Mother India

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Style and elegance radiate throughout this justifiably renowned restaurant, from the small bistro-style area on the ground floor to the more formal room upstairs, with its comfortably used wooden tables, subdued lighting and wood panelling. It is a charming venue, repaying the wisdom of the owners who renovated an old bakery but left the sumptuous tearoom much in its original state. The refined atmosphere is carried over to the single-page menu – a tightly focused selection, indicating aspirations beyond the traditional Indo-British curry house fare. The handful of starters include spiced haddock, succulently baked in a spicy sauce, and keema pasties, a successful take on the samosa with clove-smoked mince and peas encased in crisp puff pastry. Main courses are also pared down in choice but not quality. Copious chunks of tender lamb fall off two shanks, deftly cooked with bitter melon. Minimalist menus can occasionally mislead, however: chicken stuffed with mushrooms comes with a generous helping of unadvertised spicy vegetables, thus negating the need for any side dishes. Space saved for desserts will be richly rewarded with mango kulfi that looks as good as it tastes, and Goan pancakes filled with palm sugar and coconut.

• High point: Elegant surroundings
• Low point: Menu can spring surprises