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Noiya
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By Sulakshana Gupta
With tandoor stations and curry houses on every high street in London, trying to stand out can be exhausting for a new Indian restaurant. Then there’s the vetting by food connoisseurs who expect more than tikka masala and rogan josh. To cope with this, Noiya, a recent addition to Lavender Hill, lines up the mainstays but redeems itself with imaginative specials.
A wooden patio leads into a modern cream and chocolate interior. The menu is moderately priced – mains cost between £5.50 and £9.75. From the signature column we chose hydra lamb, succulent chunks stewed with chickpeas in a rich tomato and cumin gravy which soaked right into the nariyal pilau, basmati rice steamed with sweet coconut shavings. From the clay oven, our waiter recommended mahi king prawns pickled with yoghurt, mint, lime, mustard seeds, garlic, chillies and herbs. Despite the elegant presentation the prawns were rather defeated by the overdose of flavourings.
The menu’s vegetarian selection is comparatively routine, but mildly spiced muchuri dhal, a thick blend of various lentils, hit the spot on a cold night. On the side a bowl of toak (spiked gravy made with chargrilled tomatoes, garlic and bay leaves) served well as a chutney.
We washed it down with complementary dessert cocktails. All off-menu, the drinks served reflect the customers’ choice of dishes. Ours was a refreshing glass of peach schnapps with cranberry and orange juices and vodka. With only two members of waiting staff, service seemed to crawl at times but patience was rewarded with a gratifying meal.Time Out issue 2000
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Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.
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Details
- 62 Lavender Hill, Clapham, SW11 5RQ
- Area: Clapham
- Tel: 7228 7171
- www.noiya.co.uk
- Book online
- Category: Indian subcontinent
- Travel: Clapham Junction rail
- Times: Noon-2.30pm, 6pm-midnight Mon-Thur; noon-2.30pm, 6pm-late Fri-Sat; 1pm-midnight Sun
- Price: Meal for two with drinks and service: around £45
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Outstanding. Been there at least 3 times since it opened and would even go as far as saying that it is the best Indian I have had in my 3yrs living in London. Agree with the poster below that the staff are especially eager to please. Go for the specials rather than the run of the mill stuff.
Fantastic restaurant, deserves more than 3*. We were offered complimentary poppadums and cocktails, the staff are so eager to learn and impress that they even hand you a comments book at the end of the meal.
I think Noiya is a wonderful find and I can't recommend it highly enough. In these tough times extra attention to service counts for a lot and means diners will return. The food was above average for sure, my prawn jalfrezi was very good. I will definitely go back.
This is Jammal, Very nice.
Such lovely food and a really friendly family feel.
Every time I've ordered a delivery it has always come with free cold beers too!
Recommend the Chicken Makni and the wonderful homemade chutneys.
I went there with a friend last Friday and had a great evening. It was steadily busy but the service was spot on. For £15 each we shared an enormous starter, daal, rice, naan and two curries, all delicious, plus a glass of wine each and the complimentary cocktails (and chocolate). The service, setting and quality of the food meant I was totally shocked at such a small bill. Definitely don't know anywhere else you can have such a nice meal for such a reasonable price.
Fantastic food, funky decor... really great addition to the area! the waiter recommended 'chicken anwa' i had never had it before and it was amazing, would definately recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it! i found the service impeccable i disagree that it crawled as the review says i found it fast, the waiters very friendly and would stop to chat which made us feel very welcome. The choice of wines was excellent, and the complimentary cocktail my girlfriend had really blew her away. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone and think it deserves more than a 3* rating!