Veeraswamy Restaurant - Mayfair

Veeraswamy on Regent Street, London's oldest surviving Indian restaurant celebrated its eighty fifth birthday in 2011. Born during the 1920s, it has stood on this site for all its life, and has earned a reputation as a haunt for the rich and famous - it's a Monte Carlo among curry houses!

In 1997 it was given a new lease of life by the team who also own Chutney Mary and Masala Zone. They reincarnated the dining room in vibrant contemporary style, emblazoning the lacquered walls with shades of purple, green and orange and adding some sparkle with glass, chrome and gold leaf.

The kitchen explores the regions of the Subcontinent in some detail, looking to the north for tandooris (including baby squid filled with cod) and specialities like sadgi korma (a mellow yellow chicken dish with saffron and Himalayan screw-pine essence. The coastal provinces also contribute some novel ideas like Malabar lobster with turmeric and unripe mango, mussels moillee with ginger, and Malvani prawns spiked with red chillies, coconut, mustard and curry leaves. Thalis are tailor-made for vegetarians, and desserts range from Goan bibinca to Gujarati shrikhand.