29 November 2006

Culture Club

The Empress of India Opens

Fancy a Chinese? A curry? A burger? A pizza?

Choosing dinner can be oh-so complicated.

Not so with The Empress of India, which opens in Victoria Park today. Though the restaurant’s name (Queen Victoria’s additional role) and interior (hand-painted silk wall coverings; a mirror from the Rex Cinema in Calcutta) suggest curry, the food is in fact British with a European twist. 

For breakfast, there are field mushrooms on toast or bircher muesli; for lunch, game pie, potted salmon or goat cheese souffle. Afternoon tea is a feature; choose from Welsh rarebit, tiffin (an Indian delicacy with chocolate and oats) or scones with cream. For dinner, try crab bisque, rock oysters or Gloucester Old Spot meatballs with prune and apple.

Stuck for choice?

Rest assured that in this little corner of the world, you can have a little bit of everything.

The Empress of India, 130 Lauriston Road, E9 7LH (020 8533 5123 or theempressofindia.com).