Shree Krishna Vada Pav Hounslow

This was the original branch of what is now a mini restaurant empire. Founded in 2010 by Sujay Sohani and Subodh Joshi., Shree Krishna Vada Pav now has branches stretching from Southall to Croydon, From Ilford to Leicester and beyond. The name comes from vada pav, a Mumbai street snack, basically a deep fried potato dumpling inside a bread bun. The menu of this entirely vegetarian restaurant is vast, with a wide range of Indian snacks and curries. There are no reservations taken here and no alcohol is served, though you can drink mango lassi as an alternative.

This is an informal place, with a wooden floor, orange plastic upholstery, mock granite Formica tables and Bollywood posters on the walls. Bhangra music plays though at a modest volume e.g. “Millionaire” by film producer turned singer Yo Yo Honey Singh. You order your food at the counter and it is delivered, at breathtaking speed in our case, to your table. If you want to have multiple courses then you need to place separate orders, as all the food on your order will arrive when it is ready, which seems to be almost immediately.

Aloo papdi chaat (£6.30), the classic snack of crisp fried pooris, sev, potato pieces, yoghurt and tamarind chutney, was balanced and enjoyable (12/20). Bhel poori (£5.20) was a touch dryer than I would have chosen (a bit more tamarind chutney would have improved this, at least to my taste) but the blend of onions, sev, puffed rice and tamarind chutney was pleasing, with the sweetness and sourness of the tamarind working well with the onions (12/20).

Pav onion bhaji (£3) had a deep-fried bhaji inside a little bread bun, which had a little chutney and a single green chilli on the side. The bhajia was crisp and tasted properly of onion (13/20).

Mattur paneer (£8.70) had pleasantly soft paneer, not as many peas as there might he have been, and a tomato-based sauce that was just a touch sweeter than it should be (11/12). Methi malai mattur with rice (£8.70) was better, the peas nicely enhanced by the fenugreek flavoured spiced sauce (12/20). On the side, paratha was very good. This is a bread that walks a tightrope between being too greasy and too dry, and the version here walked that line very well (13/20).

Gajar halwa (£4.10) is a dessert of slow-cooked carrots, sugar and milk that dates back to the Mughal era, after carrots were introduced to India from Iran. Flavoured with cardamom, this version was not too buttery and had good texture (13/20). I also enjoyed gulab jaman (£4.10), the sugar syrup not overly sweet and the two balls of fried milk solids tasty and having good texture (12/20).

The restaurant was packed out, and with the rapid pace of food delivery here this will not result in a lingering evening. The staff that we encountered were friendly and the bill came to £30 a head for more food than a sensible person would order. You could easily end up with a bill of £25 a head or less with more careful ordering. This was a casual and enjoyable restaurant with an appealing menu at a modest price, so I can see why it has prospered.