Holy Cow

I admit that it’s only been recently that I started eating Indian food. I know, this is super weird having living in England for three years already but it is what it is, OK?
When I first looked at the menu, particularly the prices, for Holy Cow, I said, «HOLY COW!» Their prices are high with a main coming in just under £9. Yes, there is enough in one portion for two good-​sized meals but good god. On top of the main, rice is extra, naan is extra, and lots of other things are extra. To help offset the cost, delivery for orders greater than £10 is free and with their prices, it’s not hard to achieve this minimum limit.
I’ve only ordered twice and I ordered the same dish on both occasions — murg bhuna. It’s a tasty dish, obviously as I’ve ordered it ²⁄₂ times. It could do with being a bit more saucy and I believe if I asked, they’d do just that but that means I would have to pick up the telephone and call in my order and I don’t want to do that. I want to be able to enter my special requests in a «special requests» text box on their online ordering form and submit it and be done with it. You know what else I would like to do when ordering online? Pay by credit card.
Enough complaining about their website. Along with my murg bhuna, I’ve ordered the naan and rice. The naan, as stated in prior reviews, does not transport well. I will not be ordering it again. It gets really rubbery and, since I’m being honest, I can’t taste a difference between the plain and the garlic naans. The rice is nothing special. Not terrible not excellent. It’s just rice.
I’ll definitely order from Holy Cow again and I’ll probably order the murg bhuna again. And again. And again.

Holy Cow was my go to spot for takeaway during an extended stay in London. I stayed just down the street and ordered takeaway twice during my time in London. The staff was very friendly (they even gave recommendations on a few dishes!) and our food was ready in a timely manner. My favorite dish was the Salzia King Prawns – if you like your indian food extra spicy this is definitely for you! It’s not the most budget friendly place for takeaway but the high quality and good service made it worth the higher price point.

Erzähl mir nichts vom Inder ich war in Southall!
Schwester und Schwiegerfreund haben die Tradition: einmal in der Woche bleibt die Küche kalt, leider gibt’s kein Wienerwald, dafür aber die Heilige Kuh. Der angeschlossene Lieferdienst bringt dann einen großen Karton mit vielen verschiedenen Gerichten, ungefähr zum gleichen Preis wie ein Ticket nach Mumbai (wobei die beiden extra viel bestellen und es über die Woche verteilt wieder aufwärmen, und genau vor so einem Teller aufgewärmtes sitze ich gerade, lecker).
Sehr lecker waren insbesondere die MODI SQUID, also die Indische Antwort auf Calamari. Darüber hinaus hat mir das Lamm Biryani sehr gut geschmeckt. Aber auch alle anderen Beilagen und Hauptgerichte waren sehr lecker. Und eben gab es Kichererbsen und Linsenpaste, dazu habe ich mir Basmati-​Knusperreis gemacht, heiliger Bulle war das lecker.
(Tipp zum Salz und zur Schärfe: man isst tunlichst immer Brot und /​oder Reis dazu).
Also ich vergebe eigentlich vier Sterne, aber klicke mal fünf an, da der Durchschnitt bei nicht verdienten drei Sternen steht.

Quick, fast delivery, and good food… though I thought it was a bit pricey. Everything arrived in about 40 minutes, and I loved how the mango lassi is packaged — all sealed in a plastic box! I only remember ordering the Murg Masala. the rest of the food disappeared too fast into our bellies. Reliable and would order from them again.

I love how Holy Cow save my credit card details next to my mobile number. Ha. Holy Cow is undoubtedly one of my favourite take-​away places in London, and a saviour for those nights where I get in late after rugby training/​gym/​etc. with a voracious appetite. Sure, the website gallery does pimp itself out a lot, featuring photosof Holy Cow staff serving the legendary Michel Roux Jnr, the much less pleasant or legendary Jon Torode, and the Champion of TV Culinary world, Ainsley Harriott, but I can really forgive all of that stuff.
The curries here are simply great — they don’t skimp on the spices like so many other places do, and there are always generously packed with meat (or veggies, if you’re so inclined): the chicken is particularly good — unlike most curry houses, it’s not horrendously dried out and it actually has the texture of chicken. Brilliant. The helpings of dhal are both generous, and will leave you suitably garlicky afterwards. The only disappointment is that their naan doesn’t travel so well, but that’s an inherent problem with naan. I do like their parathas though.
It’s not the cheapest (I’ll usually spend around £15 for a curry, rice, and bread), but in comparison to other higher quality delivery places such as Deliverance and Basilico, it’s pretty much on par, and loads better. Plus, as a bonus, delivery is usually pretty prompt (within about a half hour of ordering). A must-​have speed dial contact.

Without a doubt, the best curry I’ve had in London. I know given the Brickhouse area, this is a bold claim, but it’s true we had a table of eight, and shared our dishes, so I enjoyed a myriad of delights, each amazing. I really cannot speak highly enough for its vegetarian fare often dull or over seasoned, those dishes were as well stated as the meat based fare. I will be going back again, and soon!

Something’s changed in the last year. HC used to be excellent, but I’ve noticed a consistent drop in quality.
They are pricey, but ordering easy. They will keep a payment card on file. The food is good, but not excellent. I get the impression they are saving money on cheaper cuts of meat.

I’ve been searching for a decent curry house around Hammersmith/​Fulham for a while and in my mind, Holy Cow is possibly the best in the area. Whilst I’m sometimes a bit put off by the price (it is one of the more expensive around), I feel that the extra money is worth it for the quality, taste and service.
The Hammersmith branch is a new one, and before it opened I used to use the one in Putney, which I thought tasted slightly better, but I’ve never had a bad meal from here.
Couple of points which keep me coming back — it’s easy to order and they keep your address on file connected to your number so you just call and they know who is calling! Also, if there’s a dish you want that isn’t on the menu, they’ll make it for you. And free (huge!) poppadoms and chutney (though as it’s in a plastic tub in a hot bag, sometimes the chutney tastes a little like plastic!) always goes down well.
Having said that, as with some of the other reviewers, it can take a while for the order to arrive, though my most recent order turned up in about 40 minutes which was pretty good, though I only live about a mile and half away from the kitchen. Also the portion sizes aren’t as big as other takeaways might provide, but they’re still enough for me.
If I’m ever in the mood for a good curry, and feel like treating myself (I am a student after all!), it’s always Holy Cow for me.

We have ordered from Holy Cow in Hammersmith 3 times now but I don’t think we will go back.
The first time was brilliant but then second and third time the driver was late (always takes more than an hour which is ridiculous).
The food is presented as if it is industrial or frozen and then put into the microwave. I agree it looks clean but not very traditional.
Also we ordered a chicken korma for the kids as it is supposed not to be spicy and it was surprisingly more spicy than the chicken tikka masala!
We ordered (and paid for) 1 rice for one and 1 rice for two but they were both the same size (both looked like rices for one) and had to pay for our poppadoms…
The naans are also too expansive (between £2.50 and £3) and not worth the price.
Stick to your usual curry place for take aways, they have got good marketing but that’s all

Ordered from here based on a review of their place in north London. Food was tasty and hot. The delivery was amazing and the driver called me sir.
Also, got free onion mix with my order which was unexpected. Bang tidy!

London was blazing at 30 degrees C. The breeze blew hot. The tempers of everyone in cars, on tubes, buses and streets were frayed. No way was I going to cook today. Holy Cow to the rescue!
As Holy Cow are a take-​away operation, I wasn’t expecting much. I was very pleasantly surprised by the results. As people who know me will appreciate, my views on sub-​standard renditions of Indian food are caustic.
We ordered: Lamb Shish Kebab; Chicken Biryani (with sauce) x 2; Tarka Daal; Palak; Vegetable Samosa; Plain Naan; Raita. We got: Lamb Shish Kebab x 2 AND Chicken Shish Kebab; Chicken Biryani (with sauce) x 2; Tarka Daal; Palak; Sabzi (Dry Veg Curry); Vegetable Samosa; Plain Naan; Pappadum; Raita x 2 AND Mint Yoghurt AND Lime Pickle AND Mango Chutney. The extras were FREE.
The whole arrived in a splendid branded cardboard, carry box (with handles and everything!) and cost the princely sum of £45. Now had a plethora of extras the cost was minuscule. Amazing. It smelt good, as good food should.
The sealed packs were ripped open (all the food is cooked to order and arrives in heat sealed containers, piping hot). The food was voraciously consumed. .. the silence was golden.
The Biryani had perfectly spiced and marinated chicken chunks nestling in highly flavoured rice liberally interspersed with bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, cumin and fennel seeds and cinnamon sticks and came drizzled with saffron for colour — it tasted ten times better than it looked, and it already looked great!
The rest of our order complemented the main dish perfectly. The Kebab were soft and yielding but had a perfectly judged hot kick of garlic, ginger and chilli, lightened by green coriander. The Daal was superb, an essay on the tongue in how to cook lentils. The Palak (spinach) had a slightly seared quality, dryish (in a good way) and with a nutty flavour imparted by the whole spice tarka. The other accompaniments were flawless in their execution.
From ordering to delivery the service was without fault. Hurrah for Holy Cow!