Cafe Lazeez - Soho

The menu at Café Lazeez is based on North Indian/Punjabi cuisine, which uses both vegetables and meat. This means that the majority of dishes are subtly spiced and barbecued, grilled or allowed to cook slowly in their own juices in a haandi, a large round bottomed cooking vessel used for stewing, which might sometimes have a dough seal fitted.

It would be possible to summarise the cuisine with the words, light and fresh, and therefore healthy. If this is different from what critics of Indian cooking have to say about an excess of spices and oil, giving over-rich results, it is because Lazeez are aware of contemporary attitudes towards more healthy food in Britain. Most of the dishes are grilled or dry-fried, with sunflower oil used instead of traditional ghee.

Lazeez is fortunate in having two well-experienced Head Chefs in London and Birmingham, both of whom have previously held the post of Executive Chef at the Oberoi Hotel in Delhi. They produce traditional dishes that use only the very finest raw ingredients and fresh spices. Lazeez is renowned for its tandoor and the Lazeez Barbecue Feast is a noble dish of jumbo prawns, chargrilled salmon, chicken tikka and lamb seekh kebab.

Amongst the main dishes are fillets of tilapia cooked in yoghurt sauce tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves, or saag gosht, tender pieces of lamb with spinach, dill, fenugreek and carefully selected fresh spices.

As well as concessions to Western health susceptibilities Lazeez has encouraged 'evolved' dishes that take heed of influences from our own cuisines, resulting in paneer and aubergine tower, aubergine slices and traditional Indian cheese sprinkled with aromatic spices and roasted in the oven, and light bar snacks. How long before we have Indian tapas?

Another popular evolved item is the steamed salmon steak on carrots, bean sprouts and tomato salad, spiced new potatoes and dill cream sauce. For evolved vegetarians enjoy the spinach and fennel dumplings filled with sweet and sour mushrooms, with saffron rice and tangy tomato sauce.

At the Soho Café Lazeez expect to find on the menu Malabari monkfish masala, cubes of monkfish poached in an aromatic coconut sauce, with crunchy green beans and basmati rice. The jhinga malai is made from freshwater prawns stir-fried with ginger and green chillies in a rich coconut sauce, and for the vegetarians there is a platter with a medley of two vegetables, lentils of the day, raita, basmati rice and a naan. A party of two or four can have a half or whole leg of lamb, marinated with a blend of green herbs braised in the oven, a real treat for a special occasion.

A tandoor grilled chicken in a rich tomato sauce with green chillies and fenugreek leaves brings together flavours that seem made for each other, and combine well with florets of cauliflower and broccoli tossed with onions, tomatoes and ginger crowned with a yoghurt and honey dip.

The Peshawari naan bread is in a class of its own, but for a real change try the onion kulcha, North Indian bread filled with a mix of red onions, potatoes and pomegranate seeds.

With a long list of awards dating from the opening in 1994, this has to be a place for an early visit. They also deliver.