Thali & Pickles - London

I never like to give negative reviews normally so this is completely out of character however, I can't not warn people off this place having experienced such a dreadful evening there from the service to the food, i cannot think of one thing to praise. The guy serving was sullen, unfriendly and reluctant to interact in any way. The food was quite easily the worst indian food i've ever tasted (and i have a fairly low bar! , the dips were synthetic you'd buy better at the local Aldi store, and the meat was dry, the vegetable korma looked like mashed baby food, bright yellow with a few peas chucked in totally unappetising and the Saag paneer had clearly just been re heated in a microwave. By pass this restaurant and head two minutes to the local Sainbury's where you could pick up a takeaway Indian meal box for half the price and with a significantly higher quality!! I can only think we went on a bad day and maybe the chef didn't make it in so someone was covering at the last minute, Nice tablecloths though.

We visited here before the Christmas busy period, it was a Wednesday evening. We had the place to ourselves before later a few others dined here. The service was impeccable, the food was so delicious and very hot, the table presentation was perfect, the toilet was cleanest ive seen in restaurants, the cobra beer was amazing and we had the most amazing time here. Totally Recommended for everyone to try. I had the vegetable pasanda My ‘better half’ had the chicken tikka masala Two superb dishes indeed.

Authentic Indian food. Went for a romantic meal. Service was great. Food was hot and authentic. Very fresh.

Absolutely awful, I should have known when I booked the table as the staff appeared to be totally uninterested! This dreadful attitude was demonstrated in ample quantity this evening. They got the initial drinks order wrong and were not welcoming at all. There is no polite way of saying this but the food was terrible. I am, and remain, a huge fan of Indian food but all the dishes were bland and they even managed to forget one of my colleagues food which was eventually delivered after we had all finished. I have never left an Indian meal but did today, a first for me! To top it all they the tried to charge me a substantial service charge! At 9.30pm the restaurant was completely empty with the exception of my party of 7 people, all the other restaurants in Balham were packed, this alone tells you all you need to know. Avoid, do not book here!

This was my first time dining at this restaurant, and it will also be my last. The pani puri starter was filled with bland potatoes and there was not enough tamrind water to add flavor. For my main course, I ordered a fish curry which was supposed to be spicy but was actually very bland. My partner ordered the butter chicken, which was lacking in seasoning and was made with coconut milk. As an Indian who eats a lot of Indian food, I consider myself a good judge of quality. I will not be coming back to this restaurant and will not be recommending it to anyone I know.