Definitely not one for the xenophobe or if you are looking for restaurant style service. In fact I was tempted to keep it to myself for fear that popularity would push up the prices and destroy the atmosphere. This place is Indian food's answer to the greasy spoon.

Grab a tray and order at the counter. I usually stick to what is keeping warm, which is usually a choice of dahls, mixed vegetables, sag aloo etc. There is a menu but I have never ordered from it. In the window, as well as a selecion of barfees and other sweets are the snacky things like pakora, aloo bolla, samosa and kebabs.

A typical meal for me would be the mixed vegetable curry, plain rice (although the pilau looks very colourful), a kebab and a couple of chapatty. You get a salad of raw onions, chilli, yoghurt and a fascinating bright red sauce on the side. It comes to about 4GBP and is about as much as I want to eat in one sitting. There is no booze but plenty of water and, in the summer cold lassi. Eating with your hand (right hand only) is expected here but its useful to have a fork or spoon standing by for when the bread runs out. Bear in mind that everything is spicy-hot and you will need the rice and bread to dilute the spiciness. One main with a rice and bread per person seems about right. If you can't decide what to have from the selection available, it's worth knowing that they will serve a half portion so you get to work through the different dishes in half the number of visits.

For a special treat and if you have a sweet tooth have the halwa puri. Halwa is a thick, almost solid, semolina. Very sweet and loaded with butter. Wrapped in a fried bread and heated up it is a fine lunchtime snack to either soak up some beer or line your stomach for a session. A takeaway carton of halwa keeps for ages and a quick zap in the microwave produces the ideal late night snack.

Also good to take away are the kebabs in a chapatty or puri. They are loaded with green chillis though so be careful if you are not used to the heat. Even the inocent looking pakora have lumps of green chilli hiding in them.

Everything is available to take away and I'm quite happy to keep the veggie stuff a day in the fridge before getting around to eating it. Beware of the leaky takeaway cartons though, they will get you some evil looks when the aroma drifts around the underground carriage. And if you are doing a takeaway don't forget to get a bag of pakora for the journey.