Last week, I was invited to visit a family run Indian Restaurant in Barnes, London called Postbox. They say on their website:

Every dish you eat and each drink you savour at The Post Box has an ingredient hidden to tingle your taste buds!

Our Food: Our food will focus on reimagining traditional recipes using seasonal British ingredients and showcasing them in a contemporary way reflecting India’s culinary diversity.

Our Drink : Our drinks bring back the fun of tropical living in India. The bar will specialise in our collection of cocktails which will showcase the finest ingredients and flavour combinations, offering a modern interpretation of renowned classics. The Wine list will focus on emerging regions and fine wines from niche producers and boutique wineries worldwide

I love Indian food so I was very excited for this! I was also excited to explore a new part of London I hadn’t previously ventured to! I live in Streatham Hill so I took the overground to Clapham Junction and then another overground from Clapham Junction to Barnes. As soon as I arrived in Barnes, I realised I was in a VERY nice area – the houses were all BEAUTIFUL and really big, the local pubs were extremely nice and the little grocery store across the road was one of those super cute, fresh, posh stores selling fresh fruit and vegetables without packaging so I just knew I was in for a treat.

Then I spotted the Postbox restaurant and it was so nicely decorated, looked spotless and brand new and had twinkly fairy lights! It also immediately gave cosy, intimate date night vibes which is exactly what I look for for a Friday night dinner with my boyfriend!

The staff were soooo nice and welcoming and absolute experts in the food they are serving. We weren’t sure what to go for so they chose an entire menu for us with confidence, describing each dish and it’s origins/flavours as it arrived. They also made sure I tried one of their new Christmas cocktails which was a nice way to start the meal.

I don’t know how normal this is but the poppadoms and pickle tray at the start of an Indian meal are actually one of my favourite parts and something I look forward to so much and something that can be really disappointing if it’s not good, so I was probably too excited for them to arrive at the table! I absolutely love it when you get assorted poppadoms like the ones below and they were still slightly warm and really well made. The pickle tray consisted of Amba Kolambi Pickle and Achari Raita which were both delicious – my bf and I were practically fighting over it all.

Next, we had a round of starters, selected for us by the Postbox staff. They chose:

• Cafreal Chicken Wings
• Postbox Aloo Chaat (V)
• Goan Beef Croquettes with Pickled Cucumber and House Ketchup

Every one of these dishes was amazing. The spicy green paste on the chicken wings was heavenly and the Aloo Chaat was very moreish (and my boyfriend’s favourite starter). My favourite starter was the Goan Beef Croquettes because they were so full of flavour and beef in almost a purée on the inside and really crispy on the outside! Even the pickled cucumber and house ketchup were noticeably good.

We then moved on to the main course again chosen by our hosts. Our main dishes included:

• Rechado Prawns
• Chettinad Chicken
• Dal Makhani (V)
• Wild Garlic Naan (VG)
• Basmati Rice (VG)

My highlight within the main courses was definitely the Rechado prawns in a spicy red paste. They were cooked perfectly and FULL of flavour! Closely followed by the Chettinad chicken (my bf’s favourite main dish). Chettinad cuisine is popular for including a variety of spices like red chilies, star anise, peppercorn, fennel seed, cinnamon, cumin seeds and bay leaves. This dish was again, full of flavour. Finally, the Dal Makhani. This is something I would never normally order for myself as I do tend to opt for meaty dishes but it was so creamy and buttery, full of lentils – we practically licked the plates clean. The garlic naan was also super soft and garlic-y (heaven) and even rice was cooked exactly right too.

At this point, we were so satisfied with what we had eaten, we didn’t think we had room for dessert and said that but our host convinced us to try Maria’s Banana & Bread Pudding as it was his mum’s recipe! We got this to share and I’m so glad we did as it is something you really don’t want to miss!

The Banana & Bread pudding was AMAZING in both taste and texture, with a beautifully sweet warm sauce and the crispy banana on top just finished the whole dish with a bit of sweet crunch. A tiny bit of a throwback to lockdown and trying to make banana bread at home except this was a million times better (obv) and clearly made by the experts!

We were invited to taste the above menu as a gift but because it had been such an incredible experience and really one of the best meals we have had recently, we insisted on tipping for such beautiful food and lovely hosts!

I would go back in a heartbeat. In fact, how much would it cost to move to Barnes? Better get saving!