Indian Zest

From the moment you enter through the antique doors, it is a voyage of discovery. It is quite an uphill task today to stand out amongst the host of Indian restaurants that are mushrooming all over London and its suburbs, yet Chef Vasaikar and his team stay clear of 'globalising' Indian cuisine to suit foreign tastes and instead create flavours and textures that speak for themselves at Indian Zest.

The multi level restaurant has a combination of colonial and contemporary décor. If you expect to see the familiar butter chicken or balti vegetables, you could be disoriented, for the menu offers more unusual fare.

Kick start with a cooling raw mango, mint and cucumber frappe with just a hint of cardamom or in cold weather settle for the tempting concoction of mussels simmered in a tomato and tamarind sauce flavoured with garlic. Try the fish steamed in banana leaves or the cottage cheese filled samosas and, if you're in a group, their mixed platter is worth trying.

Depending on your taste you could have chicken in a subtle saffron paste or braised in fenugreek and dill or shanks of lamb in a robust sauce of poppy seeds, onions and spices. Vegetarians could order a blend of tropical vegetables in coconut yoghurt sauce or smoked aubergine with onions and corn. These are accompanied by Indian breads along with plain and flavoured rice dishes. Do look out for the day's specials.

The wine list holds its own despite such an impressive array of food and the desserts cover a lot of ground from the humble caramelised milk dumplings with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and frozen blackberry yoghurt to the exotic tandoori figs and organic apple muesli crumble.