Vijaya Krishna

Tooting locals may remember Vijaya Krishna’s original dark-stained shopfront and old-fashioned signage, but these days the restaurant puts on a smarter, more modern garb with pale stone-grey paintwork and gold-embossed lettering. Inside, it also looks and feels more contemporary with chic furnishings and cool colour schemes creating a “fantastic” impression, according to one fan. Food-wise, the menu has its share of generic curry-house staples in various permutations (dupiaza, jalfrezi, bhuna, et al), but the real interest lies in the sizeable contingent of Keralan and South Indian specialities. Items worth ordering include the following: crunchy spinach and lentil vadai (deep-fried patties); steamed utthapam (pizza-style pancakes); lamb with green masala sauce, and fish moilee (lightly spiced kingfish with coconut, spices and fresh curry leaves). Also check out the various dosas and regional vegetable dishes, especially the tomato curry and avial (a composite dish involving beans, plantain, potato, carrot, curd and coconut). Ice-cold Cobra and Kingfisher beer suit the food.