Comfort levels are high at this smart, spacious Indian, one of a new brand of sleek, modern restaurants that is offering an upmarket alternative to the Balti Mile. It certainly enjoys plenty of applause. Tap Asia puts a contemporary spin on lunch, with a choice of six tapas-sized dishes from a wide selection for £8.95, including haka noodles, chilli and garlic prawns, rogan josh, tarka dahl and chicken tikka salad. In the evening it’s a different scene. A meal might start with baby chicken pan-fried and flavoured with ginger, garlic, green chillies and coriander, continuing with maha jingah – fresh-water king prawns marinated and roasted in the tandoor, or perhaps a casserole of lamb (hara bara gosht) roasted with cumin seeds, chilli flakes, crushed garlic and spinach and cooked until the sauce is dry and the lamb tender. If all that is a bit adventurous, try the more familiar chicken tikka, or order a thali – small portions of several different dishes served with naan and salad. Either way, Itihaas offers subtly flavoured dishes that aren’t swimming in ghee.