I came here on a weekday knowing full well that it got pretty crowded. They told us there was a private party in the restaurant, but they sat us in a side room (you had to exit the building and go next door into what looked like what used to be a doctor's waiting room. The space was cramped, and it was easy to overhear the other tables (luckily no-one talks in English, so I'm unbothered by it). Still, it was nice of them to seat us somewhere rather than just telling us "Sorry, the whole restaurant's rented out... go somewhere else!"
One of the other reviewers said that the waitstaff was all Indian. I won't say that's racist necessarily... but it's certainly a little dense. There are lots of hints that the restaurant is owned and operated by Nepali. First, there are Nepalese dishes on the menu, and Nepalese beer. Second, there's a big mural of the Himalayas on the wall and the place is called "Shangri La Curry House". Third, there are awards on the wall from the Hong Kong Nepalese Society (or something like that). And finally, their facebook page says "Owned by Mr. Krishna Khadka, a Nepali resident in Hong Kong, Shangri La Curry House HK is a traditional Nepali/ Indian cuisine restaurant located in a New Territory of Yuen Long". So no, the waitstaff is not Indian, they're Nepali.
Moving on... here's what we had.
First, there were free poppadums that came with a white mint/ coriander chutney and some sort of pickle. I want to guess "pickled carrot" but I couldn't really tell. Anyway, I thought the poppadums were flavorful, if not as crunchy as I like; the chutney was very good; and the pickle was also pretty good... not nearly as sour as some Indian pickles one finds.
For an appetizer we ordered some samosas. They weren't very big, but that's a good thing-- I like having room for the rest of my food when the appetizer is done. The crust was crunchy and flaky but also chewy... perfectly done. The filling I thought was a little bland, but luckily I had all this great chutney on the table that I could drizzle over the samosa. I'd say... 7/10
We got two main dishes, a lamb saagwala and aloo gobi. Saagwala (also called 'saag') is a Punjabi specialty, which is sometimes too bitter for me (when its made with mustard greens, for instance), but can also be creamy and delicious. This time I thought it was pretty plain. The lamb had been cooked in a tandoor and this imparted a very 'smoky' flavor to the dish that sort of overpowered whatever other subtler flavors it might have had. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't have it again. 5/10
The aloo gobi was a real treat. In the past, I think every aloo gobi I've had has been 'dry'-- not a lot of sauce or no sauce at all. This was more of a curry aloo gobi, with a spicy gravy and lots of crunchy minced veggies (scallions and that sort). It had a nice level of spice (we asked for "very spicy"), a tasty sauce, and a nice texture (firm potatoes and cauliflower, crunchy smaller bits, and a silky sauce). I was a fan. 9/10
We had naan and rice too. The naan was denser than I'm used to... it was more like the scallion pastries you get at the bakeries around here. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't good at a sopping up the sauce. Maybe 5/10. The rice was better. Plenty of peas, which I'm big on. 7/10.
In summary, I thought the food was good but not great. Maybe I ordered the wrong things. I'm definitely going to go back here because so many people have recommended it to me and it has such great reviews. I think you can get better Indian in TST, but if Yuen Long is closer to you (or you live there) this place is pretty good. 7/10
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我從來都唔會係元朗食飯,因為我住好遠,原來依到有個好處朋友話係依邊區食飯通常唔使訂位同係點使等位,即興去邊到食都得，岩晒我地即興人士。呢間咖哩屋個晚都幾多印度人係到食飯，而且多數既伙記都係印度人，煮個個都應該係印度人，應該都正宗印尼咖哩。今晚得兩個人食，當然食二人餐，因為方便唔洗諗嘛。前菜就有咖哩角，之後係烤雞、咖哩羊肉配印度烤餅同一個印度炒飯，最後仲有清炒白菜仔，果然夠多野食。好味道呀印度烤雞，加埋檸檬汁之後真係好好食，烤過既雞肉仲要係鮮嫩,真係少見少見,食印度菜當然食咖哩，因為一齊既朋友同好鍾意食辣既人，所以就叫左辣咖哩。真係好正,不過都夠辣，羊肉又唔會太騷，送埋烤餅都一流，果然唔錯
