India Dining Warlingham, Surrey Review
India Dining
Warlingham, Surrey
Reviewed by Amanda Hayes
When we read prior to leaving that India Dining had won the Best in Surrey 2014 award our expectations were justifiably running high, and from the moment we entered the restaurant we could see that we wouldn’t be disappointed.
The interior is very modern with amazing cloud like lights and striking prints on the walls together with a choice of standard tables or semi-circular type booths laid beautifully with linen serviettes and sparkling glasses. On arriving we were greeted by Tony the manager, immediately seated at a booth and our coats taken away to be hung up. We had our two year old son with us and he was treated as a grown-up which he absolutely loved, he is still going on about sitting at a big boys table and drinking with a straw from a real glass this morning.
The menu is not just a traditional curry house menu, although there is a separate menu just for the more traditional style curries you would expect to find. You can pay as little or as much as you like with a set two course menu including wine for £29.95 for two people, the “standard” curry menu with mains from around £7, a tasting menu of six courses at £34.95 per person and an a la carte menu. It was so hard to choose with starters such as Venison Galouti Kebab and mains like Bengali Sea Bass and Sirloin Chilli making our mouths water. We decided on Poppadoms to start, the chutneys are all homemade on the premises, and we had pineapple, spiced pear and tomato with ours which were delightfully thin and crispy with no excess oil.
I chose the lemon sole fillet as a starter, which was cooked Indian style with a mango and avocado relish which was very tasty. My husband had the spring lamb varuval, which was spicy, succulent and filling as it was full of large tender pieces of lamb. We opted for the chicken Biryani for my son which Tony suggested he bring with our starter which was a great idea as he wasn’t waiting around for his food and getting bored. He was a great advert for the restaurant as he ate pretty much the whole plateful with some plain naan bread alongside. For main course I had the Dehli Chicken which comes complete with a butter naan. The sauce was creamy and mild but full of flavour and the naan bread just the right combination of crispy outer and soft inner. My husband chose the South Indian fish curry which was bursting with flavour. We accompanied our curries with Saffron rice and a Peshawari naan bread. We both struggled to eat everything as the chunks of chicken and fish were large, moist and very filling.
After a little rest we decided on locally sourced ice cream and Gadar Halwar, a carrot based Indian dessert to finish. The Ginger ice cream in particular was exquisite, but we certainly didn’t have any complaints about either the lemon and cream or the coconut, they were all lovely and creamy. The thing that elevated this Indian restaurant above others I had eaten at, apart from the food, was the presentation. Every item was presented beautifully on white china platters, it looked fantastic and made you feel that you were having a very upmarket dining experience. There is also a large bar area, perfect if you are waiting for a take away, which they also do and the drinks being delivered to other tables looked amazing, cocktails and mojitos full of fresh mint. We stuck to water and beer as we were driving and looking after our son but when I return to this fabulous restaurant I would love to try one of the cocktails.
India Dining is well deserving of the awards it has won throughout its 12 year lifespan. The food is excellent, presentation and ambience perfect and the staff friendly efficient yet unobtrusive. I highly recommend an evening or lunchtime trip to this excellent restaurant.
Rating: 5/5 
For more information, to view menus or to make a reservation click here or call 01883 625 905.
India Dining. 6 The Green, Warlingham, Surrey, CR6 9NA | 01883 625 905
