The name Bangalore Express, makes this addition to the SE1 area sound like a fast food or takeaway joint. Although it is both of those, you can also enjoy a leisurely meal in style while tasting some of the most original Indian cuisine in London.

The Venue
A large, double-fronted site that can seat up to 130 covers, Bangalore Express comes from the people at The Painted Heron, the high-profile and highly-regarded Indian restaurant in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea. The superior quality of the food at that establishment is repeated in the more mundane environs of Waterloo Road. However, it is a good-looking place, decorated mainly in green with hard, easy wipe surfaces but with an overall appearance that is quite stunningly attractive. It’s also a place to appeal to all ages. Youngsters or others looking for intimate surroundings may enjoy the gimmick of climbing up a step ladder to one of the tables perched aloft, rather like bunk beds.

The Amosphere
This is a place that grabs you as you enter and it’s not just because it’s relatively new. There are no preconceptions to be aired here for, apart from the fact that the design is totally original, it looks quite unlike any other Indian restaurant anywhere else, and more like one of the newer places that serve organic food and smoothies. It could well attract a new clientele because it has a fresh, clean, although not clinical, air about it as well as offering new ways with Indian food.

The Food
The menu is atypical too. Never before has an Indian restaurant had a menu split into divisions labelled Tapas, Calzone, Big Plates and Low Fat Plates, as well as the more conventional Tandoori, Dosa and Thali. Prices are pretty unconventional too. The Indian tapas are £4 each, as are the regular portions of tandoori and the dosas (savoury Indian crepes with fillings such as prawns, chicken, lamb, duck and potatoes, and peas and mash). Choose any four regular portions for just £12. The Calzone are Indian-style, folded pizzas but much spicier than the Italian version with fillings such as tiger prawns, white fish with mustard curry and broccoli, curried chicken, lamb with split peas or a veggie version with cheese, mushrooms and peppers. There are Big Plates of curry and rice (£8) in which you choose a main ingredient (chicken, lamb, duck), your preferred strength of cooking style from korma to jalfrezi, plus a choice of rice and vegetable dish.

From the Tapas section, the spicy chicken with chilli-yoghurt rice cakes is a good choice, hot and spicy chicken pieces with a cool accompaniment. From the Tandoori section, the King prawns marinated in lime pickle are outstanding, possibly the best you’ll ever have and also the biggest – huge specimens, split and roasted with that great smoky flavour that only comes from the tandoor oven. For a taste of the range of dishes available, the Thalis (£10) are excellent, a complete feast on one plate. The lamb, tender and fragrant, is served with spiced yoghurt curry, roasted aubergine, tempura salad, rice, cucumber raita and naan bread – a collation of treats beautifully presented with everything tasting fresh and flavoursome. Apart from lamb, main ingredients also include tiger prawns, chicken breast or paneer cheese with vegetables.

The piece de resistance is, would you believe, Indian fish and chips with spiced flaky white fish with chilli fries and special mushy peas. It looks like anything you might pick up at a local chippie, only it tastes so much better – piping hot, crisp, dry, no grease, just pure fish and chips but with a chilli edge. They also do burgers (tandoori chicken, spicy lamb) which could be a cut above the regular US variety. For dessert the saffron rice pudding on a coconut macaroon is a thick, rich and creamy confection, while the Bangalore Express Sundae, with fresh mango, strawberries, ice cream, the Indian dessert of gulab jamun and chocolate sauce, is a luscious finish to a great meal. The food alone earns Bangalore Express its five stars.

The Drink
All the wines are available by the glass (regular or large) or by the bottle, prices from £3.25 a glass or £13 a bottle. There’s a list of cocktails plus sweet and salted lassis and fruit and vegetable smoothies. With the usual spirits, soft drinks and waters, the list also includes bottled beers (Asahi, Budweiser, Peroni, Tiger) as well as beer on draught. The Indian Cobra beer goes well with any of the aforementioned courses and you can get this (or Beck’s) in four-pint pitchers for the price of three pints.

The Last Word
At the moment Bangalore Express must be the last if not the latest word in Indian cuisine. For sheer originality and chutzpah it really deserves its already considerable success. Being so close to Waterloo station, The Old and Young Vics and the South Bank Centre should provide it with a continual stream of customers beating a path to its door.

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