SHOLA Karachi Kitchen — Restaurant in London

I waited till it has been open a few months to visit. The reviews were enthusiastic and there are regular lunch time repeat clientele. Based on that I arranged to meet friends there before an event. The ambience is peaceful, the decor subtle warm and inviting. I was so disappointed the food didn't match. ; the evening menu seemed to be a bit restricted There was less choice if you were vegetarian or vegan. Dishes l liked the sound of were apparently served cold. My friends chicken /egg burger looked quite appetising and was declared quite tasty. I'm not l hasten to add vegetarian but needed to eat lightly after two days of meat consumption in Scotland. I ordered Aloo sag paneer which l found ' too mushy' like a child's pureed dinner, and l had to 'fish' for the paneer which was in round lumps. I like my paneer either sliced or crumbled. This was neither. It resembled mozzarella in texture. This may be part of a cuisine lm not familiar with. I simply didn't take to it. Nor did l rate the rice. It felt quite dry. My food in general was also much saltier than lm used to. My friends yellow split pea Dahl was also oversalted, so it wasn't just my palate.

We had some problems dividing the bill at the end. To be fair the staff were very obliging trying to work the digital terminal so we each paid what we had consumed rather than a third of the bill. I didn't drink wine after all ! . My advice to any business in this area is don't stay open late with a radically different menu. Don't give the residents and visitors who work elsewhere less value for money than your lunch time crowd. I will meet my friends at...

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of being invited to Londons newest Pakistani restaurant @sholakitchenuk by @londonhalalfoodfestival . Truth be told, I wasnt expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Im pakistani with indian ancestral roots, so growing up ive had some amazing #pakistanifood and #indianfood so eating this cuisine outside often doesn wow me! I was pleasantly surprised by the authenticity of Shola! The flavours reminded me of #karachi . I particularly loved the bbq braised lamb shoulder, the palak paneer and the chicken karahi. The lacha on the paratha was spot on and thinking about the biryani is making my mouth water! Honestly, I cannot find fault in any of the dishes we were served, packed full of flavour and just so damn good . SHOLA is a 5m walk from @westfieldlondon and right opposite #whitecity station! I will honestly be taking Toad back soon! . #londonfood #westfield #londonfoodguide #londonfoodies #londonfoodscene #pakistanifoodbloggers #indianfoodbloggers #paratha #palakpaneer #biryani #toplondonphoto #toplondonrestaurants #toplondonresto #topcitybites #timeoutlondon #infatuation #insiderfood #ukblogger #londonblogger #londonfoodblogger #halallondon #halallove #londonbylondoners...

sholakitchenuk opened some time ago, but they only used to be open for lunch. Since the beginning of October, they are now open for dinner thrice a week and they serve Biryani!

The place is done up in pastel shades and very soothing. I'd invited a friend to join me who was expecting a hole in the wall kind of place. She was very impressed at how trendy this place is.

Plenty of customers from the nearby media offices, but I'd called ahead for a table.

The food is fantastic! It's like something your grandmother would cook. Aida told us that these were all her family recipes and it shows!

The shammi kebabs and the chicken tikka boti were fantastic. I packed additional plates to bring home for lunch tomorrow!

The biryani was lovely too. Not too greasy, light enough on the stomach for dinner.

The parathas are heavenly, for a hardcore meat eater like me, I could happily enjoy a meal of just the parathas and khattay aloo (stir fried potatoes)

You have to go and try her food. I heavily recommend it, for the lovely service and the fantastic food.

Shola Kitchen reminds me of the early days of Darjeeling Express, when I could walk in and...