Gurkha Durbar, The

In the immortal words of Martin Luther King, "I have a dream". But my dream is much more focused, perhaps self-centred, than his, and revolves round a takeover by Gurkha cuisine of the great majority of the Indian restaurants in the UK

It's not just the food. They are such thoroughly nice people, never over the top except when it comes to trenches on the field of battle, reserved but friendly in a dignified sort of way, and loyal to the end. Indeed it's hard to believe they are amongst the most feared soldiers in the world of conflict.

Nepalese cooking draws on a combination of two great cuisines, Chinese and Indian, with a simplistic approach that relies heavily upon skill in blending the ingredients.

Starters of momo introduce steamed lamb dumpling served with Nepalese chutney. From the clay oven look for pokhreli machha, trout marinated in a sesame, soya and chilli sauce, flavoured with chopped ginger, garlic and lemon grass, all in oyster sauce.

Rupa prawn demonstrates the wonderful simplicity of this cuisine, with king prawns cooked in coconut milk and selected herbs. Their answer to vindaloo comes in the form of piro khasi, a hot lamb curry in a thick spicy sauce. Aloo tama bodi, a delightful Nepalese vegetarian dish combines bamboo shoots, black-eyed beans and potatoes.

The list is long, yet never for one moment does it occur that it might be too long, so fresh and flavoursome are the dishes that come from a kitchen where histrionics are regarded as bad form.

I fear my dream may never come true, but meanwhile the likes of the Gurkha Durbar will just have to take the pressure.