What is the food like?

Bland and tasteless. Like most Indian restaurants, it has a full menu of all the usuals, like samosa, onion bhajia, briyani, chicken tikka, butter chicken, rogan josh, madras, vindaloo, tandoori, paneer, naan and even mango lassi and Cobra beer. Unfortunately, most of the dishes we tried are significantly under-flavoured and poorly cooked. A visit to Golden India won’t be fixing any craving for Indian food while you are on your ski holiday in Grindelwald.

How is the drinks selection?

Lassi and Cobra beer. Golden India has sweet, salty as well as mango lassi on the menu and they are delicious. There is also Kingfisher and Cobra beer to complete the experience. For a more typical affair, there is a small selection of wines, spirits and cocktails on offer.

What is the place like?

Dated gold and white bar. You will be greeted by an imposing gold and white bar with functional white floor tiles upon entering Golden India. It makes you wonder if you have come to the right place. There are two dining areas tucked away from the bar, one on the 1st floor and another on the lower ground, which feels a little odd. The dining area on the 1st floor is relatively smart with white table clothed seatings and a gorgeous peacock adorned carpet.

Who are the patrons?

Holiday makers looking for a curry fix. Not that popular with families with young children while we were there, probably because of the hot/spicy dishes.

How was the service?

Poor management. The manager or the owner of the restaurant was clearly distracted by something during our visit as he blatantly ignored our requests for service. We appreciate that everyone has a bad day, but the show must go on. Thankfully, there are two member of staff who tried their best but it wasn’t enough to fill the gap.

Is it child friendly?

Yes.

Is it dog friendly?

Yes. There was a little dog seated quietly next to our table.

Good value?

No. Golden India is cheaper than most restaurants in Grindelwald, but it is not worth it for the poor quality of food and service. The restaurant does not charge a discretionary service charge.

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See below for what my dining companions and I indulged in for this review in December 2021 (prices quoted include VAT):

Starters

Roasted papadams, 4 pcs (Do not recommend)

Tasted like pre-made papadam that you can get from grocery shops. Overpowered by the flavour cumin and too salty for our liking. Chutney and yogurt dip that came with it was bland and flavourless. CHF6.50

Onion bhajia (Do not recommend)

Deep fried onion slices coated in chickpea flour batter. The batter was soggy and bland, while the onions were a touch undercooked. CHF9

Prawn pakora (Recommend)

Deep fried prawns coated in chickpea flour batter. The batter was better here, it was crunchy and tasty. CHF13.50

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Mains

Aloo palak (Do not recommend)

A mildly spicy curry from the Punjab region made with potatoes simmered in mashed spinach. Decent dish, but could do with more flavouring and spices. CHF20.50

Palak paneer (Recommend)

Another mild spicy dish from the Punjab region made with homemade paneer (cheese) simmered in mashed spinach. Better flavouring on this, but the homemade cheese was bland. CHF22.50

Vegetable briyani (Do not recommend)

One of the worst briyani we have ever had. It looks like briyani, but was bland and severely lacking in flavours. CHF23.50

Chicken tikka (Do not recommend)

Clay oven grilled chicken chunks marinated with spice and yogurt. This chicken tikka was lacking the smoky flavour from the oven. It would have benefited from being in the oven for a little longer as well as more spices to make it more intense. CHF26.50

Butter chicken (Do not recommend)

A popular mild curry made with grilled chicken cooked in mild spices and a tomato gravy. This was missing the signature rich buttery flavour of a good butter chicken dish. The chicken meat was also dry and bland. CHF27.50

Lamb rogan josh (Recommend)

The most popular curry from Kashmir. Rogan josh is made by slow-cooking lamb pieces with yogurt, tomato puree and a long list of spices like chilli, cumin, paprika, turmeric, coriander seeds and so on. Unlike the other dishes, this curry was packing a punch and hitting all the notes. We could even overlook the tough and tasteless lamb pieces in it. CHF32.50

Lamb briyani (Do not recommend)

This briyani has a hint of what a briyani should taste like, much better than the vegetable briyani. But the lamb chunks were overcooked and dry. CHF32.50

Tandoori roti (Recommend)

Whole wheat flat bread freshly baked in clay tandoori oven. Decently made, but could do with a bit more elasticity and salt. CHF4.50

Naan (Do not recommend)

White flour flat bread freshly baked in clay tandoori oven. It was fluffy but missing the elasticity and chewiness that make naan irresistible. Both the garlic and peshwari naan could do with a much more generous amount of fillings. Lacking in garlic, raisins, almond and coconut. Plain naan CHF5.50, garlic CHF6.50 and peshwari CHF8.50

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