The place is a swish-looking Indian restaurant with a rather fetching window display which looks rather like, but sadly is not, several hundred bottles of whisky.
In other respects, the appearance of shiny modernity is more accurate. The menu is short, the furniture simple but posh, the table staff good-looking Eastern Europeans. In one corner of the room is a glass wall through which you can see some of the kitchen.
We were brought chutneys (coriander, mango, and I think onion) and a bowl containing little poppadoms and two halves of a big spicy one.
I opened with Shami Sheekampur, more delicately spiced than curry-house shami with lamb minced much more finely and something like sour cream in the middle. It was garnished with just a bit of coriander, red onion and an alarmingly pokey sprinkle of chilli powder. The wife had Sagar Rattan, seared scallops and crab cakes. It was "nice", "tasty but not very big" and "hot".
I followed with Laal Maas, "spicy lamb curry from Rajasthan" which was a rich, dark, hot (but not stupid) lamb curry. The lamb was OK, though a couple of bits were a touch fatty. Wifey went for Jhinga Tulsi, "king prawns in basil and smoked paprika". The prawns, large and meaty, and about 30 seconds from tandoor to table (we watched through the aforementioned glass wall), came on a bed of chickpeas. However once more the portion disappointed - the prawns were but a pair and the chickpeas few.
To accompany, we had plain rice (plentiful), a zaffrani kulcha (flaky naan, with saffron and sesame seeds) and Baigan Bhartha, "smoked aubergine mash with cumin and green peas" which was plentiful, if a bit bland (which was fine by me, as I think aubergine is rotten stuff).
We didn't have any booze but the wine list looked OK, there was a short list of speciality cocktails and a smashing long list of whiskies including some rare cask-strength ones.
The bill for two courses without booze was pretty heavy at a shade over 60 quid. All things considered, while the service and pleasant surroundings could justify that, the food did not. Since we were one of only two occuppied tables at 1.30pm on Saturday afternoon if you are minded to visit, it may be wise to do so soon, before this place becomes an All Bar One.
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