If you find the name Sapna familiar, that’s because The Orangery by Sapna is, in fact, the Sapna Caterers you see at many weddings & events in London! Sapna has been a popular Indian food catering business since 1991 and is now officially also in the restaurant industry. The new spacious restaurant is housed at the Stockley Park Golf Club in Hayes/Uxbridge, boasting amazing views overlooking the 240-acre golf course. It’s got a wonderfully chilled ambience, almost a lounge-like feel with its airy interiors plus soft piano notes playing in the background. Picturesque orange trees are dotted around the main dining hall, adding to the overall look & feel of the place. Tables are also available out on the terrace to catch all the golfing action and there is also an intimate private dining room for events and such.
Obviously, with Sapna’s reputation in the catering business and also plenty of other social media influencers’ positive reviews, we definitely have high expectations for this new restaurant venture!
The Orangery by Sapna: Modern Lahori Dining
Whilst branded as a modern Indian restaurant, the menu at The Orangery by Sapna is actually more built around Lahori cuisine to be specific. From grills to curries, the A La Carte menu offers a range of traditional Pakistani dishes and street food dishes. A Thali menu is also available during lunch hours, featuring a curry of your pick, served with cumin rice, vegetables of the day, fresh naan, onion bhaji, mini poppadom, salad, raita & mango chutney. On occasions such as Ramadan and Eid, they also offer buffets with a wider range of dishes available. All meats served are halal at The Orangery by Sapna.
*Disclaimer: this was a complimentary meal but all thoughts are our own.
The Food: What We Ordered
Tandoori Mix Tikka (£5.99)
First up, we had the Tandoori Tikka Mix for starters which had been decent. The chicken pieces got a distinct tandoor char-grilled touch, but it was overpowering the main flavours at times. Whilst the chicken was tender in texture, they weren’t particularly juicy to taste, however. They weren’t dry per se but definitely missing a succulent and piquant oomph. Despite the different colours of the mixed tikka, they all more or less tasted the same.
Lamb Chops (£9.99)
Seeing the lamb chops served in thin pieces, the immediate worry was that they’d be those typical dry and overcooked ones. But thankfully, they turned out to be tender and well-marinated throughout. They’re still a tad bit overcooked to my personal liking but the flavours had been fairly decent. The lamb chops were palatable and laced with a mild touch of spice. Though that being said, they weren’t anything wowing or particularly explosive in flavour.
Chicken Karahi (£8.99) & Lamb Korma (£10.99)
For mains, we tried out their curries and went with the Chicken Karahi and Lamb Korma. Both curries had been enjoyable and had been perfect to savour with some naan. In particular, there’s a notably homely touch to both curries that we find most delightful. Both of them featured a nice punch of heat and were robust to taste. The meats were cooked till soft and tender for both curries and featured rich and warming flavours.
Lamb Biryani (£10.99)
Moving onto rice dishes, we went with the lamb biryani. We enjoyed the generous amount of meat offered and all the crispy onions that gave it a lovely hint of sweetness. However, if judging it as a biryani dish on its own, we felt that it lacked robustness and spice. It was great as an accompaniment to the curries but didn’t stand out much as a standalone dish. We still enjoyed it though!
Gajar Halwa & Kulfi (£4.99)
For desserts, we originally wanted to try both the Gajar Halwa and Gulab Jamun but the latter wasn’t available during our visit. We got the gajar halwa with kulfi which looked slightly disproportioned as the kulfi was bigger than the halwa. Nonetheless, the gajar halwa was a delicious treat. We felt it could be served warmer to create a more contrasting hot-and-cold sensation with the kulfi. But overall, we enjoyed the aromatic flavours and the rich buttery taste from the ghee.
If you don’t fancy traditional desserts, they also serve a selection of ice cream from Snowflake Luxury Gelato.
Restaurant Review Summary
All in all, it’s been a pleasant experience at The Orangery by Sapna. The interiors and ambience, in particular, had been the most ideal for a lovely relaxing meal out. The service has been attentive and everything was reasonably priced. While the food has been generally decent, we felt it’s still got room for improvement to finesse further. Ultimately, it was good-quality catering food on a nice plate but it’s not at fine-dining standards. If you’re based in nearby areas and wanted a place to take your family out for a meal, The Orangery by Sapna is no doubt a lovely spot but it’s currently not somewhere that’s particularly worth trekking out of the way for in our opinion.
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Halal Status
All meats served are halal.
Tel: 0208 6060771
Website: https://www.theorangery.uk/
Instagram: orangery.ldn
