Located on Lavender Hill, Noiya brings modern, home-cooked Indian cuisine to the outskirts of Clapham.

The Venue
Compared to some of the less salubrious venues that litter Lavender Hill, Noiya boasts an appealing and enticing facade that attracts the inquisitive gaze of many a passerby. The decked outside patio gives way to a glass frontage offering a glimpse of the stylish decor inside, where purples, cream and chocolate browns are balanced nicely to create a sleek and modern design.

Simple contemporary tables hug the walls, where soft lighting complements the colour scheme, adding a nicely ambient edge to what could otherwise be just a little bit too garish and showy, especially for Lavender Hill. Comfortable seating makes good use of what’s not the largest of spaces, leaving an adequate walkway through the centre of the restaurant that leads up to aromatic smells from the kitchen and a serving area that’s well stocked with a plethora of wines, spirits and beers.

The Atmosphere
Thanks to the modern food and the stylish decor, Noiya is about as far away from your typical curry house as you can get, with an atmosphere that often feels more like a contemporary bar than a restaurant. A funky soundtrack, a youthful, professional crowd and some great cocktails augment this feel, though it manages to admirably avoid detracting from the food.

It might not be the purist’s idea of what constitutes a good curry house, but it does offer somewhere that’s trendy, relaxed and lively - and somewhere that you might want to stay once you’ve finished your meal. The atmosphere is helped too by willing, friendly staff that make up for the odd gap in knowledge with enthusiasm, smiles and superb customer care.

The Food
Noiya’s fare is modern Indian cuisine with simple flavours, prepared in-house and cooked to order. Whilst this is admirable, there are times when the simplicity is a little underwhelming, but on the whole the freshness and the cleanliness of the flavours make for an enjoyable dining experience. Decent enough complimentary poppadoms are served with some good quality dips, with the home made chutney and a deliciously balanced sweet chilli and mango sauce being superior to a mint, yoghurt and honey option that just isn’t quite the match of the traditional mint and cucumber dip.

The appetisers aren’t the most inspiring of introductions, with onion bhajis (£2.25) that are a little limp and undercooked, lacking in crispiness and being only slightly better than the king prawn battari (£3.95) – a pleasant enough prawn merely drizzled in the uninspiring and aforementioned mint dip.

Mains offer a huge leap in quality however, with a generous portion of mezzari chicken (£5.75) cooked slowly in the tandoor oven with crushed spices, honey, yoghurt and chilli. The flesh is tender, with piquancy and spices offset well by the sweetness of the honey in a dish that proves modern Indian cuisine can more than match the traditional dishes that continue to prove so popular. The hydra lamb (£7.50) is a little more like what you’d expect from an Indian restaurant, but the flavours are even more impressive, with soft, pan-fried lamb served in an onion, garlic, green pepper, tomato and cumin sauce. Chickpeas help to thicken up the sauce in what’s a spicy, fragrant and recommended dish.

Sides are okay, with perfectly adequate pilau rice (£2.25) being nothing spectacular, whilst the aloo palak of spinach and potatoes pan-fried in a selection of spices is a good choice, and very good value at just £2.95. Plain naan breads are fluffy and light, suggesting they’re not drizzled in as quite as much oil prior to cooking as some examples clearly are, and whilst some diners might lament the dearth of crunch, the taste is still impressive.

Overall, it’s decent enough fare that’s excellent value, but they seem to concentrate their efforts on the middle of the meal, so whilst the appetisers might appear enticing, you’re better off going for an extra main as this is where Noiya really impresses.

The Drink
There’s an adequate wine selection, with some good options that are unlikely to break the bank. The Jackalberry merlot is a particularly good choice, and excellent value at just £11.50, offering a light and fruity finish that’s perfect with any of the more robust lamb dishes. There’s also an impressive selection of well-made cocktails about from about £7.50 to £8.25, and if you don’t order one you’re likely to receive one anyway thanks to the friendly staff who will furnish your table with a complimentary creation that’s suited to the dish you ordered. How suited the hydra lamb is to what’s essentially a Blue Lagoon is debatable, but it’s a very nice touch anyway, and in keeping with the service-friendly ethos the restaurant is keen to keep.

The Last Word
A good option for Battersea- and Clapham-ites looking for a little more from both their Indian cuisine and dining experience, Noiya is brightening up Lavender Hill with great service, a funky attitude and some innovative and tasty mains.

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