going to trump anything my skill level can produce. Indian Nights Inn operates as an outside catering company for personal events and large catering functions. Luckily the also grace our presence at the Saturday market and provide a fantastic aroma that wafts around the airy red-bricked building. The staff who run the stall are very help and friendly, offering recommendations and their expertise when it's called on. A few weeks back I was browsing the market looking for some fresh fish for dinner and I thought I might as well line my stomach with something filling and substantial. The menu on offer varies slightly but on this day I noticed they had butter chicken. I've only had this once in a restaurant in Amsterdam years ago but I fondly remember it and thought I'd give it a go. It was superb. Rich, silky buttery sauce, lightly but well spiced, moist well seasoned chicken atop some well cooked saffron tinged basmati. I thoroughly recommend it, it was more than worth the £4 I spent. If you were getting the equivalent from a take-away you'd be looking close to £8. The portion may have been a little smaller but it was more than enough for a grown man like myself.

Indian food is something I just can't seem to get enough of. So even whilst wondering around a…read morebustling market, if I have the chance to chow down on something spicy I will. Indian Nights Inn provides some top notch food for next to nothing. I decided to try thing Lamb Balti, their speciality of the day according to the board and it was fantastically cooked, well seasoned and moist. They also offer freshly prepared meals to take away. This is particularly good if you want to show off at home and don't want people to assume you've just bashed out a ready meal.

It seems weird that I haven't yet reviewed Solo, this is because I have always attended events at…read moreSolo and not actually had a genuine meal experience, that is until yesterday... The interior of Solo is sophisticated, without being overly fancy - this is a good thing, it has a real feeling of diversity - you get the impression that you could go in and feel comfortable having a meal in jeans and a T-shirt as well as a business suit. There's a real warmth to the staff, they always engage in a wee bit of banter and are always on hand to help you out with a smile. The menu is diverse, you can have Asian style food, Tapas or classics like a burger. Yesterday I opted for a starter of Salted Chili Chicken and I think I convinced most of my table to join me. The salted chili chicken is truly amazing, it's gourmet style so get the idea of a takeaway out of your head. The flavours are epic and the the dip on the side compliments the chicken perfectly. For main I went for a steak sandwich, when ordering I was asked how I wanted my steak cooked, even by asking this question it shows the chef has real pride in his food regardless of what it is! The steak came out cooked exactly to my specification, it was accompanied by a a side salad and rustic chips - perfect for what I wanted! Solo is the type of place that you could easily lose track of time in, it's got that stay bar type feel. If you're looking for somewhere for a big group then look no further the staff are easily capable of dealing with large groups! Top notch all round!

I'm updating my review of Solo because I recently had afternoon tea here. Solo deserves a full five…read morestart rating just like my first review, I'd even go as far to say that the afternoon was better than The Merchants. The afternoon tea here wasn't just finger sandwiches and scones, it was like a full meal. The first tier had mini pulled pork burgers, deep fried Brie and samosas. The second tier has coronation chicken sandwiches, bruschetta with cheese and cherry tomatoes and wheaten bread with cheese and smoked salmon. It was all delicious - after all that I felt so stuffed but managed a few bites from the third tier which had mini scones with clotted cream and jam, chocolate fudge cake and fresh stawberries. It all absolutely delicious. I never ordered any tea or coffee with my the afternoon tea but we did have a mango and strawberry daiquiri each which we enjoyed. Another great experience at Solo Restaurant!

It could be a fairly alright 3 star on a good day but I opt for 2 stars. First we were crammed…read morecheek by jowl into a window table for 2, so close to other diners that their conversations were audible without our having to work at it. The family to my left were critical of the food but told the waiters it was 'lovely' on the four occasions I heard them being asked. This also annoyed them. There was also a dispute between them whether to go for a pint to 'Laverys' afterwards. The father clearly wanted to, his wife and daughter were lukewarm & hostile respectively and the son in law or potential in law was too polite to decline. So they unhappily agreed to disagree and went off two by two. When the male waiters (no female wait staff) attended the tables either side of us their elbows were inches from the side of my head with their movements occasionally forcing me move sideways. One waiters' derrière was 2 inches from my butter chicken a few times. Hardly a romantic setting. Once wedged in we got 2 'complimentary' pappadams with 3 dips. I asked for a Nepalese beer only to be told they don't have any so I ended up with an over-priced Singha beer, most likely brewed in Carlsberg's Russian plant that distributes to most of Europe. I imagine if these folk really are Nepalese they'd proudly flog their Khukuri beer and Hinwa and Dadaghare wines. I got the small one at £3.5 which works out at £6 a pint. My wife got a mini bottle of white wine at £4.5 which is £18 a 75 ml bottle. The young waiter who said his only job was serving booze did suggest I'd be able to get some Nepalese beer in London, but I thought it was a tad far to go for a beer at 8pm on a Saturday night in Belfast. It's a well overpriced place, with my paneer cheese starter at £6 when £4 would be fair. My butter chicken main was £13 when a fair price would be £11. They do that deception where meat is cut into cubes to give the impression of plenty, bulked out by copious cheap sauce. The menus don't mention that chemical food colouring is used. I'm not a fan of these food colourings, so I'm disappointed when I see vividly red food being served up. I'm also peeved that the use of chemical colourings is not mentioned on the menu either. My paneer starter had 5 pieces of almost tasteless cheese in a lightish batter, with a smidgen of hot sauce staining the plate, a morsel of lettuce, a sliver of carrot & a cucumber slice. My butter chicken was near scarlet, packed with sugar, with small chunks of equally bright chemically red chicken. My wife had an overpriced chicken pakora starter (3 battered bits should be £2 cheaper) with a similar smear of hot sauce, morsels of carrot, lettuce & cucumber. Her overpriced main (£17) was meant to be a sizzling dish but it wasn't. Not that we minded, as sizzling just means that the very hot iron plate on which the food sits is drizzled with cold cooking oil. Again this main was bulked out with lots of fried onions with some shards of green pepper made to look a generous portion, but there wouldn't have been £3 worth of meat on the plate. The boiled basmati rice was perfectly cooked, the small vegetable curry accompaniment was watery and lukewarm. The nan bread isn't nan bread as it's too thin to be proper nan: so it it's a crisp bread, probably 20p to make the dough turning into a £2 price tag. The service was effusive, nearly as sugary sweet and artificial as the butter chicken but when I know I'm being ripped off I don't tip. We'd paid handsomely for two 'free' pappadams with dips. We were asked at least three times about our food. I said read my review but I guess I wasn't understood. We paid near £53 for a two course meal for two with a small drink each, so it was well overpriced once it went above £40. I suspect it's just another Pakistani restaurant which has come up with the wheeze of Nepalese cuisine and the ancient romantic Kathmandu as devices to overcharge and how. If this is dining in times of austerity I'd hate to see their price structure if we ever see good times. Back to M&S butter chicken - wonderful for a factory made meal and without artificial muck too.

Have eaten in Kathmandu Kitchen twice now and it is nice. Visually this is a dated restaurant and…read morewas chilly on my first visit but much warmer second time round. I found the food pleasant, but spice levels too high for my taste. Having tried mains of Chana Masala (chickpeas) and Vegetable Bhuna I found them much spicier than I would have preferred. These usually are mild to medium dishes and indeed were marked as medium spiced on the Kathmandu Kitchen menu - but they were fiery hot. Also, be careful when ordering, as the vegetarian dishes sometimes seem to contain paneer - so if you are vegan you will have to be aware of this and specify no paneer cheese. Complimentary poppadoms were a nice touch.

I love my food and I especially love my Indian food. The Jharna was a recent treat for me when, on…read morea whim, a friend suggested we go one Friday night. We had a few jars in Ryans before hand then headed in and I was very ready to eat. Thankfully the service was efficient and we soon had our poppadums and chutney/yogurt dips - one of my favourite things about Indian cuisine. The staff in Indian restaurants are always so friendly - far nicer than other restaurants I find. The staff in Jharna are no different - they really looked after us. My Chicken Tikka was tender and tasty and my friends korma was just right for her tastes - not too sweet! We each had rice and a naan, some drinks as well yet the bill was far from shocking - it was a bargain at just under 40 quid! I will definitely be back - the sign outside is very bright and vibrant and i feel that the food is also that way! Yummy!

I think the meal contained within this review occured on an off day because if this was the norm…read morefor this restaurant, then I do not understand how they can afford to stay open. Having went here for a spot of dinner before a night on the booze (as pretty much all of my nights end up) and when we came in the place was very quiet. It was a sunny day so I don't know if people tend to avoid spicy restaurants on sunny days but it seemed this way to me. The staff were very happy to see us which made me think they'd not been particularly busy. The food was brought out to us very quickly but my brother's biriyiana (excuse the spelling) wasn't hot enough so he had to send it back. The staff did not mind re-heating (or giving him a new dish, we couldn't work it out cause there looked to be more) and they made sure everything was to our taste. Worringly by the time we had paid and left, there was still no other customers. Perhaps we had caught them on an off day or perhaps we were VIPs and they had closed the restaurant off for us. Would definately go back but I would need some encouragement first