I’ve been to British India before and had a more than delightful experience. The Thali Room is the name of the adjoining building next door and I was curious to find out what this place was about. It has it’s own entrance, but it turns out the only way into this place, is through the front door of British India. We also found out that no one actually gets to dine in The Thali Room unless the British India dining section is full. In the end, we sat down in British India with The Thali Room menu.

For those that don’t know, a Thali is a meal for one person that is made up of a selection of dishes. It comes in a small tray that contains multiple smaller dishes. The Thali Room menu gives you a choice of 8 different curries to choose from, while each of the remaining dishes on the Thali plate are exactly the same. At this place, thalis are served with vegetable curry, daal, chicken tikka salad, rice, naan and cucumber yoghurt raita (the menu says mango chutney but they obviously ran out).

I had a peak through The Thali Room window and can say that the decor was consistent with the British India dining area. The use of timber is prominent and I love the exposed brick walls. This place just oozes style and elegance.

My friend ordered the Masala Thali (chicken), while I got the Kashmiri Thali (lamb). I was amazed at the speed the food arrived. Food was at our table within 10 minutes and was nicely presented.

The main curry on my Thali was the Lamb Dansak. The lamb was well marinated, tender and succulent. There were 3 morsels of meat that were very fatty which I found disappointing. The sauce had a nice thick consistency and the heat levels were mild. The flavours were well balanced in the curry.

The Daal was simply amazing. The lentils were soft and delicate, and they were drowning in a curry sauce that was so tasty and full of flavour. I could have just ordered this and nothing else.

The Chicken Tikka Salad wasn’t too bad. The chicken was well marinated, tender and succulent. The meat wasn’t too spicy and the flavours were well balanced. It was sitting on top of a bed of crispy green vegetables. Just the right amount of dressing was applied to the salad.

The Vegetable Curry was disappointing. The vegetables were well cooked, but the curry didn’t do much. It tasted kind of bland and could have done with more salt.

My friend had the Tawa Tikka Masala with her Thali. She said the chicken was well marinated, tender and succulent. The curry was well balanced and had good depth.

The thali came with a large freshly baked naan bread, a generous serving of perfectly cooked rice and a refreshing cucumber yoghurt raita. While each individual dish on the thali looked small in size, when combined, the meal was quite satisfying.

The staff were friendly and the service was average. The staff were never around when we needed them and drinks were refilled only when asked. The atmosphere was relaxed and intimate, and the pricing was fair. The thalis were $22 each which was fairly good. The servings of curry may seem small, but the each portion is considerably rich and you don’t need much to get full.

If I were to pick between British India and The Thali Room, I would suggest go for the banquet on the British India menu. With their unlimited refills on the main dishes, it represents excellent value for money. The thali was also satisfying and the price not overly expensive. I wasn’t quite happy with the quality of the lamb in my curry or the vegetable curry accompaniment.

WHERE: 270-276 Morphett St, Adelaide