Star Rating

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Cumin's 

218 Hoe Street 
Walthamstow 

London, E17 4SA   map

Tel : 0208 521 5458

Cumin's has now closed. The restaurant has been renovated and re-opened as Elephant God. Review to follow...

March 2010

Cumin's is a new restaurant to E17 and e17foodanddrink's first experience of Cumin's was a very positive one indeed.
We were met with a warm smile and presented with an extensive menu. The decor was contemporary and brown-leathered (which I'm beginning to realise amounts to the same thing!) with low lighting which added to a relaxed feel.
Cumin's is billed as an Indian Bistro and the menu is full of interesting and mouth-watering dishes that represent many regions of India - do not expect the usual Chicken Tikka Masala, Madras or Vindaloo. This is authentic Indian food and it is not specifically honed to the British palate - although there are a few Brit classics tucked away in the 'all time favourites' section of the menu.
After taking quite some time to decide on our meal the waiter's patience was rewarded by the fact that we ordered too much food - purely in the interests of e17foodanddrink of course.
The decision was: Paneer Shahlik (grilled cheese with onion, tomato and green pepper) and a Masala Dosa for starters. This was followed by a main course of delicious and delicately spiced Malabar Prawn (king prawn cooked with coconut milk), a very tasty Mirchi Aloo (sautéed potatoes cooked with fresh chilies and a vegetable/cashew sauce), a creamy and delicate Dhal Saag (lentils and fresh spinach), a very healthy portion of fragrant pilau rice and a hot crispy naan bread. All of this for around £24 and the remnants were taken home in a good old fashioned 'doggy bag'.
A buffet lunch is available for £5.99 per head Monday to Friday from 11am till 3pm.
We see Cumin's as a real find in E17 and look forward to revisiting very soon. I suppose the downside of this restaurant is its location, although very close to the tube/bus etc, it can be very difficult to park around this area at any time of day.

January 2009

Fuelled by the enthusiasm surrounding our first experience the second visit to Cumin's was most disappointing. The greeting was not as friendly and the restaurant was all but empty. I was so impressed with the Malabar Prawn dish I had the first time that I ordered it again. Rather than the exquisite, delicately spiced dish that I remembered it looked different and tasted very different. It was red, not green, it had a very watery texture and the spices were harsh. A side dish of Aloo Sag I suspect was made from frozen spinach and the un-marinated watery potatoes had no flavour that I could detect.
Toward the end of our meal the waiter gingerly approached and asked if we had enjoyed the food. Not being a rude person by nature I dodged the question and enquired If there had been a change of chef. ''Yes a change of chef,'' he replied. On returning from the kitchen he apologised and said the food would be better next time. We were offered the remainder of the meal to take home (as I have mentioned - not rude) and we accepted -  only to throw it away next morning...
We left very disappointed and unless convinced otherwise will not be returning. It's a great shame about Cumin's. It was an oasis and now I somehow feel it could have been a mirage...

March 2009