"A newbie in London, and a big foodie by nature, it was natural for me to try out different restaurants in the city. But I was mainly interested in Indian food and what better way to start off the Indian hunt than in the Borough of Hounslow. A friend called up and asked us to meet them at Mantra for dinner and I quickly agreed. Upon entering the place, I was awestruck by the ambience. The entire restaurant looks like it’s made of glass and gives a very rich and royal feeling what with the walls painted royal blue and rich red. The kitchen is at the center of the restaurant and a party hall at the end. My friends were already seated and I joined them which is when I saw the an all Indian family shaking a leg for Indi-pop, and yeah, they had indeed found a DJ who could comfortably scratch Desi tracks! The music was a tad too loud till one of the staff shut the wooden sound proof door, and I found it worth mentioning about the party hall since any of us can utilize the facility for a get together. An unusual thing about this place is that, all their waiters were Indians and were dressed in ethnic clothes and their waitresses English, all decked up. They are very fluent in pronouncing the Indian dishes, mind you. Our friends were vegetarians, so our order was a Gobi Chilly Fry, Khattee Bhindi, Veg Hyderabad Biryani and Raita, and Ashoke-ki-Bhalla chat. The boys had their usual Beer and we ordered a Lady Mantra. The cocktail tasted like any other Mojito, which also happens to be my favorite cocktail, but got a little sour towards the end. The food tasted quite nice, though the Gobi could have been a bit crispier. The Khattee Bhindi was absolutely lip-smacking with the tinge of bitterness that bursts as flavor-lava in the mouth. The biryani too was delicious and we ate in bliss. The waitress was back to take our order for desserts. We were very tempted to order the Gulab Jamun but she suggested we go for the Dessert of the Day, which was Kheer. It looked amazing, so we thought it would taste amazing. But we were a little disappointed. It wasn't too sweet and tasted milky rather than cheering up your taste buds. All in all, a very good place to dine-out with great interiors, courteous staff, and some rich and pleasant food. Rating: Food: 3.5/5 Decor: 4.5/5 Service: 4.5/5 Value: 3/5"
