The finest Indian restaurants in London

Indian cuisines are known globally for their limitless usage of spices and condiments. No dish is complete without the addition of chilli, pepper, ginger, onion, coriander, turmeric and other common flavourings. The Mughals introduced lavish preparations which have made the nation famous on a worldwide foodie circuit. Further down south, the spice level remains consistent but the menu becomes richer owing to the introduction of sea food. Indian snacks such as samosas, chaat, pani puri etc have also found their dedicated lovers all over the world. Because of the number of South Asians in London rising every day, many Indian cuisines have become local favourites with some even getting their finely mutated British versions. Here are a few places you can visit to spice up your mood..

The Red Fort

Named after the iconic Indian monument, The Red Fort, is a 'Mughlai' restaurant and bar. The menu has mostly North Indian cuisines and the taste, the flavour and the overall grandiose of the dishes is exactly like you expect from a Mughal diner. Among the starters the 'pocha hera jhinga' has a taste which is hard to get off your mind. It is made by marinating king prawns in a spicy and crispy batter. If you feel like spicing up your taste buds more then order the 'Hyderabadi bhuna ghosht, which is lamb flavoured with ginger, garlic, black pepper, coriander seeds and red chilli. This item should have a 'Beware! Really Spicy!' tag alongside it. Innovative dishes such as duck served as grilled breast pieces with celery, thyme and rosemary sauce and roasted rabbit's meat with mustard, chilli, fennel and onion seeds are super delicious and worth a try.

Dosa N Chutney

A cuisine that is invariably associated with South India, Dosa is a crispy pancake made out of rice batter and black gram and is almost universally bonded with tamarind-y sambhar and chutney. Dosa N Chutney is a restaurant in London's curry paradise, Tooting, and is the best place to get a taste of these pancakes, half the world away from where they originated from. The dosa here comes with 3 types of chutney and sambar and has a plethora of varieties like 'onion', 'chicken', 'mutton', 'hot chutney', 'chilli coriander' and many more. The place also has other spicy and delicious cuisines such as lamb in spicy marinade topped with roasted coconut and curry leaves, grilled items like fish tikka, chicken mughlai kabab, etc., all of which can be gulped down with a glass of the heavenly mango lassi.

The Brilliant Restaurant

A dinner at The Brilliant Restaurant in Southall is like vicariously enjoying a trip to India. The food, the ambiance, the service, and even the music played is all incredibly Indian! Being in service for nearly four decades, regular visitors would tell you that the Punjabi food served here is comparable to, or maybe even better than the one served in the state itself. It is best known for its luscious 'chicken tikka masala', a cuisine which was declared a British national dish, owing to its immense popularity. Prepared by marinating chicken in yogurt and then baking it in tandoor, the dish has a rich, creamy taste of lavishness. While watching Bollywood films on the telly, you can also feast yourself with other Punjabi dishes like meat samosas, fish pakoras, potato cutlets(alu tikki) etc. If you are clever enough to save some appetite for the sweet dish, then the taste of 'gulab jamun', 'gajar ka halwa' or 'galebi ice cream' would quickly make you decide the date for your next visit to this 'brilliant' restaurant.

Ananthapuri

Situated in a less than spectacular location, you might walk by Ananthapuri and hardly notice it, but if you are hungry and smell the meaty, spicy fragrance of the food here, you might just float into it and realise why it is one of the best Indian restaurants in London. A heaven for curry lovers, the chicken, mutton and lamb curry served here would get you into tears both due to the foodgasm you'd achieve and well, the spices. The dishes can be enjoyed with Malayali breads like porotta, kotthu roti and puttu kotthu. The biryanis here are authentic and absolutely delicious. A plethora of Kerala special dishes are also available like appams, dosas, uttapams, kappas and puttus. The rates are so reasonable that you would thank god for the replica of 'his own country' in London.

Bombay Brasserie

Named after the 'chaat' capital of the world, Bombay Brasserie is London's most famous place to savour the taste of any of the sweet and sour, tongue tickling snacks made out of fried dough. Those familiar with its taste would be surprised with the authenticity in the taste of the 'sev batata puri' served here. Puris of the size of a biscuit are topped with a potato mix, gramflour straws and served with a chutney. The dish exemplifies the idea of an Indian snack. A recipe borrowed from Bombay's closest neighbour, the 'Goa Halibut curry' would make you drown in tanginess as you take a bite of the halibut dipped in a sauce made from coconut and red chillies. For prawn lovers there is the 'prawn balchao', which is made by cooking them in goan vinegar and chillies and then there's the tandoori king prawns. To relish the exotica of Indian spices try the pepper flavoured chicken, put on the menu as chicken tikka kalmiri. The burning sensation would vanish eventually, but the taste of India would linger on for quite a while.