Until relatively recently, Indian food in the UK was always a bit misunderstood. People have become accustomed to the anglicised dishes (a lot of which aren’t even Indian in origin) served in high street curry houses across the country, which are somewhat bastardised versions of the incredibly varied produce-driven dishes found across India’s vast regions. More recently, however, chefs have started to open restaurants which showcase just how special the cuisine can be. At London’s Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai, head chef Avi Shashidhara is doing exactly this – traversing his native India via a menu of traditional dishes but with seasonal British ingredients at the forefront.

Serving dishes designed to be shared in an informal setting, the restaurant’s food takes inspiration from traditional recipes provided by the chefs and their families. Much like the food, Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai’s dining room is vibrant but informal in feel, with modern prints providing splashes of colour to the walls and an open kitchen in one corner allowing aromas of spice to waft across the room. Meanwhile below the restaurant lies a basement cocktail bar inspired by India’s smugglers dens.

Shashidhara’s ever-changing menu features a mixture of familiar Indian dishes and some lesser-known recipes, which in many cases use ingredients you may not associate with the cuisine. Small plates on offer might include papadi chat and Mangalore buns with crab sukkah, while larger dishes range from classics like a Cornish lamb biryani to squab pigeon ‘junglee maas’ and Chettinad-style veal shin. Diners at Pali Hill can finish with a refreshing dessert like carrot halwa or a slice of Sicilian mango cheesecake.

Plenty of thought has been put into the restaurant’s wine list to ensure there are lots of interesting bottles which can match up to the punchy food. Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai’s cocktail menu meanwhile has the flavours of India running through it – the tamango, for example, blends vodka and Cointreau with mango purée and tamarind syrup for a unique flavour.

Central London isn’t short on good quality Indian restaurants, but in just a short time Pahli Hill Bandra Bhai has become one of those you simply must visit.