Haandi’s brand of Indian food comes from East Africa, and now aims to replicate its international success in London. I am picky when it comes to Indian eateries, so can Haandi cut it? Was it any good? Time to find out...
Ideal for:
Dinner with mates or dates
A post-Harrods sit down
Tasty Seafood dishes
Ambience & Décor
Set in Harrods's shadow, Haandi had the locale to attract classy clientele. The light coloured plain wooden décor with a smattering of plants was nice and minimalist. Ample spotlights in the large venue compensated for the lack of natural light due to no windows. The semi-open kitchen was the best touch; great to see chefs hard at work preparing a plethora of dishes. It was a quiet night this evening.
Service
The service was good without being of note. The waiters were attentive and the food came quick, but they were not busy, so I would expect nothing less.
Food
The Peppery Lemon Mogo (Cassava) & Sweet Potato ( top left) is a staple food of East Africa and a tribute to Haandi’s heritage. Well spiced and a nicely cooked, this was not for the faint hearted. The heat and fire from the coating slightly tempered by the fresh zing of lemon and sweetness from the vegetables. If you cannot eat spicy food, stay clear of this!
The Lamb Seekh Kebabs (bottom left) and Tandoori Chicken were spiced well, but the chicken was a tad dry and the kebab was unnecessarily too spicy, detracting away from the natural flavours of the meat. For the price, I also wanted more chicken.
The mains were Jeera Chicken, Lamb Rogan Josh, and Dal Bukhara (right). The chicken this time was succulent and the dal (lentils) was a creamy consistency if a tad mushy. However, my feeling was the Rogan Josh needed to be punchier and the lamb was a tad overcooked. Again, the portion you get for what you pay is obscene. Dishoom’s black dal is far better and larger portion for £6 versus £9.90 here.
Haandi Knightsbridge did most things well but it was extortionate for the quantity one gets. I want more ‘wow’ factor and given the locale, I think the quality of food, service and décor needs to be far better. Haandi Knightsbridge is average so C rating.
Photos of Haandi and more can be found on Instagram here.
Final grade: C
Final comment: Okay without blowing me away. Needs more X Factor for the price.
Hashtags: #C #MidRange #Knightsbridge #Indian #Haandi #Harrods #EastAfrica #Multicultural #Lemon #Pepper #Mogo #Cassava #SweetPotato #Lamb #Meat #SeekhKebab #Tandoori #Chicken #GrilledChicken #JeeraChicken #RoganJosh #Lentils #BlackDaal #Bukhara #MangoLassi #AllOccasions #Casual #CatchUp #BusinessMeetings #Chilli #Dates #Masala #Modern #Naan #OpenKitchen #PepperFry #Authentic #Contemporary #Dates #Lamb #Lemon
Comments