Kahani

I have been to Kahani twice so far and 2 weeks in a row! I celebrated my husband's 40th birthday and the week after my sister's birthday. The staff especially Kshitiz and Ramaan were very helpful and attentive. I was able to do my own table decoration 30 min prior to booking and they welcomed us with a lovely birthday song. I've experienced Qawali and Bollywood night and both nights were really good. I have tried their hyderabadi biryani, mixed grill, chicken karahi, dhaal, and few starters. Overall so far i am satisfied with the food. Atmosphere is very lively especially the nights i went (Friday & Saturday). The restaurant is clean, warm, well maintained and family friendly place. My husband and my sister really enjoyed their birthday at Kahani and I like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Kahani for making their birthday memorable with live entertainment and good food. I definitely chose the right restaurant. I will be back again with my family and friends.

This is one of the only times the place lived up to all the good reviews I read! Staff were so attentive, every single one of them - Adiba was serving us and was so lovely and friendly and kept checking up on us with a smile on her face. Food was fantastic and reasonably priced too. Decor was fantastic and the parrots are a great little addition, especially if you have young ones! Will definitely be coming again to try out more of the menu. Gained a loyal customer.

Decided to try Kahani after seeing posts on instagram. Unfortunately I was left dissatisfied and disappointed. I hate giving negative feedback and try to see the positives. I hope this feedback is taken onboard and seen as constructive rather than insulting. There was no one to greet us/sit us down when we entered. I had to go find the member of staff. However apart from this the service was very good. The decor was excellent however there was no one else at the restaurant when we arrived so I cannot comment on the atmosphere. One bit of advice here I would give is that they should spray the restaurant with a form of fly killer as there was an abundance of fruit flies which were flying around us and amongst our food. It was very off putting. When mentioned to the staff they just disregarded it as normal because of the fruit!? I then had to ask the staff to remove the empty plates to discourage the flies. Food ordered: Teapot Gol Gappe: Gappe were burnt and hard but the water was nice but could have been a bit more tangy. Seekh Kebab: A bit pink inside but nice taste. Grilled Wings: good portion and very nice taste. Chilli Chicken: was ok, good presentation but chicken was on the harder side. Charsi Lamb: Well seasoned and presented. The only problem? You could smell the meat needed some more spices to hide smell as off putting. Haleem: could only taste the wheat and grain. Not the meat. Very well presented. Let down by taste. Mango Daiquiri: Very nice and refreshing Strawberry Mojito: was nice but not cold enough and lacked slightly in taste. Note to Management: you have a great idea and have spent a vast amount on advertising. My advise is to sit down and try all your dishes. Only slight improvement needed and you will be on to a winner. **Edit** Great response from genuine people. Will definitely revisit again.

Orderd a grilled burger and chips sorry to say one of the worst burgers I have had it was not packed properly soggy and half cooked chips. Few weeks earlier went for breakfast slow service taste is gone down hill since first opened, i finished my breakfast waited for my tea asked 3 times still didn't turn up ready to pay and the waitress said would you like your tea now

What surprised me straight away was the crowd. I was half expecting a few Bengalis and Pakistanis to roll up in an RS3 or a BMW with a balloon in one hand chatting about Bushras in Bradford while their wives sit at home watching Turkish dramas. But no, the vibe was way more relaxed and the crowd was lowkey and respectful. Definitely not your usual shisha circus. It was a great experience from start to finish. The place is clean, well laid out, and has a chilled welcoming vibe. The lighting is just right, the seating is comfortable, and there is a solid mix of music playing throughout the evening. They also had live entertainment while we were there which added a nice touch without being too much. It is definitely the kind of spot where you can actually relax and take your time. We asked the waitress for shisha recommendations and she was spot on. She suggested the blueberry and raspberry mix and another one with frozen apple and blueberry. Both were excellent choices. The blueberry and raspberry was fruity and sweet without being overwhelming, smooth and easy to enjoy. The frozen apple and blueberry was even better in my opinion. The apple gave it a cool crisp edge and the blueberry added just the right amount of softness and sweetness. The flavour came through clearly in every pull and the setup was done properly with no harshness and no rushing through coal changes. It lasted a good amount of time and stayed smooth throughout. Kahani also serves food and desserts and the whole menu is halal which is great to see. We did not try the food this time around but it is good to know you can have a full meal or something sweet if you are there for a longer evening. I did go for a nonalcoholic mango mojito which was probably the only letdown of the night. It was far too syrupy. The drink felt heavy, more like mango squash than a proper mojito. The mint and lime were almost nonexistent so it lacked the fresh sharp taste you expect. It looked good but the flavour just did not match up. I would not order it again to be honest. All in all Kahani is a solid spot for anyone looking for good shisha a clean setting and a calm atmosphere. The staff know what they are doing and the flavours are clearly thought out. Just maybe give the mojito a pass and stick to what they do best. I will definitely be back.

Before I begin, I would like to say the food is delicious. Our starter and mains were cooked to perfection and actually caught me by surprise. The dessert however was not on par with the mains, the texture was strange for a cheesecake. It should have been served with ice cream and drizzled with syrup because the taste was way off. We were sat in a more open area where it was freezing and when we first arrived at the restaurant we were asked to go to the other side which we did. As we sat down, a man with one gold earring asked us if we could move back to the side we were told not to sit in as we had kids and was concerned about them feeling cold, which I thought was valid, but we initially wanted to sit on the other side anyway so no idea why we couldn’t just sit there if we were being moved back anyway. HOWEVER Google states the restaurant has attentive staff. We did not find this to be the case. I got up 4 times in order to find someone to help me. I got up to request the menu, and again to request small spoons for the chutney because they did not provide this when they served the mains and request napkins, I got up twice more to request extra ice cream for my children. This was due to the staff member not being attentive and available for much of our evening. In addition to this, when we had our starters, it appeared that we were expected to reuse our plates for the mains. The waitress in front of us checked one of the plates below the top plate to see if it had been used which I found a little weird. Never encountered that before. She was nice otherwise, but did not seem helpful or seemed to care that we were there perhaps because the restaurant was completely empty except for me and my family. I got the impression that we were largely ignored by any of the staff there. A few times I looked around for a waitress or waiter to help me (a classic cue for someone needing assistance is looking around) and despite this, what appeared to be management walked past me out of the front door a few times after making eye contact with me but not acknowledging I need help. He was very busy glued to his phone and he took a glance at me and went back to using his phone. Arrogant. Not sure who these guys think they are but I felt very undervalued, relax people you manage Kahani in Ilford, it’s not the Ritz. So a few of the staff as they walked past me while I was clearly looking for someone to help me, just point blank ignored me. Finally, when it came to paying the bill, I looked at the amount and paid. I did not notice the £15 service fee they had added on without telling me. I made the payment and when I saw the service fee I queried this. £15? For what, exactly? £5 I would not have minded, maybe even £10, but sliding on an extra £15 for me to pay considering I was basically my own waitress getting up a million times every time I needed something takes the mick. At that rate I should have been working there, and it actually disrupted my meal so many times I might as well have been eating on the go. I’m insulted that I paid £15 for literally no service at all. I queried this as I was slightly annoyed that I had paid it and requested a refund, to which the waitress informed me there was NO management available and she did not have access to initiate refunds. As I had paid, I simply had to accept I paid it this time and she said “next time, we can refund it to you” when managers are present. I couldn’t help but laugh and simply stated “if there is even a next time”. We were going to recommend this restaurant to many family and friends due to the quality of the food, however, the customer service is not even mediocre let alone any good, and unfortunately is an injustice to their food. I will not be recommending and will not be revisiting this restaurant again which saddens me as the food was amazing. Amazing food, awful customer service from staff AND management.

We came here for breakfast and ordered a halva puri breakfast and an omelette breakfast. Both were very nice. In my opinionI the omelette lacked flavour, despite everything in it and also it was more like a flan as it was cooked and served in a heavy pan. I probably should have ordered the desi omlette. We also noticed one or two small (what looked like fruit flies) around us and it was only when my husband got up to pay the bill that I glanced around the restaurant and noticed at least 20 to 30 flies over the wall and ceiling just above us. I strongly suggest the owners look into this.

Food was so delicious, especially Samosa chat. Ambiance is wow. Service facilitators Shilpi and Mehak were kind and helpful.