Lal Baag - Lambeth

We have very few restaurants in west norwood. I'd say this is up. I was glad we were eating. the meat was very good, but the rice proportion was a little small. this is an Indian restaurant with good quality and the prices are very reasonable. they take a little longer with their delivery to home service.

Team outing after a long day of rehearsals. Venue is minutes from the South London Theatre and very happy to have a large booking. The food is excellent and it's very well priced. With a large group, it is always a challenge to get everybody served at the same time without things getting cold. It was a great evening. NB this is a bring your own bottle.

Had a takeaway, all Anglo Bangladeshi fake Indian cuisine and not a good version of it either. Two dishes, chicken Balti and jalfrezi were identical, lamb dish no spices, matter paneer bland as was the cauliflower dish. Mixed kebabs dry, pilao rice lumpy and lacking spices. Naans OK but too much added sugar. The chef either will not cook or can't cook decent food. Real south east asian cuisine is a delight on the palate, with wonderful complex and sometimes explosive flavours, but this food was dull and bland, the opposite of delectable, so unappetising. Had I actually been dining instead of having a takeaway, I would have sent it back and left. I had my first curry in 1965, my first Indian cooking lesson in 1970 and have Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi neighbours who all give me food, they also like my food and are surprised an indigenous Englishman can cook south east Asian food like a native, so my credentials for criticism are good. Avoid this place, try your local supermarket, far cheaper and better, or try a decent restaurant serving authentic Indian cuisine.

Look: We all like Jason Statham. But Lal Baag’s Homage to The Transporter 2 has just taken it a bit too far. Dont get me wrong, the Lamb Bhuna slipped down quicker than Mr Status in his bicycle cleats but only due to the vast quantities of oil that they put into him. Wrestling with our onion Bhaji’s but unable to get a purchase on their slippery bodies, Jason slid seamlessly from plate to plate, evading us effortlessly. A lot of potential and a really moving tribute to one of the greatest scenes in cinema but sadly the execution was off. I look forward to meeting Jason again for a rematch soon.

My partner and I have eaten in Lal Baag several times and also had takeaways. Don’t entirely understand the poor reviews as the food (especially the chicken tikka masala) is the best I’ve ever had. We recently got a takeaway from here. The service was a prompt, polite and professional. Food arrived piping hot and full of flavour. It’s our go-to Indian in west Norwood and will be recommending to others here. Keep up the good work!