Gandhi's Restaurant

The legendary Gandhi name may have originated in India, but this Gray's Inn Road restaurant in London is more than an ode to all things Indian, there are enough influences on the menu, from neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh to keep diners pleasantly distracted. The décor is certainly more straightforward; clean, crisp lines abound with walls adopting red and pale yellow hues.

On a busy evening the dining area is bustling with energy and it's not uncommon to see people enjoying plates of onion bhaji, Goan king prawn chilli, or vegetable kebabs. A must-try dish for those who can handle their spices is the chicken nezame cooked in cultured yogurt, mixed herbs and peeled mustard.

It's heartening to note that Gandhi's Restaurant has taken the dessert list a step further from the customary gulab jamun or kulfi; now your interests could alternate between an amarena, a glass filled with ice-cream flavoured with yoghurt and cream, topped with black cherries, or eastern delight, a Turkish delicacy with flavoured ice-cream covered in real Belgian chocolate.