There are currently six Indian restaurants in London with Michelin stars:
Amaya, Benares, Quilon, Rasoi Vineet Bhatia and Tamarind.
At Tamarind, in Queen Street, Mayfair, typical current prices are: murgh mahni £17.50 (chicken tikka in creamed fresh tomatoes flavoured with ginger, green chillies and crushed fenugreek leaves - a 'signature dish' of chef Alfred Prasad or is it of Executive of Operations, Rajesh Suri?), tarkahir handi £8.95 (broccoli, shiitake mushroom, asparagus, red pepper and baby corn tossed wih cumin, red onions and crushed pepper), pulao rice £3.95 (braised rice wih browned onions, cumin and saffron). That's one of the cheapest options and adds up to £30.40 for a main dish, served Western-style (ie in portions barely sufficient for sharing). If you add in an appetiser (£6.95 to £11.50), poppadom (£3.95), raita (£3.95), plain naan (£3.95) and a dessert (£6.95-£7.95) you're heading for a very, very tasty bill.
However, if you're pushing the boat out in a big way, say with jhinga ajwaini (four giant, kebabed tiger prawns marinated with ginger, yoghurt, paprika, ground spices and ajwain @ £22.50), tender lamb cutlets marinated wih garlic, raw papaya, fennel, sta-anise, paprika and cream @ £24.75), methi paneer (batons of paneer cheese tossed with fresh fenugreek leaves, garlic, red chilli and tomato @ £9.50 or gajjar halwa (carrot fudge with melon seeds and rasins toppend with silver leaf and pistachio @ £7.50) - then you'll pay an astronomic sum for your gastronomic indulgence (not forgetting the 12.5% service added to your bill and a limit of 2 hours for your table).
So - you pays your money and makes your choice. Service is slickish, the atmosphere is basement Mayfair with fresh flowers, the wine list is expensive, the loos are 5-star and the food is priced at Michelin-star heights. Is it worth it? That's for you to decide. The food's undoubtedly good, but does it justify such high prices? You can't blame all the high prices on sky-high Mayfair rents. It's the way that we traditionally eat Indian food that will push the bill sky-high. Isn't the fun of indulging in shared, familiar dishes with rice, naan and side dishes (not forgetting the lovley gulab jamun for pudding) at a reasonable price the point of Indian food? Scallops, monkfish, shiitake mushrooms, Elwy valley Welsh lamb cutlets are not the normal fare of your local Indian ... but this is hardly in that league - after all, it has a Michelin star.
By the way, you could also nip over the road beforehand to the Curzon Cinema and pay twelve squid to see the latest movie in more Mayfair cinema comfort. Try telling the residents of Mayfair that there's a credit crunch on....
