Brilliant Restaurant

Yes, it hit the spot! Great Indian food.
Highlights: Food was delicious, cooked to perfection and ample quantity, Location was easy to find, Staff was friendly with good décor and set up.
Can improve: Parking is a pain so be prepared to walk a little.
Benchmark: For me the best Indian restaurants are Delhi Spice, Namaste Lounge and Everest Lounge.
Dined in June 2015 and will return if in the area.

Should you go all the way to Southall for an Indian dinner? Emphatically yes, if its to eat at Brilliant. The Brits flatter themselves that they have the best Indian restaurants in the world, but I beg to differ. Most Indian restaurants in central London serve overspiced dishes that yet manage to taste bland. Not Brilliant. The flavors at Brilliant are fresh, piquant and unswamped by an overabundances of spices. Try the properly grilled Tandoor Paneer Tikka. It is aromatic from the marinades & the Tandoor, crisp but tender & flavorful. Or the Chili Paneer, redolent of that authentic Indian aroma of onions, garlic, chili & cilantro. The Papri chat tingles the tongue, while the yogurt sauce cools it off, the tamarind sauce tantalizes & teases and the crispy topping mingles tastily with the soft potatoes & chick peas. Try the Macala Eggs for an unusual appetizer: eggs stuffed with spices & deep fried.
The fish dishes have fresh, clean flavors: the tilapia simmered in a rich brown sauce; the salmon flavorful from the tandoor oven; the prawns tossed with red & green peppers in a delicate masala. The meat dishes, whether tandoori or in a variety of curries are authentic & delicious. If you must have dessert, have the kulfi, an Indian ice-​cream with the pistachios & almonds providing a satisfying crunchy contrast to the delicate cream.
Both lamb and chicken mains are £8, fish and seafood vary in prices while daal & vegetable mains are £6. In all, this will be an Indian meal worth the trip. & in case it interests you, this restaurant placed in Gordon Ramsey’s great British restaurant competition.
See my pictures at

Food was good, but to be honest tasted just like some Indian restaurants back in Virginia. We started with the butter chicken. Not very saucy, and a little bland for my tastes… was picking out gristle and bone out of every bite, but I ate it and found it’s flavor to be brought out more with some of the side sauces they brought out (one tasted like a BBQ?)
I also had the curry lamb – very good! Lamb just fell apart it was so tender.
The naan was probably the best part of the whole experience. Warm, very fresh, the best naan I’ve ever had.
Something I found a little disturbing with the ambiance were the posters of Ms. Anand EVERYWHERE advertising her book. Her books were everywhere and posters and all kinds of stuff so I found myself staring at her the entire evening. Kind of ruined the ambiance, but kudos to good advertising, while sitting there we saw her sell and sign at least 2 books. *see pic of creepy stare* kind of like she’s saying with her eyes «like my food…»

Excellent back-​street curry house! Awesome!

I have been to this restaurant since I was a child. It is without doubt one of the best authentic Punjabi restaurant in England. Cooked by Indians as opposed to Bangladeshis, and at any one time, half the customers in the restaurant will be Indian, which is the best indicator of quality. The serv ice is unfailingly courteous. The last time i came here, I had the samosas which were light and delicious. We then had the chana, methi chicken, a couple of paneer dishes, kofta and vegetable biryani. These were all good, and the sauces vibrant and deep. The house wine at £2.50 a glass was very palatable. This place does not specialise in puddings. Despite being described as so on the menu, the kulfi was definitely not ‘home made’ and was correspondingly tasteless. The rasmalai was very dry despite the milky syrup.
Whilst the food is a reason to come back again and again, the restaurant itself lacks atmosphere. The very bright white lighting and bank of televisions all along the back wall prevent you from feeling comfortable and relaxed. That is a shame. Aside from this, I’ll still be found here for many years to come.

First time eating Indian. It was «Brilliant»! Ha Ha. Ok, the staff were very nice and helpful and the prices were not to bad. All in all a good introduction to Indian food for me. I would go back without hesitation.

It’s ok, but not the best in London by any means, but it’s pretty good. It is a very nice establishment though, and the staff is very nice.

I can’t believe this place only has 3 stars on Qype. What’s wrong with you people? The food here is fantastic. The butter chicken is the best I’ve ever had and the rest of the menu is mouthwateringly good. In fact I want to go there right now and it’s only quarter to 10 in the morning as I write this. The only thing that lets Brilliant down is the pricing, as it’s more expensive than other local haunts such as Mirch Masala or Gifto’s Lahore Karahi.

This has to be the worst Indian food ever. Went there last week for Valentines Day, and must say the food is bland and tasteless! Martin2343, either your tastebuds are not working or you have been paid for your comments (the same way I think Gordon Ramsay has been paid to say its the best Indian lets not forget he was broke and must have welcomed any kind of money to promote a taste lacking restaurant). Or judging by other comments, if you have eaten here 150 times it must be the leftovers of other customers after you have finished your shift at the restaurant?! Would not recommend this place to anyone, as service is slow and the food really is not proper Indian food. You would probably get much better at your local curry house. Brilliant is SIMPLY NOT BRILLIANT!!!

Nice buzzy atmoshere, loved the home made pickles & chutney. We had Orkra with lamb, Keema Peas, Lamb Biryani & Dhal (see pics). Was very good, you can taste the spices individually. Would come again.

Wow! The biryani lived up to expectations, as did the samosa’s. I also ordered the tilapia pekoras and they were good too.
Service was amazing. You can’t miss this place. Totally worth it.
The waiter didn’t think my brilliant joke was funny, but then again, I was a tourist pushing the comic envelope. I’ve left London almost six weeks ago, and I can still smell the biryani. will go back just as soon as I touch UK soil

the food is not upto standard the place is cool and location gre at, staff are crap and they dont pay attention to the customers really this place is far from brilliant. I am not a rival restraunt owner I enjoy good food.

Please, people, ignore the negative reviews of the Brilliant. Maybe people genuinely had bad experiences, or they’re just used to high street rubbish — or, as I suspect, the low-​starring reviews are planted by rival restaurateurs.
I’m as critical as you can be of any restaurants, but especially Indian /​Pakistani places, and trust me the Brilliant … IS. Utterly delicious, authentic food, fantastic ingredients, charming service, delightful ambiance. And, no, I wasn’t influenced by Gordon Ramsay, either! I previously reviewed the Argentinian place in Battersea which he raved about in the same series, and it was dreadful. The Brilliant is now my joint No. 1 in London.

The food was good but not Brilliant. Above average though.
I was not that impressed with the service and found it difficult to get the attention of the waiter, which should have been easy being the only diners in the restaurant at the time (it was quite early in the evening). Maybe the waiter hadn’t warmed up yet.
I found the large TV screens showing Bollwood movies with scantilly clad woman whirling around quite distracting whilst we ate.
The ambience was not my cup of tea as I prefer something a little more intimate, I can see many people may enjoy that sort of place though.

The Brilliant has long been one of of my favourite Indian restaurants — I have been coming here for twenty years on a regular basis. These days it is very smart, with an upstairs room that can be hired for private dining.
The cooking is authentic Punjab, with a few twists from East Africa, which is where the owners grew up. Tandoori dishes are excellent, such as the butter chicken or jeera chicken, and the tandoori quaili is superb.
Curries are made using a specially made garam masala mix, and dishes such as methi chicken have a wonderful rich complexity highlighting fenugreek and a host of other spices.
Try the romali roti, a paper-​thin bread that is tossed in the air and cooked briefly on a steel hemisphere. It is a bread that is common enough in India, but hardly any restaurant in the UK serves it.
Portions are very much designed for large Asian families, but they will happily pack any leftovers for you. Prices are very fair indeed (though high by Southall standards) — £25 a head including drinks will buy more food than anyone could reasonably eat at one sitting.

I came here for my uncle’s 70^th+ birthday dinner & this is, hands down, the best (restaurant cooked) Indian food I have EVER had.
The food was impeccable! All of the meats were cooked to perfection — so tender! The curries were delicious & perfectly spiced.
The service was great, however, they were spotty at times.
This is an expensive meal, but definitely worth the splurge.

This place has a great reputation for serving great Indian Food.
Located in Southall which is perhaps the only drawback because if this was located in any other place it would be lines out the door.
As others have pointed out this place has won many UK Curry Awards and they continue to be a benchmark by which other chefs have to compete. Its not cheap, perhaps 15 to 20 Pounds per person, which is about $ 24 to $ 30 Dollars.
They keep this location going but I believe the majority of the business seems to have migrated to catering for weddings for the England Elite. People who can afford the steep prices for a posh and extravagant menu. Almost wish we had access to a place like this in San Francisco Bay Area, but alas some things have not migrated from the old RAJ to the New World.
This is a must try if you are in the Area, other options are available in Ealing like Monty’s.

I agree with everything the other reviewers have said about The Brilliant. It is easily one of the best Indian Restaurant in the area. You know it is good when even the local Indian Community eat there. Very light and airy. Modern décor — not a plastic Taj Mahal or roll of flock wallpaper in site. Very clean, great service. The only small grip I have is the massive plasma TV’s were on all the time. That might be OK for some but it ruined the ‘atmos’ for me slightly. Food is really good. Not too spicy which is usually done so just for the ‘British’ Pallet anyway (Goodness Gracious Me and the ‘going for an English’ sketch springs to mind). The food comes in good size portions but don’t expect to find a healthy option anywhere on the menu.
I am a wheelchair user so also look at things from the wheelchair access point of view. It has level access but no disabled loo. Plenty of side streets to park down though.
The place gets very busy most weekends so you need to arrive early of be prepared for a wait for a table.

This is the Indian Restaurant against which I rate all others. It is a multi award wining Indian restaurant. If you are in the London area — be sure to dine here.

Great resturant, food is tastey and fairly priced. Staff are very friendly, and atmosphere is quite nice. They have great starters and their main courses are very good too, they make great milkshakes too.
I liek their lamb briyani it tastes just right, not too dry like some other places.