"You Choose" — Varanasi

Venue: Varanasi, 184 Broad Street, B15 1DA; website
Choice: Grilled lamb (£10) Chooser: Waiter

Okay, okay, you're right, Varanasi is an Indian on Broad Street. But that's where the expected ends and the filigreed up Buddhas, spa-like entrance portal and dual-floored waterfall (yes, you did read that right) begins. If you've never been to the 350-cover spot — salubriously located next to Vodka Revs, opposite where the ambulances wait to cart off Saturday night's casualties — it's difficult to think of a more surprising space, full of velvety, thick curtains, big welcomes and pretty PDRs. Though the behemoth has the air of a former life as a strip joint, with all its nooks, crannies and dark feel, it's a proud, popular restaurant now, buzzy even on a Tuesday night. The food is a mixture of fine dining and classic content, the latter hitting more highs than the former in terms of flavour. While the organic salmon tikka (£12) arrived shrouded in a dome of smoke and ceremony, it was on the dry side by the time we got around to eating it. Served in a simple bowl, conversely, the tarka daal (£7) was entirely excellent and beaten only by the grilled lamb, which bridged the gap between good looks and good taste, with pretty little swirls of tomato chutney working aesthetically and cutting through the well-handled fattiness of the meat. Swerve the flavourless tandoori gobi (£8) but go big on the Lamb karahi (£20). And absolutely book. Varanasi seems to be a not-so-secret-secret come the weekend. Menu