Indilicious serves a menu of scratch-cooked standards representative of regions throughout India. 

A critically acclaimed Kolkata-born chef with over 17 years of international experience heads up the small kitchen. 

The scent of cooking wafts into the equally small dining room, barely space for approximately 25 in the eccentric corner spot formerly slinging home-style Italian.

Saag paneer ($12.95) cooks cottage cheese in a gravy of tomato, garlic, onion, ginger, fenugreek, spices and tatters of ginger, heat warming the back upper corners of the mouth slightly then receding. 

The cheese is soft rather than fried, crumbly and absorbent, the puree of spinach coarse and viscous rather than thin and gloopy like some renditions of this familiar dish. Spice levels can be adjusted on this and almost any other dish.

Aloo gobi ($12.95) sees cauliflower florets and wedges of potato cooked in a tomato onion gravy with cumin, coriander, ginger and cilantro. Care has been put into the knifework, the veg not cooked down to unrecognizable mushy hunks, the mild heat on this dish hitting nearer to the back of the palate, edging down the throat.

Butter chicken ($15.95), an iconic North India dish, is cooked from scratch using a unique garam masala. Large chunks of boneless chicken are marinated in spices and yogurt and roasted, then simmered in an addictive soup of creamy tomato-based sauce, rendering the meat juicy and soft.

Mandatory accompaniments butter naan ($1.99) and saffron basmati rice ($3.99) are both made from scratch in house. The naan uses no yeast or other fermenting agent, stretchy and pillowy, cooked in a traditional tandoor. Fluffy rice is studded with fragrant cumin seeds and drizzled with heady saffron water.

A Lipstick mocktail ($7.47) is essentially a non-alcoholic raspberry mojito, muddled raspberry, sugar, mint, ice and a hint of lime topped off with soda and garnished with a frilly, aromatic sprig of mint.

It’s surprisingly complementary to the flavours of the food and extremely refreshing, tart and sweet in contrast to all the warm, round spices. 

There’s also a simple drinks list with a few options for wines and simple, quenching choices for beer like Corona ($7.95) and Coors Light ($6.95).

Chef Sujoy Saha was formerly responsible for curries on the menu at Tich, and regularly makes appearances in the dining room wearing his chef whites to introduce himself and thank his guests.