Kaalika Indian Restaurant — Restaurant in London

Kaalika is a family affair and I am here for it. But I am getting ahead of myself so let me let you know why this establishment is so special.

Imagine it if you will... following a beautiful day of sunshine and gandering through the Borough of Richmond/ East Sheen me and my compatriots William and Giorgio were famished and looking for sustenance and to our luck we happened to stumble across the newly established Kaalika.

Upon entry everything felt just right, we were seated swiftly and comfortably by the host with the most Arvind. Without haste we were brought three crispy cold Cobras and as we perused the menus we were given a chance to soak in the fantastic atmosphere and decor. After but moments we ordered and our food was brought almost seconds later.

I (Arthur) had the Korma (classic me irl ffs) and to say it was delightful would be an understatement. The flavours shone without dominating and told a story that I was glad to experience.

William had this to say:

The daal bukhara did things to me I won't forget and can't quite put into words. Flavourful beyond belief, it gave everything to me and I received it so willingly. We met, we fell in love, we settled down in Sheen and rasid a handsome family. Can't recommend it enough.

Giorgio had this to say: I mean it's the classic: boy meets the curry - boy fell in love with the curry. And to be honest I almost settled down with this curry. What an amazing chicken tikka massala, it felt like a nostalgic prance upon my mouth buds. Dont be too (east) keen to tell everyone about this place because its a real hidden gem that needs to be preserved. But wowie my stars. Buckle up.

Special shout out goes to Mr Harvey Moore who could not be with us. Also to the Peshwari Naan. It tasted almost good as Harvey...

We had a really fantastic North Indian meal here. Great flavours and really fresh food (take the paneer, for example, which was silky smooth and not at all rubbery as it can sometimes be - I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was homemade, like their kulfis). There's also a great variety of dishes to try, many of which were unfamiliar to me (this is a far cry from typical British Indian/Bangladeshi cuisine). I really recommend the Veg Manchurian - I'd never had anything quite like it before - cabbage dumplings in a chilli sauce, incredibly moreish and somehow simultaneously meaty and light. I have tried many similar dishes to their Crispy Palak Chaat (it's one of my favourite things to eat), and Kaalika's is probably the best I've had. The black lentils (Dal Bhukara) were so creamy, smoky and rich; the Makhni had a complexity and depth of flavour you don't usually find in this sauce in my experience. Oh, and the kulfi - along with being homemade (where else do you find homemade kulfi?!) - was delicious.

On top of that, great service from people who really care about the food, cooked by a chef who also really cares (he met us as we entered and then came out to meet us again when we were eating our meal).

There are many good food options in Sheen these days, but Kaalika has gone straight to number one for me. If you haven't been, give it a try, and support a fantastic local business - I can't see how you would be disappointed.

Thank you to all the team for a great evening. I will be...

From the moment we stepped in the ambience at Kaalika it felt like a warm embrace. The staff was incredible friendly and knowledgeable about the menu especially our server who was very helpful and knowledgeable about every ingredient in every dish, helping us to choose our food for the evening. His recommendations were perfect. For starters we shared tempura prawn very crispy and delicious with amazing garlic sauce and we also had samosa chaat, full of flavours,and fresh ingredients. AMAZING! For the main we had fish curry and coconut prawn curry with saffroni pilau basmati rice and garlic naan bread. It was a culinary masterpiece, every bite bursting with flavour. My reaction was WOW WOW WOW! I wasn't a big fan of garlic naan bread, but the one I had in Kaalika was something special and definitely changed my opinion. I will definitely order one next time! To finish our amazing evening we had home made traditional Indian desserts Kulfi mixed with all flavours pistachio, ginger and rose all recommended by our amazing server. Our evening was truly special! We are definitely coming back to try something new from your menu! THANK YOU! for making our evening...