Chai Thali

just had dinner for 12 of my friends at this new street food restaurant in the Maharajah private dining room was a bit sceptical after reading the last 2 reviews but when you look closer they are not serious reviews both have only reviewed 1 restaurant since joining in the last month proberbly a competitor sticking the boot in, i did mention this to the guy when we booked and he said come and try anyway i really dislike these sort of nasty reviews as a restaurant owner many years ago, I'm rambling so onto our night The Maharajah room was fantastic very opulent decor and our own butler type service we had a great night cocktails were fantastic and food was off the charts good service and no inflated prices for the private dining room which is a winner in my eyes would thoroughly recommend it to any serious foodies Ajay the manager was so hospitable and bought us all a drink which is so rare in Indian restaurants

I have never left a negative review in my life and I do realise that this is not a Michelin starred restaurant, but dear me, I also think that you can expect some sort of standard when you go out to eat. Unfortunately, the standard at this restaurant was very poor. Where do I start? Having entered the restaurant, we had to wait for several minutes to be greeted and seated, when finally a young waiter who barely spoke English said hi to us, or should i say to the females in our group only, in a very unprofessional flirty manner. He took us to our table, which was a very small square thing, with not much space for anything, and only about 20 cm away from another table, so actually we might as well join the tables together if we go next time (i don't think so !). The menu cards very ABSOLUTELY disgusting, covered in oil and all sorts of dirt and stains. We ordered our drinks, and soon enough the 'over enthusiastic' waiter came back to take our orders , nearly siting down on my girlfriend's lap AND I AM NOT JOKING ! The mixed grill I had as my starter, was nothing more than frozen meat defrosted in a microwave, which cost me nearly a tenner ... We ordered our mains and to our suprise! eight minutes later (?!) they arrived. Surprisingly quick service? We had a combination of meat and veg main dishes, and again nothing tasted as if it had been freshly cooked. The chicken curry was 'milky' and bland - and to our horror when we complained to the waiter about the taste - he offered to bring us salt and pepper for seasoning! Really??? There was no taste to it at all, and what sort of restaurant doesn't keep salt and pepper on the table???? Honestly, I don't like to complain but for god's sake, if you charge people, and quite a bit of money, you must give something back. The whole thing was a bit like a fast - food restaurant focused on quantity rather than quality I'm afraid, the whole time I was sat inches from another person, and could hear the entire conversation that the other couple was having. I strongly suggest to have less tables there, and give people a bit of privacy when eating and talking and trying to enjoy a meal out. I will never go there again !!! It was terrible !!! Don't be fooled, this place has nothing to do with fresh Indian food, and the service was very poor. KFC would have been a better choice ! I wonder how long it is before the place is inspected by Food officials and Border control?????? I can't see this place being open for much longer - unprofessional staff, food arrives way to quickly, which is also not freshly prepared and an overall expensive menu for seriously bland food!!!!

We went here after hearing about a new Indian restaurant opening up near our offices. It was by far the worst mistake we have ever made. The drinks were ordered 1st, and being in Camden you would expect them to be a little pricey but tasty, NOT in this place - the drinks are way overpriced and don't taste nice at all. The 'Jasmine Lemon' drink was disgusting. Tasted like it had been sat there since they opened! YUCK. When we complained to the manager he was rude and didn't even offer to change it for something else. We then ordered our food but had to wait for over an hour as the waiters bought out the wrong food - TWICE!! When they did manage to get the order right, some of us had lost our appetite by then. Never in my life have I had an Indian which was so OILY, You could swim in the amount of oil the food was cooked in. The portions are really small and bland, paneer tasted like rubber. The lamb chops tasted were burnt even though they came out 10 minutes after we ordered!! Something not right there. All in all - keep your money in your pocket and walk straight past this place. The manager was extremely rude. Customer service is definitely not a priority in this place. Along with the staff getting our orders wrong twice, and making us wait for over an hour for our food was ridiculous. When asked about this place - the easiest way to explain it is by saying it's a case of the blind leading the blind in here. Rude staff, ignorant manager, bland and oily food - you'd be better off picking food out of the rubbish bins along Oxford St rather than waste your time and money in this place.

Met some friends on Friday at Chai Thali Camden my friends work in the building above the restaurant and thought we would try it instead of going to Dishoom our usual haunt Good move on our part it was fantastic, Food was of the charts and the cocktails were very good service was friendly, efficient and attentive and the guy on reception was excellent he took the time to chat with us and explain the concept and even gave us a glass of prosecco each I would recommend the Black Daal and the on the bone lamb curry the prawns were very very good big juicy and flavoursome I'm going back with my boyfriend and would recommend this restaurant to my friends