We got 'Bangalored'

We visited an Indian restaurant, yet again! This was sheer coincidence and also had no choice but to surrender to the hunger pangs called by the stomach. We were back after visiting an aunt in Camden and decided to take the bus instead of the tube since we love watching the London life pass by from the upper deck. We curse if some one's already taken the front row seats. How very apt right?

So we get down at Waterloo where the bus terminates and wander around a bit trying to figure out where to take the next bus from and we come across this restaurant called 'Bangalore Express.' By then our stomachs were growling and without a second thought decided to explore the restaurant.

The interiors are tastefully done with pale green and white symmetrical designs and there is also an interactive kitchen. The booths are set to resemble the insides of a train back in India, or so i thought. There are ladders to go up to the top booth and are a bit scary if you are sitting down. The waiters tactfully hold their serving trays in position while climbing up the stairs and you cant help but cringe in fear of it toppling all over you. Nah I'm just exaggerating a bit here, but on a serious note, i think its a brilliant way of saving space and accommodating more people at the same time. The menu is not so elaborate, but to the point and not so expensive.

I ordered the mango lassi which came in a tall glass, enough to last me through the whole meal. I would have personally preferred if it was a little more sweet, but it didn't bother me that much. They also have a fully licensed bar with cocktails and the like. So if you prefer that, go ahead, but I must admit they were on the expensive side. You can order from an array of Tandoori and Tapas dishes and also platters to share. There is also the 'Big plates of curry and rice' deal where you can choose between sea food, mutton, chicken and duck, select the cooking style like roganjosh, vindaloo, kurma etc. You also can choose any vegetable and a rice dish from the list as well. All this comes for a meagre 8.50 GBP and is quite filling even though it didn't look so at first sight. I opted for this deal ..tiger prawns cooked in fiery jalfrezi style served with pulao rice and a side of spinach and yellow peas. It came with a salad and also some potato and pepper fry which was not on the menu. Ro ordered the large dosa with the spiced duck filling. You can again choose between vegetable, tandoori chicken, lamb and prawn filling as well. The filling was quite less compared to the huge dosa and the sambar was not so great either. The coconut chutney however was really nice.

I wanted to try out the desserts but i was just too full. They do have about four or five varieties, some of which sounded interesting.

Flavours were distinct and food was served hot. Service-wise also we didn't have any complaints, except they added a mandatory 12.5 % service tax on the bill which i think was a bit unnecessary. But on the whole the experience was good and i wouldn't mind trying it out again.

Bangalore Express is located at:

103- 105 Waterloo Road

SE1 8UL

Ph: 0207 021 0886