Empire Empire

Some lovely things, but others slightly lacking sadly. We had the lamb chops which were excellent - spicy, charred and very tender, the masala chips, (which are in fact crisps), and lacked seasoning, chicken tikka malai which was tasty but the chicken was slightly overcooked, the butter chicken which tasted exactly like a Charlie Bighams oven curry which was tasty, just slightly boring, and a lamb biryani, which had pomp with a pastry lid, (which lacked seasoning) but was otherwise quite bland. On the other hand, all of the meat was clearly of a good quality, they were generous with the amounts of lamb in the biryani, the presentation was brilliant, the staff were nice, and the location is lovely, but for the price we did expect slightly more.

This is one of my favourite Indian restaurants in London, it was a very pleasant surprise. To start we had the lucknowi lamb chop, a Bari aloo. The lamb chop was cooked to perfection, they left a healthy amount of fat on & the achari potatoes were so moreish, it’s not a particularly common dish and was really good. We also had a big portion of the prawn pakoras. For the mains we got the king prawn curry, which was incredible, I often find prawns in curry to be overcooked but these were bursting with flavours. And the lamb curry was lovely you could really taste the different layers of flavouring throughout. They sent out saffron milk cake on the house as it was a special occasion, which was a nice and unexpected treat. It was definitely on the heavier side for a milk cake and was very thick an and creamy but we enjoyed it. Overall service was on point, the waiter was very attentive, respectful and knew when to approach. The vibe in there was very nice and the unique candles on each table is a nice touch. Romantic setting, make sure to book ahead. 10/10

Really enjoyed this place — everything we had was genuinely very good. The lamb shank biryani was the highlight. It came covered with a layer of pastry, with pumpkin seeds on top and the lamb bone standing in the middle — looks great when it arrives. You break the pastry and mix everything together, which makes it quite fun to eat. The rice was dry and nicely separated, not oily at all, but still full of flavour. You can really taste the layers of spices in every bite. It’s not heavy or greasy, but still very filling and satisfying. The pumpkin seeds added a bit of nuttiness and texture, which worked really well and made it a bit different. The aubergine curry was also excellent. The sauce was really creamy and well balanced, not overpowering at all. It’s one of those dishes that just feels very comforting — honestly so good I could have eaten it on its own, spoon after spoon. It had a slight kick in the aftertaste, which made it even better. It came with three small round baby aubergines, each cut into sections, plus some tiny baby potatoes — very nicely done and full of flavour. The skewers were all good, but the vegetable ones (broccoli and potatoes) were actually the standout for me — even better than the lamb and chicken. The naan was probably the most forgettable dish of the meal. Not bad, just nothing special, and honestly a bit unnecessary — the curry worked perfectly with the biryani already. I’ve definitely had better naan elsewhere. Portions might not look huge, but it was very filling. There were two of us and we were completely full by the end — had to make a real effort to finish everything. Overall, really good food, well-balanced flavours, and nice to see lots of Indian diners there as well. Considering the quality and how filling the meal was, the pricing felt very reasonable and definitely worth it. Would definitely come back.

Staff was extremely nice and sorted table for us even though we didn’t make reservation before. We were on the outdoor area by the street, very quiet and quite enjoyable. Dishes are flavourful and delicious. We enjoyed most of them. Only downside was the biryani … unfortunately some rice wasn’t properly cooked and felt very hard under the tooth, therefore not very pleasant. Too bad as the spices are good. We referred to the staff. Dessert has nothing special. Overall we had a good dinner at Empire empire et would probably come back

Empire Empire After hearing all the hype and seeing this place marketed as a Michelin-rated (bib) venue, my expectations were understandably very high. Having dined at several Michelin rated restaurants before, I have to say this experience was mediocre at best. Would I return? Personally, no. I’ve tried it once and, in my opinion, it’s definitely not worth a second visit. Starting with the arrival, the welcome felt very cold and uninviting. There were no warm greetings, just straight faces before being shown to our table at the back of the restaurant. There were four of us dining, and the first thing we noticed was that the table was badly wobbly — to the point drinks were moving around whenever anyone touched it. We had to ask a waiter to fix it, which he eventually did. One thing that also immediately stood out was a bent fork at the table. For a Michelin-rated restaurant, details like that really shouldn’t be overlooked. We started with cocktails: a Margarita, Old Fashioned, Aperol Spritz, and a Disco beer. Unfortunately, the cocktails were underwhelming and lacked balance or quality, although the beer was enjoyable — even if it did come from a can. For starters and grills, we ordered a large selection from the menu including masala chips, prawn Amritsar, broccoli skewers, potatoes, kebabs, chicken malai, and lamb chops. The masala chips were actually one of the better dishes — more like homemade crisps served with a tomato-style salsa, very enjoyable. The prawn Amritsar was decent but lacked flavour. The broccoli skewers were surprisingly excellent and probably one of the standout dishes from that section of the menu. The potatoes were also nicely flavoured. However, the meat dishes were disappointing considering they should have been the stars of the meal. The chicken was tough and not particularly enjoyable, while the lamb chops had good flavour but were slightly overcooked and sitting in a noticeable pool of oil, which was quite off-putting. Another issue was that chutneys had to be ordered separately, which honestly felt unnecessary at this price point. The onion salad — also ordered separately — was nice enough, but it says a lot when I’m talking more positively about broccoli and salad than the meat dishes themselves. For mains, we ordered the lamb laal maas, butter chicken, and originally wanted the lamb shank biryani, but unfortunately they had run out. Instead, we ordered the lobster biryani alongside butter naan and garlic chilli naan. The lamb laal maas was genuinely very good — rich depth of flavour, tender meat, and probably my favourite dish of the entire meal. The butter chicken, however, was only average. Some pieces of chicken were tough and had a stringy texture, which made it difficult to enjoy fully. The lobster biryani was probably the biggest disappointment. The lobster itself had a grainy, sandy texture and felt slightly overcooked, with very little flavour overall. On top of that, the biryani didn’t even come with raita, which again had to be ordered separately — something that felt a bit ridiculous considering the pricing. The naans were lovely, soft, and fresh, but very small. Between four people, we ended up ordering eight naans. One final point worth mentioning was the smell throughout parts of the restaurant. There was a strange, unpleasant odour, especially near the toilets and kitchen area, which really affected the overall experience. Overall, for a Michelin-rated restaurant, this simply didn’t deliver for me. The service lacked warmth, the food was inconsistent and often lacked flavour and punch, and there were too many small issues — the wobbly table, bent fork, disappointing cocktails, and unpleasant smell — that added up throughout the evening. Also when the mains arrived we had to ask for fresh plates as well. Not by any means bad but not wow and wouldn't be returning. There are far better restaurants out there in my opinion, so I wouldn’t get too caught up in the influencer hype surrounding this place. But of course, each to their own.