Dakhin

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

With its discrete entrance and first-floor location, Dakhin could easily be missed among the plethora of busy restaurants and bars in Candleriggs. Those who are curious – or cunning – enough to venture upstairs, however, will be welcomed into an elegant, atmospheric and almost colonial-seeming dining space, the map of south India at the head of the steps firmly delineating its culinary terrain. Dosas – rice pancakes fried on a griddle and stuffed full of spices, vegetables and chutney – are to south India what the pizza is to Naples, a ubiquitous snack eaten throughout the day as well as a substantial main meal. They are definitely top of the main attractions here. There are chicken and lamb varieties, though the purists might opt for the Mysore massala, a lively, mustardy vegetarian concoction that's as close to dosa royalty as it's possible to get. All come with sambar, a tangy tamarind and pigeon pea broth, and a soothing coconut chutney. There is also a wealth of enticing fish and seafood dishes from Kerala's Malabar coast, as well as a good choice of lamb curries, among which a Tamil variety cooked with mint and coriander comes particularly recommended – especially when accompanied by coconut rice. There is a good selection of Indian sweets, too.

• High point: Dosas as good as you'll find outside India
• Low point: The wada – deep-fried ground lentils – are a little too dry