Penge Masala — Restaurant in London

Short verdict: Ok-good food, but appalling service in this restaurant.

Long verdict: myself and 4 friends went into Penge Masala about 8pm on a rainy Saturday night in mid November 2016. Of the several tables only one was empty, and we squeezed onto that one. It took about 10 minutes for the waiter to get us get us a bottle opener for the beers we'd brought, and about another 20 before he took our order. I should have known we were in for a long wait when he gave us some poppadoms and dips before going out to deliver some take-away orders. He was the only waiter, with another guy behind the counter on the phone just taking taking-away orders.

We waited 90 minutes for the food to arrive! I suggested to my friends that we leave, but it was rainy and there weren't any options close by. The food arrived at 10, with a couple of the requested dishes having been forgotten. We were so tired and hungry we just tucked in. The food was ok-good, not as good as the food at Himalayan Kitchen (where I normally buy take-aways from). We left no tip, and we won't be back again. I've not had such bad service before, or at not least for a very very long time. We should have walked out.

Having sat down in the premises for over 2 hours, it seems to me that Penge Masala only really has the capacity to be a take-away, and there's not been any great thought or investment in the restaurant side. It can't handle more than a couple of tables being occupied by customers. It should just focus on being a take-away and try to...

I’ve reviewed Penge masala before when I didn’t have a great experience but I needed to do another review of my meal last night.

Yes the delivery time is quite long but I order a bit earlier to factor this in.

Food arrived piping hot, even the samosas which had a lovely spicy kick to them.

The vindaloo was the spiciest one I’d had in a long time. I can handle my spice but my nose was running with every bite. The lamb so tender you wouldn’t have needed to chew it. Only downside was the potato wasn’t fully cooked but I was fine with that.

The cheese naan! What can I say. Usually you need a magnifying glass to find any cheese on it but this one was absolutely loaded as it should be. The edges were black and crispy. Most people would say it was burnt but I love them like that.

Who ever cooked my meal knew exactly what they were doing and it was amazing. The best takeaway I’ve had from there in a long...

I have not eaten Indian food in England for a couple of years now and thought I would try it again. I always loved it, but I thought I would be disappointed, because I spend a lot of time in Goa and simply love the food there. I returned to my old favourite: 'chicken madras' and it was gorgeous. The chicken was succulent, nice, boneless pieces in a flavourful sauce, perfect. I forgot that they don't sell alcohol there, so I had to run out to buy a couple of beers. I did have a spoonful or two of the dishes my friend ordered and although not my favourites, they were both tasty. We shared a pilau rice, which was good, the portion, though enough, was rather small. I am used to bigger bowls of rice, that I then take home, to enjoy the next day. Overall a good, home coming experience, one that I shall...