Taste of Lahore (Pakistani) – West Ealing, London

When thinking of the Halal food sector in London and Pakistani food from the region of Punjab, Taste of Lahore has had a huge hand popularising this cuisine for a long time.

Old shop front

With two branches located in the west of London, the branch we’ve decided to review is in West Ealing (the other being in Harrow).

Now, while we’ve trawled the culinary corners of Ealing, we’ll admit that we’ve tended to conveniently look the other way when passing this place.

The reason behind this is quite simple. With its dated decor, and typically bogstandard Indo-Pakistani menu, we’ve been hesitant in wanting to review any restaurant that falls under the uninspiring category of a “curry house”.

2017 saw a much needed overdue refurbishment…

While we reviewed this place in 2015, since then they went through a much needed refurbishment in 2017 which, truth be told, has really helped give this place a much needed boost in the area.

What prompted us visit them originally, however, was simply their reputation for servining wholesome, homely curries, grilled food, and so much more.

Chicken Korma £7.50

Take the above, for instance, which saw this chicken korma being rich, creamy, and spicy (although be sure to request they make this spicy, because a non-spicy korma might as well be a burger without buns).

And yes, that really is all that you’re going to get for your £7.50, which was, it goes without saying, disappointing.

Mixed Daal Chicken £7.50

Similarly, this mixed daal chicken was just full of spicious heat and body. Turning out rich and luxurious, this boasted a perfect blend of masala and spices.

Lamb Biryani £7.50

Unfortunately for them (and so many other curry houses for that matter), this is where this place sadly lets itself, and the rest of Lahore, down.

If you order any rice dish, don’t expect it to be fresh – as in made an hour or two ago and properly reheated. And to add salt to the wound, these dishes will either be over spiced and/ or over salted, or under. In this case, it was the former.

Tandoori Naan £0.90.

But of course being from that region, their tandoori naans are done so wonderfully well seemingly without much effort.

Chicken Doner £4.00

The chicken doner has certainly improved over time. We recall their grilled meat being overly salted. This, however, was subtly spiced and perfectly char-grilled. Definitely worth a punt.