From January 2006 100 Very Best Restaurants

THE SCENE. Lovers of complex Indian cooking gather at this elegant second-floor aerie with its burnt-orange walls, vivid textiles, carved wood benches, and a photo gallery of bygone Indian princes for some of the best Indian food in the city.

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE. Dishes that warm the palate rather than singe it--though when appropriate, as in the fiery vindaloo, the kitchen isn't spice-shy. Stylish touches--shiny copper bowls and a ceramic mini-tandoor brought to the table--make you feel like a Raj.

WHAT YOU WON'T. A waitstaff whose mantra often seems to be: The customer is seldom right.

BEST DISHES. Beautifully fried vegetable fritters; smoky, juicy tandoori chicken and quail; dum ka murgh, a curry of chicken marinated in sesame and poppy seeds; creamy spinach and corn; lacha paratha, a layered bread glossy with butter; and kurkuri bhindi, crisp rounds of okra tossed with onions and mango powder.