Zaika, Kensington, Restaurant Review

Very few people actively enjoying visiting their bank, but if they were all as welcoming as Zaika - itself housed in a grand Gothic building that was formerly the London and County Bank - they'd be queuing round
the block. The first impression on walking in is an almost spiritual appreciation of the carved high ceilings, and the second is a mouth-watering anticipation of the delicious scents wafting from the kitchen, allowing both aesthetic and cultural appetites to be whetted. On a recent visit, the personable staff guided us first to the bar for an impeccable champagne cocktail to begin the adventure.

We were in an adventurous mood, and so despite it being lunchtime, we agreed it would be a crime not to sample as much gourmet Indian cuisine as we could handle. A few deep breaths, and we plumped for the tasting menu.

Bhuna Rattan (pan-fried scallops with three different accompaniments) came first, suitably accompanied by a glass of Mumm Champagne and a ceremonial squirting of a yellow coconut milk and lime foam from a sophisticated-seeming contraption. Each of the trio of unshelled scallops is delicate, aromatic and delicious; gun-powder scallop first, then semolina and chilli-encrusted, and finally on to the foam, each new flavour more complex and sensational than the last.

A stand-out dish was the Tali Machli - Icelandic cod marinated in ginger and chillies with crushed green peas and Champagne and cardamom. Many-layered it may have been, but the flavours were strong, bold and a welcome mix of crispness and melt-in-mouth delicate.

Here, even the variations on old classics are remarkable. Achari Gosht - lamb cooked in mustard and fennel seeds, pickling spices with saffron rice - is an upmarket variant on a lamb curry, but in this case the complex spices give it a kick far beyond the reaches of the local curry house. 

Finally the question came. 'Could we handle dessert?' By this point, we were near the culinary summit, and all we needed was the pudding equivalent of a Tenzing Norgay to see us to the top. Reshmi Mithai, a pine kernal, cashew and pistachio brittle with silky chocolate mousse and masala tea ice-cream comes with popping space dust and was sensational. At last, we reached the dizzy heights of a true culinary mountain. (Nancy Alsop)

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