Style without the price tag

Shikara's manager Nural Hussain and head chef Dolphy D'Souza

On the subject of value, it is good to be able to report on a new Indian restaurant in Chelsea which has opted for quite sophisticated surroundings but the sort of pricing that we all feel comfortable with when it comes to Indian food. Shikara occupies the site in Chelsea Cloisters that used to be Jimmy'z Bar.

A sibling of Shahi Dawat in Rainham, Essex, and Morley Tandoori in Waterloo, Shikara - the name means hunter of game - announces on the menu that it specialises in northern Indian cooking. Since that is what the majority of London Indian restaurants do, the list of dishes is in no way startling and, anyway, it diplomatically includes Goan crab, aloo bonda, Malabar monkfish curry and Chettinad duck, just in case a customer feels like wandering further south.

The menu also describes the healthgiving properties of some spices, eg fenugreek helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels and stimulates the bowels.

My American companion, seeing this, revealed to me his latest weight-loss aid, a pill prepared from Garcinia cambogia, a fruit native to south-east Asia, also known as Malabar tamarind.

As he was talking, the comfortingly well-covered head waiter was nodding as he if knew all about it, but there was no mention of the efficacy of tamarind on the menu, Malabar or otherwise.

Turmeric, which I think benefits the liver, is one of the spices in which calamari are spiced before being sautéed. This squid was much liked, as were the crisply fried crab cakes. Aloo bonda, deep-fried potato balls spiced with mustard seeds, were unusually light and lively.

Nuts and a mixture of seeds used in sauces distinguish some of the Mogul court dishes. Avadhi lamb korma, which used cashew nuts and poppy seeds, was pleasing and properly mild. It contrasted well with murg green masala, which had a citrus tang and the restrained punch of green chillies.

Barbary duck had been used for the badak Chettinad and, although still not the duck curry of my dreams, it was fine. Baingan bhaji, a vegetable side dish of aubergines, was excellent.

The American praised the subtlety of the spicing. In other words, he liked the fact that the food we chose wasn't very hot. But for those who don't think they're eating curry until sweat streams down their faces, there is a back page of "traditional" dishes complete with Madras, Vindaloo and Phall curries, the last rating a unique five-chillies symbol.

Stripped wood floor, white walls and black leather-upholstered chairs and banquettes offer no clue to the nature of the cooking, but that is rather nice. Maybe they just haven't got round to putting up pictures or scarves. What you gain on the swings of the menu prices you don't lose on the roundabouts of the wine list. An interesting addition to Sloane Avenue.

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