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Chakra Holland Street

Indian·
££££
·
Silver Award
·

SquareMeal Review of Chakra Holland Street

Silver Award

Having built up a solid following in Notting Hill Gate, Chakra has uprooted and moved to Kensington’s quaint Holland Street. For us, it’s a deft move, ditching their former bling-filled premises in favour of this pretty, muted corner site, which comes complete with a charming outdoor terrace.

It creates the ideal setting for some rather sophisticated Indian cooking that takes its cue from the subcontinent’s royal kitchens. Our pimped-up kulcha arrived topped with decadent flecks of black truffle and wild mushroom, soon upstaged by a plate of plump tiger prawns marinated with lightly spicy chilli powder, and served with yoghurt and tomato coulis for liberal dipping.

After that, we were taken with a main of Khubani Murgh: gently braised chicken breast smothered in an apricot and nutmeg onion sauce, which provided a delightful clash of flavours. Chakra isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel here, but there are flashes of adjusting to modern tastes via an impressive selection of vegan and vegetarian options. Afternoon tea, brunch and set lunch menus are also available, while the Euro-leaning wine list is supported by classic cocktails.

 

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £50 - £79
Cuisines
Indian
Ambience
Cosy
Alfresco And Views
Outside seating
Food Hygiene Rating

Chakra Holland Street is featured in

Location

33c Holland Street, London, W8 4LX

020 7229 2115 020 7229 2115

Website

Opening Times

Mon-Sun 6pm-11pm (Sun -10.30pm)

Reviews

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11 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

11 March 2014  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
I have always been partial to a Chicken Murg Masala and a peshwari naan but I now realise I hadn't actually tasted Indian food until I went to Chakra. The food is absolutely exceptional and combines the Indian favourites you have heard of (they do a mean biryani) with some fantastic dishes you probably haven't (Amritsar Kali Mirch is a must). Everything is fresh and tasty and worth every penny. Great service, great location, big thumbs up.

Debbie H

06 March 2014  
Food & Drink 4
Service 4
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
Chic, glam dining room in muted tones, hung with chandeliers which makes for a special feel when you walk in. The six course tasting menu, which was preceeded with a delicious, aromatic lychee cocktail (though I was offered a wine or beer alternative) had a good selection of dishes. Of the first courses, the chicken, lamb and fish on the meat and seafood platter (2 pieces of each) were really tender and well spiced. The mains were served with rice and naan bread with the star being the Jalandhar Chicken which was tasty and had a slight chilli kick to it. The bengal fish curry was also good, but was just overshadowed by the chicken. A sorbet and mango kulfi finished the menu in much needed light way. The service was sleek and attentive thoughout with the only chink being that our waitress wasn’t familiar with the wine list, so we went with an old familiar in the end rather than trying something different.

David T

25 July 2013  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
Excellent Food at Chakra
I have visit this restaurant with my parents those are Indian food fan than I am as often I find Indian meals can have a lot of ghee in them however this was not the case at Chakra so I would happily go back, We had ordered for a mixed platter of chicken, kebab and a tempura coated fish they were the best I have ever had, the staff was very friendly!! The drinks selection was so good as were the cocktails and the decor of the restaurant is beautiful, it was an amazing experience at Chakra!

Dean C

01 July 2013  
Food & Drink 4
Service 5
Atmosphere 4.5
Value 3.5
Tasty Indian Dishes at Chakra...
I've visited Chakra before 3 weeks ago during the weekend and I want to to say that the Food quality was excellent and the service was too good…if you want to eat Indian with a special atmosphere then this is a good place to enjoy with Indian food and tasty dishes in London.

rajesh K

03 June 2013  
Food & Drink 0.5
Service 1.5
Atmosphere 2.5
Value 1
Please avoid if you value your ££££
I concur with previous reviewers as food was below par than an average Indian restaurant and prices are sky high. £12 for a starter! Plus don’t clearly distinguish between starter and main course section. Food and drink quality: We went there expecting a well presented food with master chef style quality and presentation but all you get in their murgh starter is a chicken with half fried red onions and green leaves for £12 (or £10, can't remember). Vegi Biryani was very oily and taste poor..just full of cauliflower and broccoli and sauce portion was equally very small and tested average. A glass of mango Lassi costs £6!! Off course we dint had it but this is most expensive mango lasi i have ever seen across both side of Atlantic. We booked online so we got 30% discount on FOOD ITEMS only but even after discount, food is very overpriced. Service: In the beginning service was of same standard as would have been expected from any west end restaurant but when we finish our dinner there was no one to say thanks to you or to open the door for you. I understand that it doesn't matter but when you are charging premium prices then it is imperative to look for these trivial items too. Atmosphere: Average Value for money: As explained in previous paras, this restaurant is far from value for money…If you value your bucks, then by doing little bit of more research, you can spend better value for your ££ somewhere else.

David T

23 May 2013  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
Tasty Indian food & Drinks with Good Services
Visited this place in this month with my friends for enjoying the Indian food & drinks, the atmosphere was so good and services were also good and better than expected. It was really a good experience with Chakra. And if you wants to enjoy with tasty Indian food then I will recommended to Chakra which is the best Indian food restaurant at affordable rates in London. We will visit this restaurant again!

Shraddha S

27 January 2013  
Food & Drink 0.5
Service 2
Atmosphere 4
Value 0.5
Food was really disappointing. The menu is very fancy with gourmet master chef style dishes but tastes awful. Really expensive – starters are nearly £10 and u get 3 small pieces. I can't believe it has won awards – very dodgy! Please do not waste your time or money there. Spent £60 per person and a bowl of cereal at home would have even tastier!

khushboo S

01 June 2012  
Food & Drink 0.5
Service 3
Atmosphere 3.5
Value 4
The food was no way near as authentic as I would have expected. The paneer was as chewy as a piece of rubber.

Paramees P

02 January 2012  
Food & Drink 2.5
Service 3
Atmosphere 3
Value 1.5
We were very excited to have the head chef of Vama in our neighbourhood. We loved the food at Vama in Chelsea. So we keenly tried it last week with another couple of friends. The room was nice and chic, yet cozy enough. The seats were extremely comfortable. The waitress was very friendly but we could hardly hear her speak. She went through the way we should order as the menu is extremely confusing. They do not have starters and main courses. Everything seems to be whatever you want it to be…rather confusing as you don't know how large the dishes will be. We ordered a salad, chicken mince kebab, daal, fried okra, naan platter, crab curry and as our main courses, 2 lamb chops, tandoori prawns and roast quail and a bottle of wine. All the portions, other than the okra were rather small. The okra was delicious and a good nibbler with the wine. Daal was good. Naan selection was nice. So far, so good. Then came the lamb chops. They were disintegrating, literally, and tasted nothing like lamb chops. These used to be the reason we would eat at Vama and they were nothing like that at all. Rather disappointing, to say the least. The crab curry was one tiny little crab with a little sauce aka curry. It tasted very good but again stingy on the portion, considering it was around £17. Prawns (3 prawns) were so-so and certainly not worth £19. Our guest was happy with the quail. We left very disappointed with the overall experience. We had much greater expectation. The service can be toned down a bit. They are all over you and not relaxed. We left not feeling full enough after having spent around £185 for the four of us without dessert. I am sorry to say I will not be going back there at these prices and portions. There are much better Indian restaurants at much better value. I hope they adopt a different attitude.

Tareq I

16 November 2011  
Food & Drink 5
Service 4
Atmosphere 3.5
Value 4
very refreshing to have somewhere not central central to go for fine Indian food. different from the usual fare in Mayfair and really top notch fairly priced wine list to match the cocktail list is deadly. But the quality of the food is what stands out most a combination of the traditional meshed with some innovation. . will go back
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020 7229 2115 020 7229 2115

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