I would be lying if I said Tamila was a place I had always wanted to visit. To be honest, I did not even know about it, despite having been to London multiple times. It was my elder sister who discovered this restaurant and told me how famous it was and how difficult it can be to get a reservation. I ended up visiting Tamila with my family when they came to the UK for my graduation.
In simple words, the restaurant lived up to all the hype. The menu was not massive, but it had everything a South Indian restaurant should offer. There were chicken and vegetarian curries, masala dosa, parotta, tandoori chicken, and even rose milk, although they had run out of it when I visited.
The flavours were rich and authentic, with no compromise on spice levels. The chicken lollipops were extremely crispy and full of flavour, and the Thanjavur chicken curry with parotta is something I would highly recommend, as it reminded me of the kind of food I grew up eating at home.
Tamila is a fast-paced restaurant, which meant we were expected to eat and move on as there were many people waiting. That said, the time allocated was more than enough to enjoy the meal properly. The service was very good, with staff who were friendly and accommodating despite how busy the restaurant was. The overall aesthetics of the place were pleasant, and the cocktail bar downstairs looked very tempting.
The only real drawback for me was the pricing. While the food and experience were excellent, £16 for a curry and £12 for a medium-sized masala dosa makes this more of a special-occasion restaurant rather than a regular visit. I would still recommend everyone try Tamila at least once to experience authentic South Indian flavours, but the pricing is what stops me from going back frequently.
Authentic flavours worth the hype, even if not for every day.
Overall Rating:
Price – ★★★ (Higher stars mean better value for money)
Aesthetics – ★★★★
Service – ★★★★
Taste – ★★★★★
Experience – ★★★★
