Good Indian in Sydenham!

[Falkor]

I finally got to try the one next to Chef's Delight in the High Street, and I must say I'm extremely impressed with the quality of the food and value for money! The portions are larger than typical servings. You get free popadoms on the house when eating in. The pilau rice actually has strands of safron in it; now that is what you call high level! I ordered Chicken Dhansak, which is one of the more complicated dishes to prepare, as it involves first boiling the lentils and adjusting the hot, sweet and sour flavours--done to perfection! I could even taste some coriander...

Also, for the best Jalfrezi, there is a place in Forest Hill, but I cannot remember which one is it... I'm going to do some investigating soon... That Jalfrezi was like no other, and I'm starting to miss it badly.

For a good Chinese, check if the restaurant serves the following 3 dishes:
1) Crispy Pork
2) Pork Chops with Salt And Chilli
this is actually fillet pork in batter
3) Dim Sum
Most restaurants in Chinatown will serve all 3 dishes, but they are hard to cook, so you will not find them in cheap places/takeaways.
The Chinese restaurant in Sydenham High Street (Golden City?) atleast does a pork dumpling, which is kind of like Dim Sum. If you know any restuarants in South East London that serves Crispy Pork please PM me...

For a good Kebab House, check to see if the Chicken Shish comes with Onions and Green Peppers, otherwise I wouldn't bother...

[piano teacher]

i am always on the lookout for a decent chinese takeaway locally, i liked one in penge for a while but then it changed hands and i didn't like it, have tried wok express and its ok but would like to know what other people like

[Falkor]

I don't think there's any decent Chinese restaurants/takeaways outside of Chinatown--atleast none I'm aware of in South East London--except Diamond House in Beckenham. They've had the same chef for over a decade and their beef in blackbean sauce is superior to any in Chinatown, but then I doubt they offer Crispy Pork. Some places up Chinatown will serve Crispy Pork in their own variation of Barbecue Sauce, which is nothing like English/American BBQ sauce, but much thinner and made from soy sauce and maple syrup I believe... recipes vary and can include garlic etc. That reminds me: a good Chilli Oil is hard to come by in Chinese supermarkets, as they usually mix it with shrimp or peanuts, hence making it rather salty and no longer pure chilli based; most restaurants will always serve a homemade variation. Chilli Oil is superior to typical Chilli sauces, as they can be mixed with ingredients like apple puree (yuk!). Anyway, I often check out menus when passing through high streets, and the quest for a good Chinese continues...

[ALIB]

In defence of local restaurants.....
For Indian cuisine there is Cafe Jeera on Dartmouth Road. Their onion bargees (sp.?) are excellent and the hot dishes are really spicey. Well worth a try.

Also gaining a good reputation for friendly efficient service is the very affordable Gingko chinese restaurant. This is about 3 doors away from Cafe jeera. I am not a food guru, but every dish i've had there is delicious. AND it's less that half the price of Soho restaurants.

Please give these places a try if you fancy an evening out. You could even have pre-meal drinks in The Question.

alib

[Falkor]

AND it's less that half the price of Soho restaurants.

But all the Soho restaurants are crap anyway and simply try to "do us over"! They will serve boiled rice instead of pilau rice if they can get away with it--and in extremely small portions! Some of the best Indian restaurants can be found in Tooting and Norbury, where the Garlic Nan bread is actually layered with the stuff between 2 slices of the bread fuzed together. Some places that have good advertising in magazines and newpapers are really dubious quality; for example, Khan's restaurant in Shepherd's Bush is a famous Indian, yet their Jalfrezi is really a green curry done in a food processor that should correctly be called a Shizani, hence false advertising on their menu. That place is so rumoured...

I will try those places in Dartmouth Road you suggested, which now means I have (3) Forest Hill restaurants to try out in search of that Jalfrezi. I will take the Dartmouth Road route home next weekend; one look at that Chinese restaurant's menu will be enough to determine the quality of the food and selection. Also, I normally ask the waiter if they can prepare a crispy pork even though it's not on the menu. If I get told a straight "No" then it might still be worth giving their 2nd rate dishes a try, ie. beef in blackbean. If they answer "what do you mean crispy pork?" then get out that place as fast as you can; remember, 90% of restaurants in Chinatown will serve that dish, and all good Chinese cooks know what it is! Don't settle for crap food anywhere...

[ALIB]

There is also Tse's for Chinese food on the London Road nextdoor to Sainsbury's at Forest Hill. I have heard hey are very good, but can be pricey. As with all things in life, you get what you pay for.

Anyway Falkor, your palate is obviously more finely-tuned than mine, so if you are visiting restaurants in the area, please post ratings of the dishes you have had.

I have always found Gingko to be most accomodating to specific requests, but i suppose there may be limits to what they can do.

As for Cafe Jeera, my tastebubs tend to be numbed after the first mouthful of the main dish. I think that is a compliment.....

Alib

[Falkor]

As with all things in life, you get what you pay for.

That's not always true, but I generally agree with you; it's got more to do with the skill of the cook IMO in regards to food, otherwise it's to do with the area, ie. expensive drinks at railway station shops or anywhere in central london. The exception to all this is that a simple haircut (0 all over) is £8 in Orpington, but only a fiver in Soho. Their excuse in Orpington was that they spend as much time on a "0 all over" as a standard haircut like an American flat-top (yeah right; who you tryin' to kid mate!)

Anyway Falkor, your palate is obviously more finely-tuned than mine, so if you are visiting restaurants in the area, please post ratings of the dishes you have had.

Expect my first and second review of a Dartmouth Road Indian and Chinese on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

[stringfellow]

I've been in Sydenham just over 2 years but have yet to find a good Chinese restaurant or takeaway. For Indian/Bangladeshi I would definitely recommend Kafe La round the back of Forest Hill station (opposite Dawes for Doors) for eat in and takeaway.

[JAKES ANGEL]

My partner and I went to Kafe La recently and found the staff to be very friendly and attentive without being intrusive. We are not experts in this type of cuisine but the food was all freshly prepared and really enjoyable. I would definately recommend that people give it a try. Another very good contemporary indian restaurant is Indigo. Which is on Rosendale Road SE21. Obviously not in Sydenham or Forest Hill but really nice.

[poppy]

Gurkha's definately! Particularly their Nepalese dishes.

[MiniFox]

Gurkha's definately! Particularly their Nepalese dishes.

I really really like Gurkhas and go there fairly often. We also eat the Nepalese dishes when we go there
It's the only place (apart from the Dolphin) I go to in Sydenham
They're so friendly and the food is lovely