9 Cellars Restaurant

Chef Thakur, the winner of the International Chef of the Year competition in 2007, is perhaps as well known as this eatery itself. Rather than being called an Indian restaurant, they like to refer to themselves as a team that specialises in Indian food. Loved for its authentic cuisine, it offers a limited but quality range of food rather than infinite variety of indistinct tastes and textures.

Start your meal here with the tempting combination of puffed rice with onions with a tangy dip or savour king prawns flavoured with carom seeds before moving on to the more substantial lamb cooked with Kashmiri spices or in a spinach gravy. One can also try their special Goan curry and vindaloo preparations. There are plenty of chicken, sea foods and vegetarian options that are best eaten with freshly baked Indian nan breads and flavoured rice pilavs.

The Guardian pays a tribute to this restaurant with these words - "Thakur's menu is equally unique: rather than a seemingly endless list of numbered curries, it offers a more concise selection that represents various sub continental areas."