♫ Spring is here ♫ Wondering if I should *employ* someone to write reviews for me - seem...
♫ Spring is here ♫ Wondering if I should *employ* someone to write reviews for me - seems quite common here these days...! Some people just don't know when to quit lying!
Member since:10.10.2002
Reviews:308
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Ealing Balti House is a delightful little Indian restaurant located in West Ealing which has been in operation since 1996. West Ealing is in West London and it’s not exactly one of the nicer parts of Ealing which is a shame as this restaurant gets easily overlooked when people think about dining in the Ealing area.
My husband and I found this restaurant quite by chance a few years ago as it’s walking distance from our home. We were somewhat surprised to notice it as we thought we’d tried out all of the Indian restaurants in the Ealing area over the years. Unfortunately it’s not in the best location in Ealing, it’s on the main road of the West Ealing shopping area but it’s right at the end so it’s easily missed as it’s opposite the local Kwik Fit and parking is only available on the single yellow lines outside the restaurant or across the road in the evenings after 6.30pm.
GREETING
From the first time we entered Ealing Balti House we were pleasantly surprised by the warm greeting given by the staff. We were asked if had any preference as to where to sit and now we’ve been quite a few times, we have our favourite table and are asked these days if we’d like our usual table.
We always find the staff to be very polite and friendly, shaking our hands, always making the time to ask how we’ve been, offering to take our coats, etc.
SEATING
Ealing Balti House has seating for approximately 50 diners. The tables are set out for 4 diners so if you go as a couple, there’s no cramping you onto a table for 2 which often means there’s not enough space to put the food you ordered on (although this is just one table for just 2 diners that I noticed on my most recent visit)! The tables are well spaced out and you don’t feel as if people are intruding on your private conversations as customers are not all dumped together in one end of the restaurant for the convenience of the waiting staff as I’ve noted in many other restaurants.
EATING
The restaurant offers a typical selection of dishes available at many Indian restaurants along with a few house specialities.
A selection of items from the menu below with the prices to give you an idea of how competitive the prices are (when I say competitive; many of the main course dishes are easily £1 or £2 more per dish at other Indian restaurants in the West London area): STARTERS
Curry or Madras - chicken or lamb £4.95, king prawn £6.75, prawn £5.25
Vindaloo or Dhansak or Bhuna or Rogan Josh or Dupiaza - chicken or lamb £5.25, king prawn £7.25, prawn £5.50
Chotto aloo korma - £4.95 (veg)
Garlic chotto aloo - £4.95 (veg)
Chana massala - £4.95 (veg)
Saag aloo - £4.95 (veg)
HOUSE SPECIALITIES
Manchuri – chicken or lamb £6.50
Kushboo - chicken or lamb £6.50
Garlic - chicken or lamb £6.50
Methi - chicken or lamb £6.50
SIDE DISHES A large selection of side dishes all priced at £3.10 such as:
garlic potatoes
bhindi bhaji (ladies fingers)
cauliflower bhaji
saag bhaji (spinach)
mushroom bhaji
aloo gobi (potato)
Bombay aloo (potato)
RICE & BREADS
Plain rice - £1.75
Pilao rice - £2.10
Mushroom pilao - £3.10
Special pilao - £3.30 (with eggs and peas)
Plain naan - £1.50
Keema naan - £2.20
Peshwari naan - £2.20
Garlic naan - £2.10
Tandoori roti - £1.50
Chapati - £0.95
DESSERTS A basic selection of desserts including ice creams, kulfi, etc.
OPINION
I found myself really liking Ealing Balti House from the first time I went to dine there. Being an Indian myself I find that some Indian restaurants make the food a bit too bland for my liking. With Ealing Balti – the first time I ordered a dish there, I found it needed a bit more spicing up and said as much to the waiter who told the owner who was standing at the bar. He came straight over and said he would make it again from scratch. This was done with no fuss whatsoever and I was totally satisfied with the end result. Every time we’ve been in since, my husband orders certain dishes and asks the waiter to ask the chef to add a bit more ginger and garlic to the biryani (as an example) or I’ll ask for the lamb or chicken dish I order to have thicker gravy/sauce and it’s always done to perfection without us being made to feel like we’re being fussy customers. Recently when we went, the waiter knew already that my husband would need extra ginger and garlic in his biryani. If you like fish curries; can I suggest asking for the trout curry or even for the monkfish special? My husband assures me these are fabulous (not a fish curry fan/eater myself) and he's VERY fussy about fish.
I can't choose my favourite dishes from their varied menu but I do love their prawn cocktail starter (not a very Indian dish I know) but the portion size is excellent considering the price. My husband tends to go for the Sheekh or Shami kebab starters and he generally has biryani or fish for his main course, whereas I'm generally very happy with a chicken or lamb Madras or Vindaloo.
I also like the fact that the portions of rice are a decent size and the naan breads are cooked just right; unlike some restaurants that overcook them so the ends become almost like biscuits or burnt.
The owner of the restaurant is often present when we visit the restaurant and always takes the time to come over and say hello and welcome us back. There is no service charge added to bills at Ealing Balti House but we’re always happy to leave a tip as the service is just so good. We’ve been offered a free liqueur on the house on several occasions and have often been given a bottle of complimentary wine to take away with us (if the total bill is over £30). You’re also given a free bottle of wine for groups of 4 or more. These are the sorts of things that make visiting a restaurant that much more special and of course, it makes you want to go back there.
The toilets are always clean and always have enough soap and toilet paper and hand towels available. The restaurant is also disabled friendly with no steps anywhere so wheelchair access is not a problem. Children are welcome and the music playing in the background is pleasant and just the right volume so as not to disturb your dinner conversation but loud enough to give you that “I’m in an Indian restaurant” vibe!
The bar is always well stocked and the drinks are reasonably priced with the average price for a bottle of wine being about £12. It’s also worth mentioning that Ealing Balti House staff are always very happy to provide a jug of water with ice with no charge and with no hassle (some restaurants are not keen to provide water as they just prefer customers to order drinks that they have to pay for).
One of the only problems the restaurant has is its location. It’s so far down the Uxbridge Road shopping area that people might not even realise it’s there. Also it doesn’t open for lunch. It’s only open from 5.30pm till midnight (although delivery orders must be received by 11.30pm). It might be a good thing for me, as a customer, that it doesn’t get very busy there as we never have to wait to be seen to or for our food, but as for them as a business, I do worry that they might not stay open for business very much longer if business doesn’t pick up for them and that this fabulous little restaurant might not always be around for me to go have dinner at!
They offer free delivery within 45 minutes for orders over £15 and collection is available within 30 minutes. We have ordered a takeaway from the restaurant several times over the years too and have always been told how long the delivery will take and never had any issues with the wrong items being delivered, never had items missing or the bill being incorrect.
OVERALL RATING
I’m very happy to give Ealing Balti House a strong 4.5 out of 5 stars. Their website says “Try us once and you’ll keep coming back for more.” – I have to agree that they were right on the nose with that claim!
If you're in the area and fancy an Indian why not try this out? You can come away with a full tummy and spend less than £15 a head for a very decent meal with a drink!
CONTACT DETAILS
Ealing Balti House 150 The Broadway West Ealing London W13 0TL http://www.ealingbaltihouse.co.uk Tel: 020 8810 0320
UPDATE - JANUARY 2010
Having recently visited Ealing Balti House on a Friday evening in January (not New Year's Day in case you were wondering); I was delighted to see almost every table occupied and many people coming in and out for takeaways. The services was better than ever and the food was as tasty as always. Even with the restaurant so busy, there was no delay in service or in bringing out the meals.
Pictures of Ealing Balti House, London
Ealing Balti House homepage
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Wow - I actually know where this is! We drive past it all the time when we go to see friends in the area - sounds well worth a visit! 8^)
mrufo 12.01.2010 14:52
A brilliant review. Deserves an E. I am feeling hungry already. Thanks...Paul xxx
dkm1981 10.01.2010 00:49
Great review. Those prices are very reasonable - that's probably less than I'd expect to pay where I live and that's a small town in the North, not London!
exceptional by (8%):
very helpful by (92%):
