Visit #1 ·
★★★★★First visit, so I'm keeping my cards close. One trip doesn't tell you anything real about a place — could be an off night, could be they're trying harder because the dining room was full. I'll be back.
That said, Coach House gave me a solid opening impression. The room itself works — old building, the kind of place that has some actual history to it rather than manufactured atmosphere. I respect that.
Ordered a spread because that's how I eat Indian food. You don't come to a place like this and order one thing. Went through some of the usual markers — a dal, something with lamb, bread, rice. The dal had body to it, not watery, which tells me someone's paying attention to cook time. The lamb was tender without being overcooked into nothing, which is a skill that gets underestimated. Seasoning was confident without being aggressive about it.
What I'm watching for on visit two: consistency on the sauces. First visit, everything read as freshly made and balanced. The question is whether that holds on a Tuesday in February when the dining room is half empty and the chef's running shorter prep. That's when you find out what a kitchen actually is.
Service was attentive without hovering. I noticed the staff knew the menu well enough to answer questions without hedging, which matters to me more than most people realize — it means the front of house is actually talking to the kitchen.
I didn't keep a receipt on this one, which I'm already annoyed about. Old habit, I got lazy. Won't happen again.
Verdict for now: promising. Come back twice before you make up your mind about this place. I will.