Indian Zing
Above: Indian Zing's dishes are Michelin-star worthy
Just occasionally – very occasionally – even the jaded old critic, the world-weary muncher of a million Modern British meals, comes across something surprising, a place that promises little but delivers much.
Such a place is Indian Zing. Its name and location – King Street, W6 – gave little cause for hope, but it was one of those slightly surreal London spring days when hailstones vie with blossoms to distract the unwary cyclist, and I suppose anything was possible.
All right, so it is in Ravenscourt Park. Call it Shepherd’s Bush borders, if it makes you feel better: as somebody who starts to hyperventilate at the mention of the word “Fulham”, I sympathise.
In any case, any sense of disorientation will be immediately cured by the dining room, which is designed according the principles of vastu shastra, a sort of Hindu feng shui, which aims at harmonising the elements of earth, air, fire, water and space. Apparently.
The food is certainly harmonious. Head chef is Manoj Vasaikar, whose CV includes stints at Veeraswamy and Chutney Mary. The menu he has put together features dishes from all over India, and from many of its religions. You might try a Parsee dhansak from Mumbai; a Syrian Christian chicken stew from Kerala; or a Nawabi lamb salli: spiced minced lamb stuffed with paneer, partnered with a spicy tomato and onion relish.
Some names will be familiar – rogan josh, jalfrezi, korma – but the dishes are unrecognisable from bastardised curry-house versions: individually cooked, carefully spiced and elegantly served.
Everything I tried, from the Indian Zing version of an onion bhajia to a rich, fragrant Malabar chicken curry, was excellent, but one dish really stood out. Mussels rasam is a masterpiece, using rasam – the spiced tomato and tamarind broth, drunk as a palate cleanser and as a digestive aid in southern India – to cook sweet English mussels. The chemistry between mollusc and broth was perfect, with garlic, chilli and curry leaf adding their own… well, zing, I suppose, although I still hate the name.
There is also much to tempt the vegetarian (a tandoori skewer of artichoke and paneer, served with cashew-nut gravy, for example) and even the wine lover: try a Yalumba Riesling at a very reasonable £20.
What makes Indian Zing so special is that they serve food that would grace any of London’s Michelin-starred Indian restaurant tables, but at a price only a tad higher than bog-standard curry house fare. And it’s not really very far from home. Honest.