Calico Bar & Eatery - (Near Berkshire, london)

The Foodie Compass An absolutely brilliant meal at Chilis South Indian & Asian Restaurant on Kings Walk in Reading. If you are a fan of authentic spicing, this place is a total gem. It is one of those spots that feels like a real find, tucked away on the first floor of The Village with a warm, bustling atmosphere that instantly makes you feel welcome. Excellent variety on the Indo-Chinese menu, which is a fantastic addition to the more traditional South Indian fare. I usually go for the Gobi Manchurian, but this time I opted for the Chicken Manchurian. The flavours were spot on, tangy, spicy, and deeply savoury. My only tiny bit of constructive feedback would be the texture of the chicken. I was expecting it to be batter fried before being tossed in that sauce to give it a bit of crunch, and I think using thigh meat rather than breast would have made it even more succulent. That said, it was still a very tasty starter that disappeared quickly. The absolute star of the show for me was the Mutton Fry. It was sensational and exactly how I hoped it would be, cooked down until the meat was tender and the spices had intensified into a rich, concentrated coating. It was bursting with flavour and easily the best dish of the night. We also went for the Lamb Biryani, which was another high point. I loved that the aromats and spices were beautifully layered rather than just stirred together. I did find myself wishing for a few more South Indian breads like appams or hoppers to mop up the mutton fry, though I completely understand they are a bit of a logistical challenge to prepare fresh to order. However, the quality of the cooking we did have was top notch. The service was impeccable throughout our visit. The staff were incredibly kind and pleasant, with genuine smiles all around that made the evening feel special. When you consider the generous portion sizes and the high standard of the food, it represents excellent value for money. Whether you are a hardcore foodie or just looking for a solid curry, Id highlyrecommend Chilis.

Angelica Goncalves Hadnt been to Cote for a while and reslly didnt disappoint. Came to celebrate my boyfriends birthday and Sushil and Sai went above and beyond and on top of the amazing staff the food was 10/10. Cant recommend enough. To Sushil and Sai your extraordinary customer service didnt go unnoticed nor unappreciated.

Steven Hills Great nights any day of the week, busy but that’s spoons for ya, staff friendly and happy, food always excellent

Yohan F. Delicious and authentic! The service is great and the seating area is beautiful. Highly recommend!

Kevin Wan Chinese owned restaurant. Happy to have found a hotpot place here while visiting from oxford for the day. I think this place could make a lot of improvements if they wanted to, but overall its pretty good. Here are some tips for the owner that I think could help them get more volume of customers: Focus on just a few good dishes for the non-hotpot stuff. focus mainly on hotpot but giving lower priced meats instead of the high quality stuff. People want good volume of meat for a low price these days. They dont care much for the chinese veggies and delicacies. Being meat focused will help you keep ur meat fresh which will keep customers coming back. Low priced, fresh meat and they will order more. Maybe have smaller plate sizings so they can order in smaller increments. This will help a lot. $20 per dish is too high. $4.99 per dish and they will instead order 5 dishes if they need it. volume. good luck

Asha Hassan I would always take my friends to grab a bite from here. All menu items are made fresh and the food hits the spot. For anyone whos new to the place I would recommend the popcorn chicken, with garlic, plum and chilli powders (leave the chilli if you cant handle spice) Ive visited Ji chicken spots in London and Reading and must say the Reading branch does it the best. All the menu is halal with some great vegetarian options also.