Alexandra Tandoori

Despite its technical address of Muswell Hill, Alexandra Tandoori is not amongst the pretty, upmarket eateries and shops of the Broadway. If, like yours truly, you find yourself at this brightly lit roundabout scratching your head, arm yourself with patience, face north and walk for 15 minutes down the road without stopping until you get to Alexandra Park Road, no matter how rural things appear to be turning. You will find this eatery tucked away next to a greasy spoon, which it is set to take over and convert into a Lebanese restaurant. Once we arrive, a neat dining room filled with large round tables with sweeping white tablecloths beckons us into the warmth and makes the trek seem worthwhile.

There is plenty on the menu, including the obligatory curries and tandoori dishes. We opt for the fish bora, two salty tuna fritters in breadcrumbs that go down a treat with a garlic, yoghurt and mayo dip, vegetable samosas, and cubes of paneer cheese swimming in a coconutty sauce with peas, diluting the salty flavour of the cheese till it’s imperceptible. The waiter has placed our starters over a box with two candles and a griddle over the top to keep them warm, however they’ve been hungrily devoured before there’s any chance of them going cold.

From the chef’s specialties we try the lamb parahika, which consists of pieces of lamb cooked on skewers (just that tiny bit overcooked) and served in a mild sauce with peppers and onions. The sizzling rami arrives as promised, sizzling, containing tender chunks of chicken, lamb and two fleshy king prawns the size of baby lobsters in a spicy red sauce.

Curiously, the desserts are ice creams of the kind you find in ice cream parlours in Spain, served in coconut shells, plastic toys or glass bowls with paper cocktail umbrellas.

A three course meal for two with wine is roughly £60, and given the generous portions, represents good value for money.