Needoo Grill – Whitechapel

You wouldn’t know it from looking at the small shop-front on the street, but inside Needoo Grill it’s cavernous. There are lots of different rooms split over three levels. It’s huge.

Piles of samosas + onion bhajis to tempt you inside

Step inside and you’re immediately in the small counter area where piles of large samosas and onion bhajis await.

Cavernous rooms – note that ‘Needoo’ is carved into the back of the wooden chairs

At 7pm last Friday night (another rainy day and night in London) Needoo’s was already packed, despite being tucked down a side street off Whitechapel Road (in an area with plenty of curry houses).

J, who’s a vegetarian, had been here before (we came on her recommendation). For starters we shared a large vegetable samosa @ £0.95, pakora @ £1.75 and chilli paneer @ £3.50 – all very good (particularly the chilli paneer or chilli cheese) and such good value too. The starters were served with plenty of refreshing salad and a jug of tap water was placed on the table as standard.

It’s a BYOB restaurant, so bringing your own beer (or whatever alcoholic drinks you prefer) also keeps costs down if you’re on a budget.

Three veggie dishes to share: aubergine, pumpkin + chickpeas

For main course, we shared three veggie dishes: daal baingun (aubergine) @ £5.50, Punjabi tinda (baby pumpkin) @ £6.50, and special Lahori chana (chickpeas) @ £5.75, along with a portion of pilau rice @ £2.75, a peshwari naan bread @ £3.50 and a garlic naan bread @ £2.80.

Needless to say, we over-ordered. There was enough here for three – our left-overs could certainly have fed another person.

Total bill for two (or three!): £34.90 – before service

This was a great recommendation. I’ll certainly be back (and will be prepared to queue, as it’s a popular spot) and look forward to trying the meat grills next time.

Restaurant info:
~ Lardbutty rating: 3.5 / 5
~ Type: Indian
~ Address: 87 New Road, Whitechapel, London
~ Postcode: E1 1HH
~ Tel: 020 7247 0648
~ Nearest station: Whitechapel, Aldgate East
~ Website + menus: Needoo Grill website ~ Photos on flickr: images of Needoo Grill food
~ Location: Needoo Grill map

RELATED LINKS
More East London dining:
~ Fora – Mediterranean restaurant, City branch
~ Kastner & Ovens – great salad selection
~ Mama Thai – Indian + Thai take-away curries + noodles
~ Momo’wich – outstanding Thai + Malaysian