Restaurants

Situated between sprawling fruit and vegetable shops and colourful sari boutiques, Sakonis is an Ealing Road institution. This branch of the famous Gujarati vegetarian chain is packed at weekends, with queues falling out of the doors. Its easy to see why. Though the white-tiled interior is functional, the food remains vibrant and well-executed. A masala dosa was huge and crunchy, filled with spicy potatoes, served with delicious sambar and coconut chutney. Dahi wada (lentil dumplings with cool yoghurt, hot spices and sweet tamarind) hit all the right notes, and the pani poori (filled with a tamarind, green chilli and coriander sauce) brought an explosion of flavour. Only the idlis werent as light and fluffy as they might have been. After the full-flavoured food, we enjoyed a refreshing passion-fruit juice from a drinks menu of fresh juices. Service was quiet and unassuming, but a firmer hand is seen in strict notices around the restaurant telling customers not to abuse the legendary buffets (these comprise Gujarati specialities and Chinese-Indian dishes). Theres a large takeaway counter, should all the tables be full.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008