Chennai Express — Restaurant in Basingstoke and Deane

I think that this restaurant is a little confusing. It advertises as "street food" and has rustic tables and decor. But it doesn't feel like street food: the food (and the prices) seem more upmarket than that.

For two people, two courses the bill came to £48 plus drinks. That is a bit steep for street food, and personally I'd like a tablecloth for those sorts of prices - tables made from old planks with gaps that look difficult to clean seem to belong to a lower price bracket. And a better quality menu: the one that you get handed definitely seems like street food quality.

But the food was excellent. Very tasty and lots of dishes that you don't see on normal menus. But, again, some of the portion sizes are much more like fine dining than street food. Soft shell crabs (£7-95) turns out to be just one crab, and the salmon that I had was a pretty small fillet about an inch wide, I'd say - maybe 1.5 at a stretch. Given that it doesn't come with any accompaniments, other than a wisp of salad, £10-95 seemed a bit steep.

So it appears to be a confusing mix of fine dining in a street food setting. To me, that's a bit odd and I would prefer one...

Very nice food. Not like your usual "Indian" restaurant - the food here is South Indian, and uses very little Ghee butter so is not stodgy and oily. Starters and mains seem like they are made fresh upon ordering; food is well cooked, and are is very flavoursome and tasty. We had the Lamb Chettinad which I would give 10/10, and the chicken Chettinad which I would give 9/10 only because I gave the lamb 10/10, and that I prefer lamb curries over chicken curries, and especially when the cut of meat they use here is proper tender lamb, not the fatty lamb you would normally get in a normal "Indian" restaurants (I use speech marks as "Indian" restaurants are 95% of the time in the UK actually Bangladeshi cuisine). Well worth a visit if you are/live nearby, and I would say this place serves the best South Indian food for many miles around. I am looking forward to trying their Lamb Chops next time, which I was recommended to try afterwards. Oh, and don't be put off by the cafe-style decor - The food and service are not...

Since 2019, Chennai express is one of my fav restaurant to have Indian food. Specially, home style chicken/lamp curry, lamchop, Naan, fried rice, Chiken Lalipop, appolo fish are on the top. I would definitely recommend people to visit restaurant. Regarding environment, it is very clear and well organised. Lovely staff member and they do prepare food according to customer preference. Regarding staff member. I would also like to commend priyanka for her outstanding performance during my recent dining experience at the restaurant. Her warm and welcoming gesture made me feel valued as a customer right from the moment I walked in. She was incredibly attentive, ensuring that my orders were taken promptly and that I had everything I needed throughout the meal. Her professionalism and positive attitude truly enhanced my dining experience. I deeply appreciate her dedication to providing good service and creating a memorable visit to the restaurant. Thank you each individuals for your exceptional...