Chowki

This ‘little gem’ of a restaurant puts a novel spin on regional Indian food: every month the menu focuses on three areas of the subcontinent, offering about three starters & mains, & a scattering of sweetmeats from each. So, you might have the opportunity to sample delicate lotus stem roundels from Kashmir in the north, & prawns marinated in black pepper & garlic with a crispy vermicelli coating from Maharashtra in the centre of the country. Chettinad, in the south, might provide fiery steamed mussels, plus much milder chicken cooked in poppy seeds, yoghurt & coriander. A good spot for large groups & pre- & post-theatre bites, with padded leather stools set around long, shared tables.