50 replies to this topic

[johnnytotal]

Santhi's- always loved this place due to the fact i've been going there for many years, can be lacking the bustling environment at times but i have always found the food to be superb and the service is generally attentive and reliable

Spices and Herbs- Been in here a few times and the food is great, however i must admit to feeling a bit like a goldfish if i sit at the front of the restaurant and as odd as it may seem i'm not to keen on the shape of the building, reminds me of sitting in a shop rather than a restaurant

Lemon Grass- i'm sure this has changed management since i last ate their food but i found it was excellent. i believe i've both eaten in and had take-away from here. The food held it's ground against competitors and the atmosphere was ok, i suppose if i'm honest, when paying as much money out for an india as i always end up doing i'd rather go to Santhi's as i like the interior

Spice Society- had takeaway from here and it was also of a high standard never eaten in there however

any body have any thoughts on any of these restaurants?

[SGMOG]

I have been going to the Santhi regularly for years. Never had a bad meal there. It's an excellent place and I highly recommend it!!

[PaulEden]

Johnny,
I'm afraid I can't help any more than agree with your appraisal of Santhi and Spice & Herb.
Paul

[Tallguy]

Bombay Dream, Loudwater, just outside of High Wycombe (by J3 of the M40). Absolutely superb.

[a t o m i c]

Santhi's- always loved this place due to the fact i've been going there for many years, can be lacking the bustling environment at times but i have always found the food to be superb and the service is generally attentive and reliable

Spices and Herbs- Been in here a few times and the food is great, however i must admit to feeling a bit like a goldfish if i sit at the front of the restaurant and as odd as it may seem i'm not to keen on the shape of the building, reminds me of sitting in a shop rather than a restaurant

Lemon Grass- i'm sure this has changed management since i last ate their food but i found it was excellent. i believe i've both eaten in and had take-away from here. The food held it's ground against competitors and the atmosphere was ok, i suppose if i'm honest, when paying as much money out for an india as i always end up doing i'd rather go to Santhi's as i like the interior

Spice Society- had takeaway from here and it was also of a high standard never eaten in there however

any body have any thoughts on any of these restaurants?

Both Spice Society and Lemongrass get my vote - though Lemongrass is both better and more expensive. I haven't tried the other two, but if they're as good as the others, they'd be great.

[gazza13]

I love the Lemon Grass because of the novelty of bringing your own drink, which I usually buyfrom Bargain booze over the road. This helps keep the cost down.

We didn't enjoy the Spice society so much eating in, but a takeaway we had was very good.

Spice and Herbs are good, but do not seem to do their Elvis nights anymore. this was great fun. We need more caberet nights generally. Perhaps there is a Sinatra replica out there.

[Fran]

When we moved to the town last year, we tried various Indian restaurants and Lemon Grass in Hill Avenue is far and away our favourite. Delicious food using plenty of fresh herbs, and quite a lot of unusual items on the menu too.

[mvjt]

We're big fans of Santhi's (for takeaways - not tried eating in).
Food has always been good (touch wood, we're having a t/away today) and service is great and friendly - they got to know me by name pretty quickly
V

[roob_the_doob]

I seem to be the only one not impressed by Santhi's. When we went, the food was very ordinary, and there was no hint of fresh spices.

In contrast, we enjoyed Lemon Grass. But neither are as good as Spice and Herbs - every dish is fresh-flavoured, obviously freshly prepared. I can't think of anywhere else I've eaten where the vegetable side dishes have such a variety of flavours.

It's not so good for takeaways though. For some reason the food suffers from being packed up and taken home.

[Milton]

Gone off Santhis recently. Not sure why, really. Seem to have left feeling a bit underwhelmed. Spice Society has been consistently very good, in my experience, and Spice and Herbs is my favourite. Really enjoyed eating in there, and had a fantastic large takeaway the other week. Unfortunately Lemongrass has twice let me down on takeaway deliveries, spinning the usual 'we'll be with you in 5 minutes' line when they actually didn't turn up for another half an hour. This was a few months ago, but I've not used them since.

I'm glad to hear Bombay Dreams in Loudwater is doing well. I lived over that way until May 2005 despite working in Amersham and the property they occupy went through many ownerships as a restaurant all of which only lasted a few months. I assumed it was because of an unfavourable location for a restaurant and felt rather sorry for the entrepreneur who took it on, but I'm pleased someone is making it work.

[Tallguy]

They are doing more than making it worked - went passed tonight and the car park was full.

They are aiming for the top end of the market - are well placed for Beaconsfield and Wycombe and aim for quality, quality and quality. Not cheap, but the best by a long way.

Have eaten in the new 'Chutney' in Wycombe a couple of times recently. Not up to Bombay Dream but very good for a standard curry house and not expensive. Much better tham Bombay Palace on Crendon Street.

[Fran]

I seem to be the only one not impressed by Santhi's.

No you're not! We've been devotees of Lemon Grass since moving here, but because of all the favourable reports of Santhi's on this forum, we gave it a second chance tonight. It wasn't bad, but it was nothing special and nowhere near such rich and complex flavours as we get from Lemon Grass, although Lemon Grass is a little more expensive.

To be honest some of the dishes looked and tasted as if they'd just had a bottle of premium supermarket sauce poured on them (not that Santhi is the only place that applies to) and there was no evidence of any fresh herbs etc, which can make so much difference to both look and flavour. Also, the peshwari nans were too thick and doughy and with so much almond paste that it was more like eating marzipan - which of course you might think is a good thing (unless you're a fan of Philip Pullman!). So, next time we have Indian, it'll be back the other side of Hill Avenue for Lemon Grass.

[Kiff]

Isn't the higher price of Lemon Grass off set by the fact you can bring your own booze ? (assuming you drink)

[Fran]

Isn't the higher price of Lemon Grass off set by the fact you can bring your own booze ? (assuming you drink)

Good point.

I think the only thing against Lemon Grass is that if you are eating in, as we did at the weekend, it is very cramped and very noisy (exacerbated by wooden floors, plain walls etc). However, the food does taste even better when served at the table than eaten at home as a takeaway, and the staff are all helpful and very friendly - albeit needing a reminder to bring our popadoms.

[James516]

Not tried any of them :-( I've had good take-away from Chalfont Tandoori, at C&L station. All the taxi drivers rave about Rajasthan in Chesham, but I've not tried it.

[Fran]

All the taxi drivers rave about Rajasthan in Chesham

Yes, it's very good and was our favourite during our spell in Chesham. Foodwise, I think Lemon Grass is even better, but if you want to eat in, Rajasthan is certainly quieter and a little more spacious.

[roob_the_doob]

Yes, it's very good and was our favourite during our spell in Chesham. Foodwise, I think Lemon Grass is even better, but if you want to eat in, Rajasthan is certainly quieter and a little more spacious.

Yes, we went a while ago and thought it was worth a return visit sometime. I'd say it has a more "traditional curry-house" style of cuisine - thick sauces, tandoori- and tikka-style dishes - compared to Lemon Grass and Spice & Herbs which have lighter, fresher dishes.

[jarrod]

Looks like we'll have to try Lemon Grass as it's the only one that we haven't been to.

All the others are good, but we prefer Spice and Herbs and Spice Society. Usually go to Spice and Herbs for something a little different to what you normally find on "curry house" menu's.

[Dr Doom]

Anyone else a fan of the Delhi Durbar in Chesham? Certainly not the slickest looking place but superb food and very friendly service. I also know of a certain Disctrict Council department that dine there so we can assume it's passed all neccessary hygeine tests with flying colours!

[Fran]

Anyone else a fan of the Delhi Durbar in Chesham?

Is that one of the many restaurants and takeaways on the A416 along the bottom of the valley, and if so, which one?

I think we tried all the town centre Indian and Chinese places in our spell in Chesham, but the only Indian we really liked was Rajasthan (on the corner at the bottom of White Hill and the pedestrianised high street).

[Fran]

Following praise on this forum, we finally got round to trying Spice and Herbs in Sycamore Road last night - normally we go to Lemon Grass in Hill Avenue.

Spice and Herbs had some delicious and unusual items, as well as the traditional, and it is quieter and less jammed in than Lemon Grass. The pasanda was fairly ordinary, but everything else was very good indeed, even the peripheral things such as the nans and the rice. The mussels in a herby korma-esque sauce were a wonderful starter and we also had a main course with a sweet, gingery (almost Chinesey) sauce - Cardocinn. Overall, I now think it just has the edge over Lemon Grass (certainly for eating in), but my husband, while he enjoyed Spice and Herbs, still prefers Lemon Grass.

[Fran]

After so much praise on this thread and others, we went to Bombay Dream, Loudwater tonight, and it's as good as you guys say - despite the offputting location and exterior. Certainly better than any of the Amersham ones; just a shame the distance only makes it viable for eating in. See Bombay Dream thread.

[Jim]

Having read good reports about this restaurant, we have had numerous take-aways from Lemon Grass over the last year, and been very impressed with the food. Tonight we dined in the restaurant for the first time. The food, as ever, was excellent, but the attitude of the staff was unacceptable. My friend accidentally dropped a piece of onion into his wine glass. He quite reasonably asked for a clean glass. This request was met with disdain by the waiter, stating that he had already had a fresh glass (which was true when he changed from white to red). After paying our bill, both I and my friend questioned the staff about their attitude and were told that we were lucky to get a table, and they couldn’t care less if we never came back. Do you think we will?

[Alan]

Santhi's- always loved this place due to the fact i've been going there for many years, can be lacking the bustling environment at times but i have always found the food to be superb and the service is generally attentive and reliable

Spices and Herbs- Been in here a few times and the food is great, however i must admit to feeling a bit like a goldfish if i sit at the front of the restaurant and as odd as it may seem i'm not to keen on the shape of the building, reminds me of sitting in a shop rather than a restaurant

Lemon Grass- i'm sure this has changed management since i last ate their food but i found it was excellent. i believe i've both eaten in and had take-away from here. The food held it's ground against competitors and the atmosphere was ok, i suppose if i'm honest, when paying as much money out for an india as i always end up doing i'd rather go to Santhi's as i like the interior

Spice Society- had takeaway from here and it was also of a high standard never eaten in there however

any body have any thoughts on any of these restaurants?

I can't support these outlets, We only eat at one sit down in Harrow, but if the Chalfont Tandoori had a restaurant, then we would eat there.

[Kiff]

Why can't you support them ?

[mvjt]

We had a takeaway from Spice and Herbs last night - which is now under new management. There was noone in the restaurant when we collected the food, but that could be because it was a Monday night and most restaurants are closed on a Monday. It did feel a bit strange, though.

Good news is that the food was as good as ever!

[sarah]

Coriander is fantastic, as is Spice Society.

Apparently Raj Gate is also good....

[Fran]

A couple of those have their own topics:

Raj Gate topic

Coriander topic

[wittonend]

Having read good reports about this restaurant, we have had numerous take-aways from Lemon Grass over the last year, and been very impressed with the food. Tonight we dined in the restaurant for the first time. The food, as ever, was excellent, but the attitude of the staff was unacceptable. My friend accidentally dropped a piece of onion into his wine glass. He quite reasonably asked for a clean glass. This request was met with disdain by the waiter, stating that he had already had a fresh glass (which was true when he changed from white to red). After paying our bill, both I and my friend questioned the staff about their attitude and were told that we were lucky to get a table, and they couldn’t care less if we never came back. Do you think we will?

Whether you have a good experience or not in Lemon Grass depends on which brother is on duty. One of them knows all about customer service and is very likeable, the other thinks that you are doing him a favour by using his restaurant. Unfortunately, after frequenting the place since it opened and having a very good meal there this week - better than we've had in any of the other Amersham curry houses inc. the overrated Coriander - we've decided not to visit again due to the one brother's attitude problem. The meal was excellent but they've lost a customer, which really shouldn't happen.

[Fran]

We had a take away from Lemon Grass last night, as we do every few weeks. My husband usually fetches it and has always been treated politely. Most importantly, the food is reliably good.