Rating: Impossible to rate, as some of the
negatives are reasons to love it.
Cost: Around £25 per person, including 2
glasses of horrible table wine.
Go there if: You’re open-minded and enjoy backpacking
in backwaters.
Conclusion: Clueless and bizarre service
but really good food. An
experience.
___________________________________________________
Yes, Dinner Time is actually the name of
this odd little Indian and Nepalese restaurant near New Cross Gate. It is a
freshly chosen name as the business has just been bought, re-decorated and
reopened by the previous owner’s friend.
Most customers’ orders are placed over the
phone and delivered, so not many people experience the quirks of eating in.
Points of interest include the décor…
…the friendly and polite but
excruciatingly bad service; the extremely talkative Chef/Owner, Phool Prasad Sharma; the strange drinks menu and the really very good food. Eating there made me
feel like I was in a local restaurant in a remote backwater or desolate border
town somewhere far-flung. I felt I should have had my backpack and a guidebook with
me.
The two choices of wine on the list were
not familiar to me but the waiter didn’t understand when I wanted to know more
or to see the bottles. In the end I just asked for “white wine”. After about 15
minutes of doing nothing in particular, the waiter decided it was time to nip
to the off-licence next door to buy my wine - which was not either of those listed
on the menu. It was a very generic and cheap Aussie wine and certainly not
worth the £7 a glass I paid for it - especially as it was room temperature. The
waiter and I failed to find a clean glass on my table (set for four), so he got
one from the bar.
Finally, Mr Sharma turned up to cook my
dinner, and, after chatting to me for about 20 minutes, he took my order. Then leisurely began to prepare it. For my starter I chose Nepalese lamb dumplings (like dim sum
but far tastier) with homemade lime chutney, and they were delicious.
Sharma insisted he would wait until I had
finished my starter before beginning to cook my main course. After my starter,
and while I was waiting (ages) for him to start work on my main, a telephone order was
taken. According to the menu, the “approximate maximum wait time [for delivery
is] 45 minutes, please bear with us in busy periods”. Upon concluding the call,
the waiter told the customer that the order would take 45 minutes. I was
literally the only other customer. It was not busy. Maybe they want to appear
busier than they are, but I think they just like to take their time at Dinner
Time.
Lots of chopping and sizzling noises ensued
from the open kitchen. A long while later I was presented with an excellent hot
and aromatic chicken curry (murgh ‘lasuni’), packed with fresh herbs and
spices, and a tasty dish of spice-fried okra.
Sadly, the accompanying roti was thick, solid, stiff and raw in the middle – their tandoor can’t have been hot enough, which of
course completely defeats the object.
After thoroughly enjoying my meal, and in the absence of any staff, I went up to
the kitchen to ask for the bill. There was lovely-looking fresh produce everywhere;
bunches of herbs, bags of vegetables et cetera.
While I was waiting for my bill, a couple
arrived to eat in. They were visibly very cold and immediately requested cups
of tea. 10 minutes later, as I left, the waiter finally asked them if they’d
like some papadums. They hadn’t got their tea yet.
I left with my doggy bag, which included
some complimentary papadums (particularly nutty and good) with homemade spicy
chopped onion salad and chutneys.
If you have time, patience and are in a
good mood – and want to be amused – you must try this place. It is an
experience. The food is generally fab and I’m sure they won’t mind if you take
your own wine.
