I read a review from five years ago and it seems the place is much the same. Certainly didn't live up to the hype with all the reviews and 45 minute wait. This is my first time to London and have heard great things about the Indian food here and if I didn't mind the wait... this place was well worth it. Sadly it isn't.

I arrived early to get on the list and they handed me a glass of sherry. It was odd because someone outside takes your name and then directs you inside to get a pager. I went inside and it was the same procedure all over again; even though the person outside took my name, the hostess seemed oblivious and asked for my name and how many in party again. I was given a pager and told I could wait in the bar area and she pointed to that area. No sooner did I place one step into the bar area when someone with a headset grabbed my arm and told me "no no no" and pointed to a separate area next to the bar where I could wait. Everyone seemed to be herded into this area with very limited counter space and even fewer stools. I managed to find space at a shared counter and struck up a nice conversation with some people at the counter.

They serve drinks and appetizers in this area but getting someone take your order is a challenge. Oddly, a server took the order of every at the counter where I was standing but skipped me. After she came back and dropped off their drinks and appetizers, she again, walked away without even acknowledging my presence. I walked over and asked if I could place and order and in the most snide tone possible, she said she would get to me and told me to go back to the counter. She never did come back but ultimately someone did come.

For starters we I had an old fashioned and we shared the Chili Chicken. The old fashioned was good but instead of an orange peel, it was served with some sort of leaf. Not sure what the leaf was for. An old fashion is a very traditional drink and I don't know why you would mix it up with anything else. The Chili Chicken was nice but it came by itself. It would have been nice with some pita chips or something to put it on. But by itself, I don't recommend.

We waited the 45 minutes for our table and right after being seated, they seemed to expect us to place our order right away. We took a few minutes to check the menu and they seem to come by every 30 seconds asking to take our order. Ultimately, we felt pressured to order and went with the Chicken Tikka and Masala Prawns, Garlic Naan and Basmati Rice. They were pretty quick about preparing the food; the shrimp came on a cold plate. Although they are charred, when we got them they were quite cold and a bit chewy. The Chicken Tikka was okay, but a little dry and not much flavor. The Garlic Naan was more like plain naan. The rice was fresh but nothing special. I was visiting London to see a friend and we were trying to enjoy a good conversation. But it was painfully clear they want to turn over tables as quickly as possible. I did note there is an incredible line that never seems to get smaller, but why should we cut out dining experience short?

We were asked so many times if we were finished even though it was clear we had not finished our meals. Finally, someone different came over, interrupted our conversation and even put her hands on our plates asking if we were finished. Again, it was clear they were going to be relentless and not let us enjoy the rest of our evening. So, we let them clear our table and then they asked us if we wanted dessert. I had the cinnamon ice cream which was probably the best part of the evening.

Overall, it was simply average, but mostly disappointing given all I have heard about the great Indian food in London. I'm sure there are some good Indian restaurants but this isn't one of them.