Despite the name, which makes it sound more like a Chinese take-away, this has a wholly Indian menu and is run by the same family as run The Gandhi and others in Gravesend. The owner also runs the new Tufail restaurant nearby. A fairly wide menu which includes all the usual dishes.

The food has varied greatly over the years, as the following report indicates.  I first tried it two or three times during 1995/6 and the food (and delivery service) was not particularly good. I then left it until September 1997, when it had improved, and orders over the next three years provided a good formula curry. My various reports during that period referred to "Onion Bhajias being crisp, light and spicy..... Chicken Pathia in a rich dark sauce with a good sweet/sour balance...... Vegetable side dishes OK ..... Tarka Dal sometimes a little thin but well flavoured".

However, in February 2001 I paid a visit after some six months gap and I was extremely disappointed. I reported then that "the dishes were uniformly lacking in underlying spiciness and all tasted as though just a sprinkling of curry powder had been added. The Chicken Pathia was particularly disappointing as it had no spicy hotness at all and lacked the flavour that I remember from previously". Perhaps it was the chef’s night off, or possibly another change of chef, and I commented that "it would  be some time before I go back".

I tried them again in December 2001 and was still disappointed, although the food was different. I reported that "All dishes seemed over cooked with a slightly burned flavour about them, and even the pillau rice looked like demerera sugar!"  Once more I said that it would be some time before I ventured a return.

I did return for a 'check-up' in March 2003 and met with no greater success. The Chicken Tikka Dhansak again had a slightly burnt, almost smoky flavour to it and although fairly hot tasted as if they had simply thrown some chilli powder in as it lacked any freshness of taste. The Tarka Dall and Mixed Vegetable were similarly dull and lifeless. Again I said it would be a while before I returned.

I tried again in June 2005 and it was much  better, and I became a regular again. All dishes very flavoursome - the Pathia with a strong sweet/sour contrast and fairly hot, and the Jalfrezi another of my favourites. Vegetable dishes also all tasty, and it's encouraging to see it back to the good formula curry standard it once was.

Prices reasonable (some dishes include a full rice in the price, so check the menu as they don't mention this when ordering, so it's easy to end up with surplus rice!) and portions quite adequate. The reliability of delivery times quoted when ordering have tended to be erratic over the years, although generally have been been spot on* (in the summer of 2005 the delivery man said they had improved things in more recent times, and aimed to provide a reliable service, so perhaps they got a reputation for unreliability)

In conclusion, I'm pleased to report it as being back to serving a good formula curry - now probably one of the better ones in town. I'll keep using them as long as it remains so.

(* NB I used them fairly regularly between June 2005 and June 2006, but in June the delivery had not arrived after an hour, despite my being given a delivery time of 30 to 40 minutes. A telephone called elicited the usual 'it's on its way' response, but fifteen minutes later it had still not arrived. It clearly hadn't been on its way so I cancelled, and like others before it that either give misleading times or can't be bothered to inform you of a delay - why do they bother to ask for your telephone number? - it became another that fell from grace by poor service. It's a shame, as there's lots of competition, and they lost a regular customer for more than six months while I went elsewhere. However, I am now back with them fairly regularly - until they let me down again, that is!).

Malcolm Wilkins - April 2007