jeremysco

And I thought that you would eat your mother if it meant that you got a good second course.

If you are talking about just Indian Restaurants then I think that the quality exists mainly at the high end. The average high street restaurant is pretty ghastly. Dyed food, tastless but chilli hot, dirty surroundings and frankly just about all that the average punter deserves or wants after 8 pints at the Rat and Raj. There are however some delightful surprises not least south of the river and often these are not Indian but Pakistani and Bangladeshi. Tabaq Restaurant, 47, Balham Hill London SW12 9DR Tel: 020 8673 7820 -Pakistani, with beautiful subtle flavours and unusual dishes. You can order a whole lamb 24 hours early for a real feast. Bombay Bicycle Club Ltd, 95, Nightingale Lane, London SW12 8NX Tel: 020 8673 6217. Indian. Owned by a committee but a great sucess with only fresh spices and herbs used. Now a small chain. On other sites the takeaway is cooked infront of your eyes) Tooting (too numerous to mention) The vegetarian restaurants are often fantastic. Just choose one that is busy and full of the locals. PS. My last trip to Brick Lane ended early when a cockroach crawled over the serving counter!

There is a great little nest of eating on the coast in Suffolk. Aldeburgh has a couple of great restaurants including Robert Maybe's Regatta. Then there is the Butley Oysterage in Orford with absolutely sublime smoked fish and fresh beach line caught Cod. Both pubs in this little village also produce surprisingly fantastic food. Just down the road there is a place called The Old Rectory, in Campsea Ashe, where the menu is limited (you get what he is cooking that night, although veggies are catered for if you have to take one along with you) but the host Stuart Basset just loves fresh local food and great wine. All this and the restaurants in Southwold, with Admans wine merchants and the brewery too.