Just Desi
I’ve never visited India so I can’t speak to its real authenticity, but every plate I’ve had in Just Desi packs that classic spiced and fragrant flavour punch signature to indian food, whilst also being in someway lighter than I’m accustomed too. I’m used to eating really heavy curry, but after eating a takeway from Just Desi you don’t feel like you need to enter a deep, 6 month, digestion-hibernation period. It just doesn’t destroy you like that.
Samosas are big, super crispy and well spiced. Chicken Curry is similar to what gets labelled ‘Korma’ in the UK, but with a touch more spice and less creaminess. When you go in they have the currys on a dispense counter, so I tend to just point at things and have a little chat and decide that way. We usually get another chicken curry with a rich and spicy vegetable sauce, but I’ve no idea what its called I’m afraid. Dahl is wonderful, although a tad thin for me, but its still so good I order it every time.
Takeaway portions are massive, eat-in portions are pretty small, I believe the prices are the same. I leave you to work out where the value for money is there.
Il Pizzicotto (#2 Via Taranto)
On it’s day Il Pizzicotto is easily as good as any of Rome’s world renowned Pizza al Taglio joints (their potato and truffle cream & mortadella and stracciatella are notably good) and on other days simply has a good selection of tasty bites. It sometimes suffers from thinking it’s a little bit better than it really is. However, all of the staff are super helpful and speak several languages and will talk you through all the toppings. Sometimes they’re not forthright about which was the pizza that most recently came out of the oven, or if it was cooked that day, so you have to use your eyes to judge.