foodie's » London, United Kingdom

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The British love affair with Indian cooking was cemented during the years of the Empire, when mustachioed colonials developed a taste for the spicier things in life. Indeed, a recent survey revealed that Britain’s favorite dish is chicken tikka masala. OK, it’s not authentic, but it does show how British taste has influenced traditional Indian recipes. So it’s no surprise that the most British of actors, Sir Michael Caine, has opened Deya. Sir Michael once owned a whole empire of restaurants, so he knows the trade inside out. Tucked behind the bustle of Oxford Street’s shops, his elegant Indian restaurant features ethnic decor in a resolutely Victorian building, a far cry from the hideous wallpaper so beloved by cheap curry houses in the past. Chef Sanjay Dwivedi’s menu also takes the traditional and gives it a vigorous modern shake-up at Deya. You can choose from fashionable “tasting menus”; the vegetarian version features a goats cheese samosa starter and a more traditional vegetable thali. Take the “with wine” option, and you can savor a different tipple with each course. The general tasting menu does include the ubiquitous chicken tikka but also an innovative snapper masala; again there is a “with wine” option. If you’re short on cash, try the two-course set lunch menu.

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