Taste of Lewisham

I will not go here again.
Tea and coffee were served as if it were milk flavored drinks.
Chappati was barely cooked, ordered veechu roti that was also half cooked. Mixed vegetable curry was mixed vegetables served in a bowl of oil that was mixed with some spices. The only thing worth eating was the Channa Masala.
The kitchen looked like a bit of a mess.

Food was great southern indian but i also ended up with an authentic case of delhi belly. Others seem to have fared better so may have been a one off?

Taste of Lewisham serves some of the spiciest food I have ever eaten in my life. They won’t ask you how you like your food — this is something you have to bring up, so if you can’t take spicy food, then be warned! I’ve been here three times, and each time, I’ve ended up sniffling and very quiet throughout!
As far as I can tell, the food here is authentic. Prior to joining this restaurant, the cook spent a number of years honing his craft in Singapore which has a sizable South Indian population.
Service is generally friendly, though perhaps a tad disorganised. For instance, our starter of paneer 65 arrived after all of our mains, but this is usually down to the popularity of the restaurant. While we were the only customers in the restaurant on the door, it turned out that they had 150 takeaway orders to deal with, and were two men down.
The prices are amazingly cheap. I’m really used to central London prices, and it’s always a joy to spend much less than I would where I live, and still have more than enough food to bring home for another meal.
Dishes I’d recommend include paneer 65 (or chicken 65 if you want some meat), deep-​fried sprats, chicken paratha and tomato uttapham.

Their chicken curry and hand made paratha’s will take you on a mental trip that will spin you around and land you on the set of a David Lynch movie.
The best curry I have ever had.
The spiciest curry I have ever had.
A good place to have all harmful bacteria in your system annihilated in one meal.
The flourecent orange borderline nightclub décor only adds to your curry induced head spin experience. You can literally feel the colours.

Super place!
Some of the best South Asian food I have eaten. Try their dosa, thali and their wada and other snacks which will be in the counter are absolutely the best I have ever had!
I like how they give you a full jug of water with your food too even if you are just one person.
Prices cannot be beaten.
Pleasant service.

Recently refurbished, Taste of Lewisham has a claim to revitalising this stretch of Lee High Road.
The vibrant orange décor speaks of South India and is visible to passers by on the road through a sheer plate glass wall. Once inside, you really are transported to another world. The hectic rythms of South India and Sri Lanka cascade about you as you are shown to your seat.
Water comes gratis and the food is ordered off the menu. At lunchtimes, set meal thalis are suggested (trays with 4 curry options, rice, chutney and yoghurt — filling and sustaining). In the evening the options are a la carte. Whether as part of a large group, you order the 6 ft dosa, or as a smaller group or pair, plump for the the idli tiffin, rassam, daal, fish curry and rice, you won’t be disappointed.
South India and Sri Lanka were busy trading entrepôt between China, the Middle East and Africa long before the Portuguese arrived in the 16^th century. The food bears the stamp of native flora and fauna but also brings in flavour and ingredients you wouldn’t expect, cassava chunks with chilli for example.
Though slightly chaotic (in the most genial and sweet way, I hasten to add), the service here is exemplary. Your cassava chunks starter may arrive after your main course, for example. But just relax. The food is excellent and that, presumably, is why you would come here. It’s excellence is demonstrated by the many Indian and Sri Lankan families that eat here.
One word of caution, the food is ‘Indian Hot’, that is you will feel and experience food as it is eaten in South India and Sri Lanka — which tends to have more chilli and ginger than we are used to here in the UK. Just pair it with a cooling sweet or mango lassi and you should be OK!