Aarna Raj

You don’t so much enter Ikk Panjab as you’re very gently absorbed into it. A sort of sweet osmosis from the bustling marketplace to what feels like the drawing room of a posh Punjabi household – one that could be from either side of the border. Conversation is loud, the menu’s fairly familiar, and you’re cheerfully resigned to the fact that you’ll be laughed out of the room if you so much as bring up the word ‘calories’.  The restaurant’s aim is to bring back the flavours of undivided Punjab. The result’s an opulent, indulgent affair: Dohra Kebab (lamb and chicken mince, hand pounded spices, cooked over coal) is a winner – spicy, aromatic, deeply savoury, paired with sot khameeri rotis. The Patiala Kibti Chicken (marinated in yoghurt, topped with slivered almonds) is equally good and makes for a great starter. The butter chicken is very well done too.  The real standout’s the Shahi Bater Masala – quail, a treasured delicacy once only consumed by Punjab’s princely families. It’s outstandingly done here and I’ve never ever seen it on any other Punjabi restaurant’s menu either. The cocktails lean very overtly Indian, with spicy and sour notes – the Jamun Patrol’s a chatpata affair that I couldn’t help ordering two more of.  Service is warm – no stiff-upper-lipness of fine-dining, which is a relief, though prices are incredibly steep. There are sweet touches that all diners will appreciate – a Bunta soda machine, a soda section dedicated to nostalgic drinks, and vintage lamps and