In Search of Paradise

Saturday, October 08th , 2022

Paradise in Soho serves a modern take on Sri Lankan food, and is not a place to linger. You sit on bar stools and are given just 80 minutes to finish your meal and clear off on pain of a penalty charge for overstaying your “welcome”. Quite when paradise became a quickfire timed event is lost on me, but Lucifer might be amused and may well have co-authored the website with its list of penalty charges for assorted misdemeanours that a customer might commit. The meal included some very enjoyable pork croquettes (pictured) and good roti, but also a rather bland mushroom pancake, all at a quite steep price. Given this I feel the need to continue in search of true paradise.

An altogether more welcoming experience can be had at The Brilliant in Southall, which continues to deliver excellent Punjabi food at fair prices to the Asian families that frequent the restaurant. I enjoyed old favourites such as aloo tikki and methi murgh, but the menu has plenty to offer. No time limits on your pleasure here.