Sheesh Mahal

Melt-In-Mouth Lamb & Friendly Staff

Visiting Sheesh Mahal is a bit like leafing through the greatest hits of an Indian restaurant — full of potential chart-toppers interspersed with a few filler tracks. With its bring-your-own-booze policy, it's already charming the socks off Twickenham's thrifty diners who enjoy making their evenings a little merrier without having to splash out on pricey drinks. The lamb dishes, particularly the bhuna, shimmer with an unmistakable tenderness that left me banishing any prolonged notion of table-side conversation, content instead to commune quietly with every mouthful.

The service truly is where the experience diverges. When the stars align, you’ll encounter the kind of flair and attentiveness usually reserved for birthday parties and wedding anniversaries. You're king in a realm where curry and cordiality reign supreme. Other nights, though, you might feel more like an uninvited guest crashing a family reunion—an air of begrudging efficiency hangs over the proceedings, plates hitting the table with unsettling haste. But soldier through the occasional contretemps, and the rewards reveal themselves in dishes that can surprise you with a spicy virtuosity not often encountered this side of the Subcontinent. Despite ups and downs, my visit to Sheesh Mahal reaffirmed the power of BYOB magic and a kitchen capable of the sublime. — Milo Tastemaker