Tamarind

Set in a sumptuously chic gold-accented dining room in Mayfair - London's most prestigious district - Tamarind is a world-renowned Indian restaurant. It was the first Indian restaurant in Europe to receive Michelin recognition.

Internationally-acclaimed executive chef Alfred Prasad, the youngest Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin star at the age of 29, has devised a series of new dishes based on the fresh young, flavour-packed produce of the season. Says he, "Indian food and culture is a vast yet immediate source of inspiration to my cooking. Its diversity - most still unexplored, contributes to innovative ideas that create a cuisine and an ultimate dining experience". Not surprising therefore that Tamarind is renowned for its ongoing exploration of the sub-continent.

The menu at Tamarind is lengthy enough to ensure that any serious seeker after proper Indian cuisine could spend an awful lot of time reaping the benefits of this enquiring attitude.

Starters include the Tamarind salad, with salad leaves, melon, plum and kumquats in a honey and pine nut dressing; grilled scallops, flavoured with green, pink and black peppercorns drizzled with oven roasted peppers and crushed fenugreek in olive oil or Lasooni Pasliyan Grilled lamb cutlets from the Elwy Valley, topped with a smoked tomato, red pepper and coriander chutney.

Main course Highlights include lamb dishes like the curry Kashmiri shank - lamb shank slow cooked with whole spices, yoghurt, saffron and Kashmiri chillies: meen Kozhambu. Kingfish simmered with raw mango in a gravy of tomatoes, coconut and roasted spices or tadka dal, yellow lentils finished with brown garlic, cumin, green chillies, tomatoes and fresh coriander.

Desserts have always been a speciality of Indian cooking, perhaps because of the startling contrast between spices and the intense sweetness, but Tamarind excels. The cherry pudding with Maraschino cherry and almond steamed pudding served with caramel ice cream is exceptional, but for sheer perfection try the basmati rice simmered in cardamom flavoured milk with nuts and raisins, served with stewed apricots.

Unusually for an Indian restaurant Tamarind has a Sommelier, Bhavin Solenki, a very well versed one at that, with an excellent cellar stock from which to work. The tendency to replace jars of indifferent fizzy lager with decent wine when eating-out-Indian is one greatly to be encouraged. Staffing is an exemplar of the old adage that service in Indian restaurants is almost invariably polite, friendly and efficient.

The influx of new cuisines, never mind adaptations on old ones, that has overtaken the world and Britain in particular during the last few decades is not necessarily a bad thing provided that it is done with the degree of professionalism and curiosity that is displayed at every turn by Tamarind.

It perhaps goes without saying most of this excellence takes good management and vision, not to mention money. But then Tamarind is just very special and if the process tends to reflect that, you can rest assured you will be getting outstanding value for money. Children are welcome before 7pm.

For far more information, including their menus and online booking facilities, do visit the  Website.