Best Asian takeaway in Essex. Best Asian takeaway in the country. Blue Ribbon award for quality, service and value. Restaurant Guru award for customer reviews. TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award in 2024. Bangladeshi and Indian takeaway Kaani Kaana in Chelmsford, Essex, has received a huge number of accolades since it opened in November 2022. This family-run takeaway offers authentic recipes – some handed down through generations of the family – promising “restaurant quality food (we mean it) with exceptional customer experience from start to finish”.
I’m always nervous about trying places that are so hyped up. We all know that even the best restaurants can have an off day. In our experience, though, Kaani Kaana totally deserves all of its accolades.
We ordered for delivery, rather than collection – but we’d peered through the window earlier that day. It’s far from your standard takeaway joint. Sumptuously decorated with almost a nightclub vibe, the place oozes quality.
That same quality came through on the phone when we ordered: a polite and friendly experience, with the lady on the other end of the phone using my mum’s name throughout the call. When the delivery driver struggled to find her house and I had to meet him at the end of the driveway, he was very apologetic (no need, it’s hard to find just from the house name!) with the same great level of friendly, polite customer service.
The bag of food we received from Kaani Kaana was piping hot. It was a relief to see the sturdy cardboard containers, which meant no leakage or spills.
Between the four of us, we ordered:
- Onion bhajis (£5.95)
- Chilli chicken (£12.50)
- Kacchi biryani (£14.95)
- Butter chicken (£12.50)
- Saag aloo (£5.95)
- Pilau rice (£4.25 each)
Along with the dishes we ordered, we also received two pots of raita and a couple of small salads. What a feast!
The bhajis were even a hit amongst those who weren’t really bhaji fans. Their gram flour batter was light and delicious, and despite being deep-fried, they weren’t greasy like many tend to be. No complaints about the pilau rice (except that we ordered far too much!). The saag was decent, with buttery, tender potatoes and a relatively light level of spice.
I’d love to claim that we ordered the butter chicken with the seven-year-old in mind, but I’m a big fan too. While it was certainly heavy on the sauce, that’s not to say the chicken was lacking. There was plenty of meat to go round and the sauce was beautiful, the almond and coconut flavours coming through strongly.
The chilli chicken and kacchi biryani were definitely my two favourite Kaani Kaana dishes from our order. In the former, huge, tender chunks of chicken – nicely charred around the edges – joined forces with grilled pepper and onion slices and a deliciously spicy chilli sauce. With plenty of chilli seeds clearly visible in the dish, we were expecting heat, but that spice level didn’t detract from its incredible flavour.
The lamb biryani was enormous. Hidden beneath the mound of aromatic rice we uncovered fork-tender lamb chunks and more of those buttery soft potatoes, all served alongside a smooth and pretty hot curry sauce to bring it all together. Delicious.
From the wording on the Kaani Kaana website to the design of their premises, from their service on the phone and during delivery to the food itself, this is a takeaway where quality shines through at every stage. Best Asian takeaway in the country? Well, I’ve not tried them all, but I certainly have no complaints…