Carom

Tres chic! Lots of well dressed 20 something’s hanging out on the weekend, large lounge area with a DJ. We checked in with the hostess and were told about a 20 minute wait for a table. So we went to the bar to wait, I went back to check on the table at the 30 minute mark and was told the kitchen was closed? Really? The original hostess walked up and saved the day, had a seated and served. The food and service were ok, the space and vibe are worth 3 stars.

Skilled and friendly staff — these guys make phenomenal cocktails, put on a mean indian feast and the atmosphere is 5 star! A place you could never get sick of!

I have to admit that most Indian places (think Brick Lane) confuse me with a menu I don’t particularly get, way too spicy food and quite heavy dishes. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by Carom and it’s definitely an Indian place I would be happy to go back to.
The place itself looks like a mix between a cocktail bar and a restaurant, with a great selection of cocktails to choose from and a good balance of food items.
We decided to go for the chilli squid, which is one of their most popular dishes, and it was delicious. Then my friend had a really nice sea bass curry and I had ‘the gin-​izzler’ which is basically chicken skewers that are set on fire in front of you! Points for showmanship right there! I do live chicken and I have to say this was amazing, really soft and juicy but also tasting like it was made on a barbecue.
I was greatly impressed by the quality of the food and the drinks as well as the very attentive staff and I would totally recommend it if you feel like having a good Indian meal.

Buzzing, lively and reasonably priced, with solid indian food and a brilliant atmosphere.
Went here with a bunch of girlfriends for dinner and got a fantastic tasting menu that let us –non indian connaisseurs– sample a bit of everything. A must try for great cocktails and people watching.

I have always thought that I’m more of a Thai food person because I can’t seem to find Indian food which really does it for me. After I had lunch at Carom, I realised that I had been eating Indian food at the wrong restaurants.
I liked the décor from the intimate setting to the high ceilings at the entrance and I particularly likes what they did with the extra space setting up couches and coffee tables to make the atmosphere seem relaxed.
I was part of a big group of people so we went for the sharing option which came with tasty starters such as squids, popadoms with the various addictive sauces to go with it, main meals which I could not stop filling my plate up with as every meal was as delicious as the other from the lamb to the lentils to the cottage cheese. Absolutely delicious.
Not to mention how wonderful the staff were too never leaving a glass empty and frequently checking in to make sure we were satisfied. Peppe was very knowledgeable about wines and explained to us the way each wine was created, their flavours and also which would be best with the variety of meals. Marino and Davide kept us happy with drinks filling up our water glass and wine glass too!
Luckily, lunch was on the company so I didn’t have to look at the prices however, whatever the price may be, Carom is definitely an Indian restaurant worth visiting over and over again.

I had really high hopes for Carom. We wandered in on a Friday evening after a meal in Soho, and outside they advertised £5 cocktails (unfortunately those end at 6:30 PM) and a series of live music gigs. Inside it is buzzing and lively and it seems to be attached to a club downstairs, which wasn’t open at that time. It advertises itself as a bar /​restaurant /​lounge, so we took a seat in the lounge area at a table and were greated immediately by a member of staff. I asked for a fruity drink that was not too sweet, and he recommended the Fig and Mandarin Martini. It is meant to have vodka, fig liqueur, and elderflower liqueur, but when it came, it tasted like whiskey and had a star anise floating in it. I asked the server to check if it was the right drink, and he came back and confirmed that it was, but didn’t offer to remix it for me. It was so difficult to drink and did not fit the bill of fruity or sweet at all. Then for my second drink, I ordered a mojito, but somehow it hurt my throat to drink it… it was that bad. After that, I gave up on the bar and decided to go to a pub down the street because the cocktails were so disappointing. The place seemed fun but it’s too bad that the drinks were not up to scratch!

Visited for drinks and its a great ambience. I would certainly return. Good happy hour cocktails.

There are so many good restaurants in Soho, that we couldn’t decide where to get dinner. We were starving and «hangry» (when you’re so hungry that you’re starting to get angry) when we finally settled for Carom. I’m so glad we did!
The service was spectacular! We got there a bit early for dinner but our waiter made sure we were well taken care of. We opted for the tourist menu, and he helped us choose the items that he thought we would like best. My curry was insanely delicious. I paid about 18 pounds for three courses, which was not bad considering how pricey dining in London can be.
The ambiance is great; think Hakasaan in Vegas. I would probably have stayed here for a drink or two if I wasn’t so tired.

Das Caroom ist ein ausgezeichnetes indisches Restaurant. Die atmosphäre ist nicht indisch, dafür aber modern und grosszügig.
Auch das personal ist nicht indisch. Die Bedienung war aber wirklich klasse! Sehr freundlich, kommunikativ und speditiv
Auf der Karte findet man Daal, Curries und Grill. Geschmeckt hat es ausgezeichnet. Auf Wunsch kann man alle Speisen dem eigenen Geschmack anpassen was schärfe betrifft. Ein indiz das hisr frisch gekocht wird und nicht einfach nur zusammengemischt.
Auch die Preise waren absolut fair! Curies für unter £10! Allerdings ohne Beilagen. Da gibt es verschiedenen Reis und Naan Brote. Das Naan war auch wirklich gut, vor allem das mit Knoblauch!

I don’t know what to compliment first the food or the service.
Let me start with the food, I really enjoyed it. The lamb was delicious, especially the Nalli Salli. We did make a reservation before we went. The only downside I can think of [nothing major] but it did get a little too noisy.
This is a also a very affordable restaurant for where it is. I was actually shocked at how cheap it was.
The service is a whole different story, it wasn’t the best service in the world but you could see they were trying hard to do their best.

Our first dinner in London. It was a little confusing, we found the restaurant without issue but when we walked in the host podium was for a different place? So, hang left of that one and there is another. It’s swank and clubby inside with a touch of Indian. We were there fairly early on a Saturday (7.30pm) but toward the end of dinner we did have to start yelling a bit as the noise level increased.
I was very pleased with the food. It’s an elevated, more sophisticated take on traditional Indian. We got poppadums to start (excellent chutneys, mango was the favorite), chili squid (light and surprisingly good sized portion), and shared the Jhinga (grilled prawns, smallish dish that the waiter did note for us when we placed the order), and the Kerala fish curry with sea bass. The curry was by far my favorite, the ginger and coconut gave it a bit of Thai flavor. Make sure to get some rice to soak up every bit of the curry! Even though I was full I couldn’t resist getting dessert, mango kulfi. It was a nice way to end the meal, a little on the small side but it’s not like we needed any more than what we were given.
We didn’t end up trying any cocktails since we were still dehydrated and jet lagged. Next time!

Last night, I mysteriously ended up at Carom’s again. Experiencing similar issues with disorganisation again but on much smaller scale was somehow exciting! We got a table without a reservation, they were helpful and the wait wasn’t as long as 15 minutes for an order or anything. Although, we might have been ‘waiter-​catching’ more…
The food was delicious. My aubergine was a sensation! And the wine light-​bodies, fresh, beautiful.

Pretty fancy place. Great food at affordable prices. Good Service. I will come back

I randomly ended up here post-​work for a few Tiger beers once before when it strangely became a banging club night, a bit much. But their great Lamb and South Asian sort of tapas to drink with brought me and my unadventurous lot back here.
This second visit however was more of a subdued event. At it’s entrance, under a conservatory roof, contrived chintzy uncomfortable seating at first glances looked the most convivial place to enjoy ourselves in the cutesy artificial sectioned off ‘garden’. Akin to being in a Laura Ashley shop window circa. 1992 but with the backdrop of a gaudy curry house in the background it was more Watford, than Wardour st.
Our server was full of the joys of Spring, however management milling around looked a little more interested.
I still don’t get this place, but the tamarind and green curry pesto, I hate to admit, was rather wonderful.

WOW,
This eye-​blowing place is quite a fancy venue, in the middle of SoHo.
The place can seem noisy at first, but the tables are compartmented, so you have your own little cosy space.
We enjoyed having an American-​style waitress, who presented herself, made jokes about us, and was nonetheless very knowledgeable and professional.
The food was good, although the cold sweet & sour chickpea dumplings did not live up to expectations…
The rest of the meal was great though, up to the grand finale: an amazing fruity cheesecake.
Drink-​wise, the cocktails and soft cocktails were very enjoyable too.

This place has everything just right, making it an awesome place to hang out and/​or party! With all the hospitality and perks of a central London club, but with a décor and vibe which is just the right amount of down-​to-​earth, Carom makes itself a versatile joint fit for the dance floor demons and the couch slouchers to happily coincide and intermingle.
My friend and I had just been ousted from a pub at closing time and were wandering the streets looking for a decent joint that wasn’t going to cost an arm and a leg. Alas, we thought, it is after midnight on a Saturday and we are smack in the middle of London, we have no hope…
Then, somewhere near the soho village area, up pops Carom. The place is busy with a good g: g, the music sounds good, and everyone looks like they’re having a blast. What’s that you say… No cover? No coatcheck fee? The bartenders are proper professionals putting on a show and making fine cocktails, there is a fun-​loving attentive staff keeping the place running, the DJ is actually mixing well and keeping the vibe going, and even the washrooms were spacious, elegant, and well attended by a friendly gent.
I will absolutely be taking people back there. My only wish is that it didn’t close at 2!
I did not try the food.

i came here with some friends on a friday night for some pre-​dinner cocktails. the bar area was very busy so initially we didn’t have a seat, or great service, despite standing at the bar for an age. the saving grace of the entire experience of this place was actually the manager/​owner (i think), who noticed that we were not being served, acknowledged us, and very quickly sorted out our orders for us. he was also great, telling us all of the histories behind each individual cocktail he was making. his service was absolutely brilliant, and elevates this review from 3 stars to 4 for sure.
the atmosphere in here is really weird being part bar/​part restaurant/​part atrium… and i think there is another restaurant tucked away somewhere too. i didn’t think it particularly gelled well together, but to be honest, once we had a seat for our group, it was pleasant enough.
the cocktails we had were excellent. i got an elder bubble which was a gin, prosecco and elder flower affair, and an old white lady (or maybe just a white lady, i can’t remember!) which was another gin based affair, but with lemon. it was very bitter and just delicious! they definitely pack a punch, but they are pricey at around the £9-£10 mark.
i’d come back if i reserved a seat in the front bar area (by the windows) and wanted some good cocktails. it’s fairly large for soho so is a good idea if you’re in a group and looking for somewhere to go last minute without reservations (that’s what we did!)

I’ve been dying to come back and try this place «for reals» since the Unilocal Elite Curry Club event. So when a friend called and told me another friend was in town and wanted to meet for dinner, I did think of here. Luckily, she lives in Maine and there is a severe shortage of good Indian food there, so she was totally on board for an Indian night out.
I do have to say the atmosphere is a bit odd. Two restaurants in one place? It’s strange. Also the bar area was super crowded when we showed up at 7:00, with the restaurant being fairly empty. We got a booth (which was nice, even if it was a tad warm) and browsed the menu.
They’re all about the sharing apparently. So that’s what we decided to do. We ordered poppadoms (of course) and they come with three delicious chutneys. We got three starters: bhelpuri, chicken satay and chili squid. All of them were pretty damn tasty. The bhelpuri was very spicy and deliciously crunchy. Chicken satay was slightly overcooked, but the seasoning was spot on! And squid with chili is always a winning combination in my book! We were all quite impressed with the starters.
The mains came. We had grilled chicken, lamb curry, chennai chicken curry, saag makai and black lentils. I had had two of the dishes before, so I knew the chicken curry and the lentils were amazing (and they were again). The grilled chicken was perfectly cooked and incredibly tasty. The saag makai was also wonderfully delicious. Spinach and baby corn? More please! I still want to bathe in the lentils. I don’t know what they do, but I love them. We had paratha, peshwari naan, rice and salad. Paratha is my favorite, so I was very happy with that! The peshwari naan was a bit odd. I don’t know what it was, but I’ve had better. The salad was pretty tasty as well (and I’ve never ordered a salad at an Indian place before). My friend from the US says she normally doesn’t like lentils (apparently eating them as a kid turns you off of them), and she loved them. She also doesn’t usually eat Indian breads, but she thought the paratha was also really tasty.
We didn’t have dessert. No Gulab Jamun unfortunately. The desserts were strangely non-​Indian (except the Kulfi).
I had a great time though, and they had some interesting wines on the menu (Indian wine!) so we were all happy campers. When I go back, I think I’m going to avoid the lamb curry, but there’s a beef curry on the menu that’s calling my name…

Modern Indian, in the heart of Soho. The bar feature 83 (count ‘em) varieties of gin. The menu features an array of small plates and mains of the former, chilli squid was very good, although the softshell crab Chennai-​style was deemed not as good as in Chennai. But then, we’re in the West End here, not the steamy Sub-​Continent. Other high points included the very good poppadoms and pickles (light, airy, and seemingly greaseless, paired with an apple chutney, something with tamarind reminiscent of a posher, less sugary HP Sauce [ in a good way], and a chili number). Main courses were fairly unmemorable though a Goan prawn curry was somewhat lacking in punch, for example. Service, though friendly and accommodating, was a little haphazard and hesitant, and a serviceable wine list was marred by a number of things being unavailable or in short supply. In fairness, it was a Monday night, but I did feel I (and the the restaurant) could do better.

A really lively place night-​spot with a DJ and food and a full bar. What more can you ask for on a Friday for happy hour with the girls?
The food was really good, and the cocktails were even better. I had a little help from the manager who was roaming around us a bit for a cocktail choice and it was spot on.
We ordered the taster platter and it was just delicious. I don’t even like chutney and i couldn’t get enough of the carrot chutney.
Highly recommend this place!

A relaxed chilled out sort of place with Indian inspired food and cocktails. The house white is delicious (especially in this warm weather), as was a champagne cocktail which I’m sorry to say, I can’t remember what it’s called.
The Food on the other hand was okay, perhaps that is a little harsh, it’s probably very nice to most, but for me personally I found it to be over spiced for my taste. Let me point out that I would not call myself a fan of Indian food. It’s okay in small (very small) doses and it would not be on my list of «go to» food nor my «I’m dying, it’s an emergency» foods. Of course I’m joshing with you.
Final thought: Thumbs up if you want to bring a date here for drinks, but perhaps not for dinner if it’s a second date and you’re expecting to do any «pitch-​ing»
, or at least, make sure that you both order dishes with garlic!

These guys have introduced a curry club, once a month you can join them for a cooking demo behind the scenes with the head chef!
Following that, you can enjoy a drink & a 3 course meal, all for £50!
If you can’t make the demo, you can enjoy the menu of the month for £15 (includes drink, sides).
Not a bad deal!
Check out their website for more info!